Council Tax Up - Trust In Gwynedd Council Down...

The full council of cyngor Gwynedd met on the 5th March, 2026. 
The agenda pack for the meeting can be found here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g5675/Public%20reports%20pack%2005th-Mar-2026%2013.30%20The%20Council.pdf?T=10

Council tax increase...
The Plaid Cymru council passed -
A budget of £379,701,110 should be set for 2026/27, to be funded by £264,009,390 of Government Grant and £115,691,720 of Council Tax income (which is an increase of 4.75% baseline plus a further 0.42% to meet the levy from the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority, giving a total of 5.17%). 

Chief officers pay will increase... 
In July 2025 confirmation was received that the employers and the unions that represent chief officers had agreed on a pay increase for 2025/26, that being an increase of 3.2% on the pay of each chief officer. 

Council pension pot...
Is doing very well indeed.

Councillors also passed -
Amendments to the Members Code of Conduct and The Councils Whistle Blowing Policy, authored by the monitoring officer, Iwan G D Evans. 

But staff have said they do not feel safe to whistleblow and no amount of amendments will change that. From an Internal Audit Plan by Luned Fon Jones, published in early 2025 - 


Jones' full report can be found on page 138 in the agenda pack - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g5293/Public%20reports%20pack%2006th-Feb-2025%2010.00%20Governance%20and%20Audit%20Committee.pdf?T=10

According to the minutes, those present at that meeting were - 



On repeat...
Have any cabinet members raised concerns at meetings or with other councillors?
What action, if any, has been taken by the legal team?
It is the same with other audits of the whistle blowing policy - going back many years -

From 2011 - 
Authored by Dewi Morgan, then senior audit and risk manager - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/Data/Audit%20Committee/20110113/Agenda/05_01_Awareness%20of%20the%20Whistleblowing%20Policy.pdf

Observations from staff in 2011 include - 
“Would be too afraid of the consequences.”
“No faith in the Council’s confidentiality.”
“When whistleblowing, you have to face the consequences.”
“Afraid of repercussions from Line Manager.”

Culture culture culture...
It is not the policy that is lacking...
There appears to be a complete lack of trust in senior officers and a fear for confidentiality and retribution.
After the Neil Foden case, perhaps the policy should be ripped up and given to an external body for staff safety. 
                                                      ****************

Two questions had been accepted by the monitoring officer for discussion.
The first by Gwynfor Owen, asking for support for a memorial in Harlech for Catrin, daughter of Glyndŵr, was given support by the cabinet member for the Econonmy, Richard Medwyn Hughes.

A question by Beca Brown, the former cabinet member for Education, who resigned after the Neil Foden case, asked - 

 

Why Brown has asked this question five years after Audit Wales raised concerns is unknown.
Both questions in full can be found here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=48517

A prepared script..?
Brown's question was answered by cabinet member for corporate services, councillor Llio Elenid Owen. The councillor's supplementary question was also answered by Owen, reading from her laptop. It is not usual that the supplementary question is known in advance...

There were two NOTICE OF MOTION accepted by the council and passed at the meeting - 
One by Councillor Gruffydd Williams -
That this Council is totally opposed to the Digital Identification system and that Cyngor Gwynedd calls on the Welsh Government to oppose DI in line with the Government in Scotland and also in line with several local authorities across the UK. Convenience should never come at the expense of personal liberty...

No kidding...
The second Notice by Councillor Elin Hywel begins -
This Council recognises that trust is the foundation of democracy.
We know that recent events locally, nationally and internationally have undermined that relationship with the people of Gwynedd...

Trojan horse...
The discussion by councillors was more animated than has been seen in a long time.
Plaid Cymru councillor Dewi Jones, wondered if independent councillors were truly independent or if any were conservatives or reformers in disguise...
 
Deflection...
Jones may have been trying to divert attention from the former Plaid Cymru councillor, Iwan Huws, who attempted to defraud his employer, Anglesey council.  Huws escaped prosecution by accepting a police caution. Is that usual for employees?
Huws is the brother of the Plaid MS for Arfon.

Sshh...
Whilst the 'Our Bravery Brought Justice' report was mentioned several times, no councillor asked about the senior officer from the legal department, present at the safeguarding meeting re Neil Foden, in 2019. What legal advice was given re concerns raised by the whistleblower? 

The Ffordd Gwynedd way..?
A reminder that Garem Jackson, the former head of education, said he was 'advised' by a safeguarding officer to simply have a word with Foden re his closeness to some girls. The whistleblower was also outed to Foden.

The webcast of the meeting can be viewed here - 
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1073997
For the translated feed press the english tab on the top left of the page. 

Singing from the same hymn sheet..?
Why was chair of the response board, Sally Holland, not in attendance?
She meets with cabinet members but not ordinary councillors..?
A reminder that cabinet members may be whipped not to ask embarrassing questions. 

Questions questions...
Has Estyn or Care Inspectorate Wales appeared before councillors? 
What of the two senior police officers who sat as school governors at Ysgol Friars?
Is there to be a public inquiry..?

The Pickles 'extended' child practice review found failings over many departments. 
Were any of the survivors in foster care?
Where is the report from the fostering team?
Where is the report from the education/economy scrutiny task and finish group - already overdue by many months? 

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council... 

 

 

 

 

 

Did Estyn And Care Inspectorate Wales Get It Wrong? Cyngor Gwynedd Council...

In 2017, Ysgol Friars underwent an inspection by Estyn - 
https://estyn.gov.wales/system/files/2020-08/Ysgol%2520Friars.pdf

In June, 2023, Estyn undertook an inspection of education services in cyngor Gwynedd -
https://www.estyn.gov.wales/system/files/?file=2023-09/Inspection%20report%20Cyngor%20Gwynedd%202023_0.pdf

 

It's not my fault...  
But cyngor Gwynedd did not have an effective digital strategy at this time. 
Geraint Owen, the former corporate director, was responsible for the strategy and had to defend himself at one council meeting for not creating the strategy...!

Estyn's analysis of the safeguarding arrangements within cyngor Gwynedd was completely wrong...

How did Estyn get it so wrong..? 
Questions remain as to Estyn's diligence and methods of scrutiny.

Some clues can be found in another report dated September 2023, co-produced by Estyn, Health Inspectorate Wales and Care Inspectorate Wales after the death of Child T, from Bridgend.
Rapid review of child protection arrangements


The full report can be found here - 
https://www.careinspectorate.wales/sites/default/files/2023-09/230928-Rapid-review-of-child-protection-arangements-en.pdf

On page 15 -


The effective child protection model incorporating the Risk Model, utilised by cyngor Gwynedd, was created by Dafydd Paul, the senior safeguarding and quality officer for the council.

In March, 2022, a project evaluation of the ECP was undertaken by Bruce Thornton,  a consultant and trainer in social care. His report can be found here - 
https://www.effectivechildprotection.wales/sites/default/files/Effective%20Child%20Protection%20Project%20Evaluation_%20Full%20Report.pdf

Thornton writes - 
I was asked to examine whether child protection in Gwynedd is more effective as a consequence of adopting the Effective Child Protection model?
The unequivocal answer to that question is ‘Yes’

Obviously not...

The model focuses on parents needing to change behaviours but appears not to mention the risk of abuse from those in a position of trust/authority. The last child abuse scandal in this area of north Wales involved those in a position of trust/authority over children in care... 

Paul is believed to be 'absent from work' since the Spring of 2025, as is Marian Parry Hughes, the head of children's SS department. Cyngor Gwynedd refuse to confirm the identities of the officers until investigations commissioned by the HR department are complete.
When will that be..?

Have the investigations looked at the role of the senior officer within the legal department who was present at the safeguarding meeting in 2019 re Foden or is it focused solely on the officers within the children's department?  

A reminder that Foden physically abused boys..

It gets worse...
Estyn and Care Inspectorate Wales held a Joint inspection with a focus on safeguarding in Gwynedd Council in November, 2025. That report can be found here - 
https://estyn.gov.wales/app/uploads/2025/12/Safeguarding-inspection-report-Gwynedd-Council-2026.pdf

On page 11 - 



The 'effective child protection' model created by Dafydd Paul - in 2019 - appears to have failed in Gwynedd. 
Estyn and Care Inspectorate Wales chose not to name Paul, simply referring to him as a 'senior leader in the children and families department. For why?

Perhaps this report should be removed out of respect for the children and families involved?

As an evidence base, the investigators included - 
• A meeting with members of the education and social care scrutiny boards.
• Meetings with practitioners, staff, officers, managers, senior officers, elected members, leaders of scrutiny committees (a total of 20 meetings)
• Scrutiny of sample files (24 child safeguarding cases under Section 3 and Section 5 of the Wales Safeguarding Procedures for the period between 1/09/24 and 30/09/25)

Shifting blame...
Sounds great the scrutinising of sample files, some presumably written by the same officers now absent from work? BUT do they give a true representation of the facts? Some officers have history...

Where is the public inquiry?
At the extraordinary council meeting, in February, Dafydd Gibbard stated that he had had a response from the government and that 'we need to share that'.
Gibbard did not share the response at the meeting - so is there to be a public inquiry?

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council... 

 

 

Did Estyn and Care Inspectorate Wales actually read this piece of work..?

Stephen Wood, manager of the Gwynedd and Ynys Mon Youth Justice Service presented his report to the care scrutiny committee on the 29th, January, 2026.

The webcast of the meeting can be found here - 
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1060285

There appears to be a change of culture within the service that coincides with a big drop in the numbers of young people being criminalised through the courts. 

Wood informed that the short, sharp shock tactics do not work.

On youth offender's...
Asked what the big problems were, he stated, violence and adults taking drugs.
He mentioned that middle class children also commit crime - but they don't get caught.
Hotspots include Caernarfon, Bangor, Holyhead, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llangefni.
Cocaine was also raised as a problem locally.

It takes a village to raise a child...
Over the years, local schools have closed and super schools built instead. Many village's then lost their local shop, their bakery closed and then the pub. Families moved and communities were lost.

Then the council shut the youth clubs and sacked the youth workers.
Audit Wales warned against this but the messenger was derided by councillors at a full council meeting on the 3rd October, 2019. 

Schools have failed the children, too.
Pre-pandemic the policy was to include children - now figures show more children are excluded.
Idle hands and all that...

Does the ''Keeping Families Together' strategy co-authored by the interim head of the children's department, Sharron Williams Carter, show a change of culture?
One can hope...

Predetermined to fail..?
The work of the 16+ team  was discussed. 
This service has had its issues, too. 
From social workers poor note taking and a team leader that has been accused of faking assessments and setting up children and families to fail. 

Estyn have just completed a joint inspection with a focus on safeguarding in Gwynedd Council -
The purpose of this inspection was to evaluate developments in Gwynedd Local Authority’s safeguarding arrangements since September 2023.
Joint inspection with a focus on safeguarding in Gwynedd Council by Estyn, His Majesty’s Inspectorate for Education, and Training in Wales, and Care Inspectorate Wales.
Date of inspection: November 2025 

The inspection team considered one key question:-
 How well are children protected from individuals who may pose a risk to them and when concerns are raised about those who care for them or work with them, either in a paid or voluntary role?

This question is not answered...
Estyn and the CIW do mention this -

 

 

 

Did Estyn and Care Inspectorate Wales actually read this piece of work?
https://www.effectivechildprotection.wales/en/

Was this presented to Estyn and CIW as new and innovative?
The 'effective child protection' model was created by Dafydd Paul - many years ago. 
It does not answer the investigation teams key question nor deal with abuse by those in a position of trust... 

Now where is the report of the fostering team..?

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...