Nepotism, Cronyism And Bullying? - Cyngor Gwynedd Council...

Councillor Beca Brown presented a notice of motion re Neil Foden to a full council meeting of cyngor Gwynedd on the 4th December, 2025. The motion can be found in the agenda pack for the meeting - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//mgChooseDocPack.aspx?ID=5505

There were also 6 questions put to the council by elected members. 
One raised by Councillor John Pughe Roberts asked - 

 
The rest of the leader's response along with the other question and answers can be found here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/b15108/ITEM%206%20-%20QUESTIONS%2004th-Dec-2025%2013.30%20The%20Council.pdf?T=9 

John Nicholson, an ex governor at Ysgol Friars between 2013 and 2017, reports that he tried to raise concerns about Neil Foden but was not supported by other members of the board -
“If the maladministration was blatantly evident to me after just a few months of becoming a school governor, it must have been overwhelmingly clear to those members of staff who comprised the senior management team.
https://www.northwaleschronicle.co.uk/news/25655748.bangor-former-school-governor-reacts-neil-foden-report/

In the same article, Jan Pickles, appears to reply to Nicholson directly - 
“I understand that Foden was a controlling bully to children, staff and governors, and I don’t doubt he behaved that way with staff within the council’s education department.
“However, we are the adults in this situation. If he’s behaving like that with you as a governor, how is behaving with children?  

School governors did fail...
The chair and vice chair during the time of Foden's offending were Essi Ahari and Keith Horton - both serving police officers with North Wales Police. 
Is Pickles saying that experienced, senior police officers were bullied?
Did the officers give evidence to Pickles?

Councillor Richard Medwyn Hughes was also a governor during this time.
Hughes resigned after Foden's arrest but cyngor Gwynedd reinstated him last year.
For why...?

There can be repercussions for those who do raise concerns...
An example from a BBC article dated 2020 -

Gwynedd head teacher Neil Foden 'victimised staff'
"I felt victimised by Neil Foden due to the way he operated. You were either in his gang or you were not," person D told the panel.
He claimed he was never interviewed by school governors and that Mr Foden's daughter had investigated the allegations against him.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-51710557 
 
Neil Foden was an abusive bully and used the system to protect himself.
It is part of a culture that appears rife in Gwynedd that includes not just schools and the education department but many departments within the council.

Raising concerns in Gwynedd...
To raise a complaint about a senior officer in Gwynedd can be fraught with danger.
The culture means that complainants have on occasion been gaslit and smeared to others.
Foden used the 'vexatious complainants' approach to shut down complaints.
The children's SS use the term 'tiresome complainants'.

                                                                  ***********
Safeguarding children or safeguarding themselves? 
A reminder that the Pickles review was an 'extended' child practice review.
This means that some of the children were in the care of the local council or recently had been...

A whole team of social workers and their managers were meant to be protecting each child from predators such as Foden. 
All failed the children...
Were any of the kids in foster care?
Were Youth Justice involved?

The head of children's services is still 'absent from work' and Dafydd Paul, their senior safeguarding officer appears to have been replaced by Elliw Haf Hughes.

Leader of the council, Nia Jeffreys, could have explained what is happening within the department. 
She did not...nor did the cabinet member for children, or any of the senior officers present.

One Gwynedd councillor, Richard Glyn Roberts, saw through the mea culpa's -
Given the slowness in dealing with this issue and the lack of clinical focus on the procedural and organisational failures. one asks how we can have confidence in the leadership of the council.

Organisational failures of Gwynedd's senior officers will be detailed in the Woods report.
Councillors could ask Dafydd Gibbard to release this report which he has had in his possession since the Spring.

There was a question from Councillor Gruffydd Williams - 
Following the fact that article 4 has been quashed by Judge Justice Eyre and as a result of what he said, "that there has been significant misleading by the Officers of this Council", will the Council apologise to campaigners who have fought so hard to enforce article 4

Williams was answered by Craig ab Iago, cabinet member for the Enviroment.
The reference to officers misleading councillors was not properly answered...

The webcast of the full council meeting can be found here -
The translated feed is not working...
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1044728

In other news, the job of Gwynedd's workforce development manager under social care is being advertised. Those interested should contact the current workforce development manager, Gillian Paul.

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...

Cyngor Gwynedd Council - Sympathy For The Planning Officer?

Cyngor Gwynedd council held a planning committee meeting on July, 29th, 2024.
The webcast can be found here -
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/900838

Application No C24/0011/30/AM Bodernabwy, Aberdaron, Pwllheli, Gwynedd, LL53 8BH was submitted by Aled Bryn Williams, through agent Berwyn Owen, of Berllan Properties Ltd.

Miriam Williams, the legal head for the planning committee, declared an interest and left the meeting.

Gareth Williams, the local councillor supported the application.

There had been concerns that this application was outside the local development plan and inside an area of outstanding natural beauty but was passed.

It was reported in the local press -
Local Councillors Approve Self-Build Housing Scheme in Gwynedd Village
https://north.wales/news/gwynedd/local-councillors-approve-self-build-housing-scheme-in-gwynedd-village-49507.html

Application No C24/0083/18/LL Cartref Nyrsio Penisarwaun, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 3DB was to turn a former care home that closed in 2019 into a holiday hostel.

The applicant was a local person with the idea of starting his own business and the planning department recommended the application for approval. But most of the councillors were against the proposal, claiming over development and too much traffic...

Councillor Gruffydd Williams proposed a motion that councillors reject it. It was rejected by 9 votes to 2.

This too was reported on -
https://north.wales/news/gwynedd/planners-reject-proposal-to-convert-former-gwynedd-care-home-into-holiday-hostel-49496.html
Planners Reject Proposal to Convert Former Gwynedd Care Home into Holiday Hostel -

Cllr Louise Hughes was concerned over the impact of the “clientelle that hostels attract. “They attract youngsters having a good time…coming and going,” she said.

John Pughe Roberts also noted there was a chapel in his area had been converted into a hostel.“It sleeps 10 people and there have been problems, people go there to drink and so on,” he said.

Application No C23/0556/19/LL Land At Cae Stanley, Bontnewydd, LL55 2UH was refused by the committee. The proposal was for development of 21 residential units comprising of 6 one bedroom flats, 12 two bedroom flats and 3 three bedroom houses, along with associated landscaping and new vehicular access. 6 of these units would be 'affordable'.

Daniel Russell, the agent speaking in english over video claimed that the entire scheme was to be for affordable units but the council would not support this. He also claimed that there was a shortage of one and 2 bedroom properties in Bontnewydd. He stated that in April, 2024, there were 291 people on the social housing list, 81 wishing for a one bedroom property. The video was stopped blaming sound quality so his words were then read out by an officer.

Menna Trenholme, the local councillor for the area, spoke against the application stating there was no need for this type of housing in the area and questioned where the agent got his figures from...

So what are the true figures? Many areas in Gwynedd lack one bedroom units thus preventing people downgrading and freeing up larger properties. Is Bontnewydd any different? And what of the agent's claim that all the properties were originally meant to be 'affordable'? What happened there?

Next up was Application No C24/0331/41/LL Tŷ'n Lôn, Afonwen, Pwllheli, Gwynedd, LL53 6TX. This was for nine additional caravans for the current touring caravan site and the planning department recommended acceptance. 

The applicant has not long won an appeal against the planning committee and this was mentioned often in the discussion. One councillor appeared to blame officers and even the commissioner for the council losing the appeal and asked for the cost to the council...

In this case, it was explained, there were no costs as such bar that of officers time in preparing the case. No consideration was given to the costs of the commissioner and its office dealing with the appeal, nor the applicants further time and costs.

A vote to accept the application was proposed. A registered vote was called for and the decision was 9 votes to 3 not to accept.

The meeting then became messy. A new proposal was raised by Elin Hywel to reject the application. The planning officer called upon the councillor to state the legal grounds for refusal. She mentioned over development, the cumulative effect in the area and cited a planning rule. 

The planning officer intervened and suggested a different rule more relevant to what she was saying and basically coached her through her proposal so he could make a case if needed - at appeal?

The committee then refused the application by 9 votes to 2 - suggesting one member did not vote...

The agenda pack with all planning applications can be found here -
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g5209/Public%20reports%20pack%2029th-Jul-2024%2013.00%20Planning%20Committee.pdf?T=10

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...