Cyngor Gwynedd Council - Not My Shame...?

Cyngor Gwynedd held a full council meeting on the 1st, May, 2025.
The agenda pack can be found here -

https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//mgChooseDocPack.aspx?ID=5167

The meeting passed a motion raised by councillor Beca Brown.

The #NotMyShame motion was in response to the actions of paedophile headteacher, Neil Foden.
Brown was the former cabinet member for Education, who resigned last year in protest at the council leader's handling of the matter and was vocal in calling for a full public inquiry...

Brown mentioned that child abuse can happen '...more often than not in their own homes.'
Gwynedd has a long history of child abuse and many of the abusers have been those in a position of trust. A reminder that cyngor Gwynedd has recently reported an increase in allegations against those in a position of trust. 

But what happens when someone blows the whistle?
In 2019, the then head of education, Garem Jackson, was contacted by a teacher with concerns of Foden's closeness to children. After seeking advice from a safeguarding officer, Jackson simply had a chat with Foden about his behaviour and also outed the whistleblower to him.

 

A reminder that the council sacked a social worker who blew the whistle on the last child sexual abuse scandal. 

 

A recent survey of Gwynedd staff revealed many would NOT blow the whistle on wrongdoing - including sexual abuse. Fear of retribution...?
Is this the 'culture' that the executive officers say must change...?
It has never been explained what the culture was that needed to change...

There were other opportunities to stop Foden.
Were claims of undeserved examination passes at Ysgol Friars investigated?
Judgements from Employment Tribunals are published online and it is presumed that senior officers would have knowledge of the case as well as the school governors.

Then there was a ruling against Foden for unprofessional conduct...

There was also the video of Foden allegedly showing him grabbing a pupil by the scruff of the neck.
What action did Garem Jackson and the school governors at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle take?

Councillors of Gwynedd's Education and Economy Scrutiny committee did raise this issue at one meeting but Jackson refused to answer though he did promise the committee an update. (Gwynedd officers are sometimes reluctant to give information within public meetings and some councillors are given more details afterwards)

So were committee members informed?
What actions did members and the then cabinet member for Education take?
The committee is currently investigating Foden and their report should be completed soon.

Many will find it ... distasteful that the Not My Shame campaign flag is to be flown above the heads of a council who could and should have stopped Foden years ago. 

 

Councillors could be asking for the Woods report to be published.
They could also ask for the Canolfan Brynffynnon reports.

The webcast of the meeting can be found here -
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/981083

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...

Neil Foden - Time For A Public Inquiry? - Cyngor Gwynedd Council...

Neil Foden
The abuse of children in Gwynedd has been going on for decades...

In 2012, Theresa May, then Home Secretary, gave a statement to the House of Commons with regard to historic allegations of child abuse in the region. Excerpts include -

In 1995, the then Secretary of States for Wales, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Wokingham, appointed a QC to examine all the relevant documents and recommend whether there should be a public inquiry.  The recommendation was that there should not be a public inquiry but an examination of the work of private care homes and the social service departments in Gwynedd and Clwyd Councils

The recommendation not to hold a statutory public inquiry was a mistake.
'Examinations' and reviews of those responsible for the failings are heavily reliant on the evidence of those responsible for the failings and therein lies the problem.

The former Prime Minister continued -
The Waterhouse Inquiry sat for 203 days and heard evidence from more than 650 people.  Statements made to the Inquiry named more than eighty people as child abusers, many of whom were care workers or teachers.

 In 2000, the Inquiry’s report, ‘Lost in Care’, made 72 recommendations for changes to the way in which children in care were protected by councils, social services and the police.  And following the report’s publication, 140 compensation claims were settled on behalf of the victims.

Theresa May's full statement can be found here -
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/historic-allegations-of-child-abuse-in-north-wales-home-secretarys-statement-to-the-house-of-commons

According to a SS complaints handling report published earlier this year by Marian Parry Hughes, two children raised concerns with social workers from the Arfon team, in 2013. One historic complaint concerned a social worker who did not take action to keep her safe.
Safe from whom?

Hughes gives even less information of the second historic complaint and claims the young person mentioned 'compensation' thus shutting down any investigation.

Since May's statement in 2012, many problems within schools in Gwynedd have been reported...

Teenage boy rapes female classmate shortly after sex education lesson -
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/teenage-boy-rapes-female-classmate-shortly-after-sex-education-lesson-9880277.html

Gwynedd schoolgirl, 14, left 'petrified' by bullies 'threatening to kill her', she claims -
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gwynedd-schoolgirl-14-left-petrified-25241053

Pervert Gwynedd teacher brothers leave their jobs after downloading child porn -
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/pervert-gwynedd-teacher-brothers-leave-11587972

There are other examples...
It can be presumed that not all incidents are reported by the press...

Then there was the findings of the Everyone's Invited website - set up for children to report sexual harassment from other pupils in schools. Neil Foden, himself, commented on the findings -
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-58721707

In response to these findings, Gwynedd Education and Economy committee discussed a report on the 8th, February,2022, from Delyth Lloyd Griffiths, Senior Officer for Safeguarding Children -
The report responds to information that became apparent in 2021 when information on pupil sexual harassment was seen on the “Everybody’s Invited” website.
The report can be found here -
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/documents/s32890/Item%206b%20-%20Sexual%20harassment%20in%20schools.pdf

The Cabinet Member for Education was then Cemlyn Rees Williams. It was at this time, that a video had emerged of Neil Foden, grabbing a pupil by the scruff of the neck. The Education and Economy committee knew of this video but failed to ensure the Cabinet member and the former Head of Education acted on the alleged assault.

Neil Foden was an abusive bully whose position as headmaster and as an executive member of the NEU trade union made him untouchable. The same could be said of officers in a senior position at other organisations in the region.

To some onlookers, Gwynedd council appears to run on nepotism, bullying and a culture of 'you don't dob on me and I won't dob on you.'

Executive officers have made mention that the culture within the council must change.
Does the same culture exist within Gwynedd schools..?
Have school officials, governors and councillors acted when they should?

The new Head of Education has reported that police DBS checks are now taking place. 

Any review into Foden and the council's risk model of safeguarding will be a waste of time and money. The only people who will come in for criticism will be the teacher(s) who worried more for Foden than they did the children he was abusing and Garem Jackson, who has already fallen on his own sword.

Jackson - a  man promoted above his ability and, it must be remembered, acted only after seeking the advice of a cyngor Gwynedd head of safeguarding.

What is needed is a statutory public inquiry.

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...

Credit for the video to Andrew Barton.