Decision Maker:

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: No

Is Callable In?: No

Date of Decision: January 27, 2026

Purpose:

Content: Notice of Motion 1 - Promoting Sustainable Water Use – Request for Welsh Water to Provide Free Water Butts   (a)       That the Council resolves to: 1.    Write to Welsh Water (D?r Cymru) and Hafren Dyfrdwy urging them to implement a comparable scheme offering free water butts to eligible households across Wales; 2.    Request that Welsh Water and Hafren Dyfrdwy prioritise areas with known surface water or drainage issues; 3.    Encourage collaboration between Welsh Water and Hafren Dyfrdwy with local authorities to promote uptake and ensure equitable access; 4.    Publicise any future scheme locally to maximise community engagement.   (b)       Council further requests that the Chief Executive share this motion with the Welsh Government, highlighting the importance of water-saving infrastructure in meeting environmental and resilience goals.   Notice of Motion 2 - Loss of Choice: End the St Anthony’s Shadow Ban   (a)       That Council instruct the Chief Officer (Education and Youth) to carry out an urgent investigation into the handling of admissions for St Anthony’s, including: a)    The configuration of the online application system; b)    The content of standard admissions correspondence; and c)    Any recorded phone scripts or guidance given to call handlers;   (b)       That Council requires that St Anthony’s remains visible and selectable on the Council’s online admissions system for all relevant entry years for as long as it is an open maintained school and until any lawful closure decision has been implemented;   (c)        That Council request that the Cabinet Member for Education write to any families who have contacted the Council about applying to St Anthony’s during the current admissions round, clarifying the factual position that no closure decision has yet been taken, and apologising where parents were given incorrect or misleading information; and   (d)       Require that the findings of the investigation, together with any proposed remedial changes to admissions training or guidance, be reported to the Education, Youth, and Culture Overview and Scrutiny Committee at the earliest opportunity.   Notice of Motion 3 - Loss of Democracy: Respect residents who ask public questions   (a)       That Council place on record its regret that residents who attended the last full Council meeting did not receive answers to their public questions and apologises to those residents for the way they were treated;   (b)       That Council requires that written answers to all public questions tabled at that meeting be sent to the questioners and published on the council’s website within ten working days of the motion being adopted;   (c)        That Council calls on the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Member for Education to offer to meet the residents who asked questions at that meeting, to apologise in person, and answer any questions fully; and   (d)       That Council refer the following changes to the Constitution and Democratic Services Committee for consideration and recommendation back to Council: a)    Where a Cabinet Member knows in advance that they will be absent from a full Council meeting, residents submitting questions within that portfolio must be contacted and offered a choice: Either to carry their question forward to the next ordinary meeting of full Council; or Have their question answered at the meeting by the Leader or another Cabinet Member formally nominated by the absent Cabinet Member.   b)    Residents submitting valid questions should not suffer any detriment or disadvantage when they have complied fully with Council’s rules and protocols.  Therefore, where a resident chooses to carry a question forward to the next ordinary meeting of full Council, this must not restrict their right to submit a separate question to that meeting as if the earlier question had not been carried forward;   c)    Where a question cannot be answered orally at the meeting, a written response must be sent within five working days to the resident concerned;   d)    Copies of all written answers (including written answers to supplementary questions) must be provided to all Members and published with the minutes;   e)    Where the relevant Cabinet Member is absent from a full Council meeting without advance notice (defined as a period of notice so short that officers cannot reasonably contact the residents submitting questions before the meeting takes place) responsibility for answering questions within that portfolio shall fall to the Leader; and   f)     An annual report should be brought to Council summarising the number of questions received from residents, the subject areas raised and the timeliness and completeness of responses.   Notice of Motion 4 - Loss of Honesty: Stop Hiding The £78 Million Truth (a)       That the Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance and Social Value gave a verbal commitment to provide a clear public summary of the full anticipated cost of the 3-to-18 ‘super school’ scheme, as outlined in the notice of motion, in due course; and   (b)       That Council refer this motion and its implications to the Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee so that the committee can consider whether further scrutiny of the financial case for the school closure proposals is required before any final decision is implemented.   Notice of Motion 5 - Loss of Voice: Stop Silencing Teachers   (a)       That Council reaffirms that staff of Flintshire schools have the right to participate, in a personal capacity, in lawful public debate on Council proposals, including the school closures, provided they comply with their professional codes and do not disclose confidential information;   (b)       If it was determined that any monitoring of staff; online activity had taken place in connection with the school closure proposals, whether through policy or interpretation of policy, request the Cabinet Member for Education to:   a)    Bring a report to the next ordinary meeting of the Education, Youth and Culture Overview and Scrutiny Committee setting out: Whether any monitoring of staff online activity took place in connection with the school closure proposals; If so, under what legal and policy authority any such monitoring was conducted; and If so, what records have been kept, how they will now be reviewed and, where appropriate, deleted.   b)    End any such practice immediately.   (c)  Where no such monitoring has taken place, request the Cabinet Member for Education to confirm, in writing to all Members, that there was no routine or systematic monitoring of staff social media accounts.   (d)       Request the Cabinet Member for Education to write to all staff in the four allected schools, and their governing bodies, confirming that no member of staff will suffer detriment for expressing a lawful, personal view on the unpopular school closure proposals; and   (e)       That Council notes the motion and refer the motion to the Education Consultative Committee with a report back to Council.    Notice of Motion 6 - Questions to Answer: Cabinet Silence   That the Notice of Motion was withdrawn.