Gwynedd Council has published the reports pack for the Cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday 17 December 2024. The documents include a report on the range of wellbeing support available to the council's staff. They also include an update on the number of complaints the council received between 1 April 2024 and 30 September 2024.

Council Tax premiums on second homes and long-term empty dwellings

The Cabinet will be asked to make a recommendation to the full council about whether to change the level of council tax premiums for second homes and long-term empty dwellings. They will consider a report that suggests maintaining the current level of 150% for second homes and 100% for long-term empty dwellings, which was set in 2022. The report notes that no change is proposed despite the Welsh Government recently publishing new guidelines for local authorities. It says that since those guidelines were published the UK Government has expanded the criteria for self-catering accommodation to be subject to non-domestic rates, meaning that some properties that were previously subject to council tax premiums are no longer. It was confirmed that the Council had the discretionary power to choose not to increase the premium in such situations, noting that consideration would be given to using these powers in the future, reiterating the need to develop a clear policy of the relevant exemptions. The report says that research into the impact of the premium, carried out by Gwynedd Council's research and information service, suggests that the policy has been effective, saying that: It seemed that the historical tendency of a main dwelling being converted into a second home had changed as a result of the premium, confirming that more second homes had been converted back into main residences. The report also notes that the council may in future increase the premium charged on empty properties as the duration for which they have been empty increases, saying that: It was confirmed that this allowed the Local Authority to increase the incremental Council Tax premium levels on empty dwellings as they became empty for increasing periods of time. It was reported that some Local Authorities increased the premium levels according to this arrangement and it was noted that this would be considered by Cyngor Gwynedd for the future.

Staff Wellbeing Strategy

The Cabinet will be asked to approve a new Wellbeing Plan for the council's staff. The report says that the plan has been seen by the corporate management team, the corporate health and safety panel, departmental health and safety forums, the assistant head of department forum, and the manager network. It says that the wellbeing of the council's staff is paramount and that it is a key part of the council's Ffordd Gwynedd plan. The report says that in 2023/24, the cost of absences for the council was £5.7m, with stress, depression and mental health problems accounting for 22.13% of work days lost, and musculoskeletal problems accounting for 11.86%. It says that the plan is based on the three foundations of leadership and management, sustainable support, and environment. On the subject of leadership and management, the report says that: Objectives • Ensure that well-being is a central part of our strategic priorities for our leaders and councillors across every function in Cyngor Gwynedd and ensure that everyone is aware of the statutory requirements. • Create a safe and healthy work environment that nurtures a culture of positive well- being, where our employees' well-being is an integral part of everything we do. • Create effective managers with strong working relationships in line with the Ffordd Gwynedd Plan. • Improve leaders' visibility and ensure that they engage with employees regularly and advocate the importance of well-being. • Ensure that our employees understand their roles, their expectations, their focus in the future and create feelings of personal commitment and satisfaction. • Improve leadership training so that leaders understand the links between well-being and other core areas such as health and safety and performance and development. • Equip and empower managers to hold regular conversations with their staff about their well-being. • Improve well-being for our varied workforce and ensure that well-being is considered a responsibility for everyone across the Council. • To be recognised as an employer of choice that is concerned about well-being and recognises the role that well-being could play in the broader picture including improving productivity and working methods. On the subject of sustainable support, the report says that it focuses on the four key wellbeing principles of: ➢ Mental ➢ Physical ➢ Social ➢ Financial On the subject of environment, the report says that the council will: ➢ Further build on the work environment in every workplace to ensure that safety and well-being is an integral part of the workplace. ➢ Ensure all our employment policies support staff wellbeing, not merely this Plan. ➢ Create an inclusive environment which celebrates the equality and diversity of the workforce. ➢ Identify and target intervention and support in workplaces where data supports more intensive intervention / support to identify and address the root of any patterns of absence. The report contains an equality impact assessment that says the main issue is: the need to ensure equal access for all staff to information about wellbeing support whether they have a digital account, or not

Complaints and service improvement

The Cabinet will receive a report on the council's performance in dealing with complaints. The report says that between 1 April 2024 and 30 September 2024, the council received 24 formal complaints. This compares with 19 complaints to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales in the same period, down from 38 in the same period last year. An appendix to the report says that 5 complaints were about the Housing and Property department, 2 were about the Revenue department, and 1 each was about the Registration Service, the Support Service, Building Regulations, Planning, Waste and Recycling, Finance [Environment], Education, Municipal Services, and Children's Services. A separate appendix contains a letter from the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales that says the Ombudsman received 38 complaints about Gwynedd Council between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024, and closed 39. This represents 0.32 complaints per 1,000 residents. The Ombudsman made 12 recommendations to Gwynedd Council during the year, of which 74% were complied with within agreed timescales. The report says that: As part of the Contact with customers workstream within the Ffordd Gwynedd Plan is underway to develop a new Customer Charter. When the new Charter is in place, guidance notes will be prepared for staff which will include information on different response periods :- responding to Members, responding to General Correspondence, and responding to Complaints. It is hoped that this will avoid a number of complaints about, Non-Response/Action into the future, as staff will have been equipped with the information they need to adhere to the response requirements.

Performance of the Cabinet Member for Economy and Community

The Cabinet will receive a report on the performance of the Cabinet Member for Economy and Community, Councillor Medwyn Hughes. The report, which was prepared before the UK Government's Autumn Statement, notes that there is a risk that funding for three of the department's projects will end in March 2025. It says that funding from the UK Government's Levelling Up Fund has subsequently been extended to March 2027, that the Shared Prosperity Fund is expected to be extended by one year, and that more information is expected about the future of the Arfor fund. The report gives an update on the progress of several of the department's projects, including the Regenerating Communities and Town Centres project, which has a budget of £1.8 million and which is delivering 22 projects in Pwllheli, Porthmadog, Bala, and Dolgellau. It notes that the Strategic Outline Case for the Bangor Health and Well-being Hub has been approved by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The report says that 45 Gwynedd businesses have received offers of support from the Business Development Funds, which is funded by the Shared Prosperity Fund. It thanks Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn for his work in securing funding from the Arfor fund and the North Wales Growth Deal. The report also mentions Gwynedd Business Week, Gwaith Gwynedd, the Sustainable Visitor Economy Plan, the Llewyrch o'r Llechi programme, the Byw'n Iach company, and the Maritime service. It says that the Lloyd George Museum in Llanystumdwy is currently closed for renovation, but it is hoped it will re-open by Easter 2025.

Performance of the Cabinet Member for Housing and Property

The Cabinet will receive a report on the performance of the Cabinet Member for Housing and Property, Councillor Paul John Rowlinson. The report says that the housing crisis is ongoing in Gwynedd. It describes as robust the procedures and policies of the Housing and Property department that led Cyngor Gwynedd to be the only authority in Wales that had reduced homelessness numbers and the costs of bed and breakfast emergency accommodation this year. The report mentions Dôl Sadler, a supported accommodation site for homeless people in Caernarfon, and 137 High Street in Bangor, which it describes as a good example of the support available for anyone who experienced homelessness. It says that the council has built 317 social homes since beginning its Housing Action Plan, providing homes for 840 Gwynedd residents, and that there are a further 220 homes under construction.

Performance of the Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing

The Cabinet will receive a report on the performance of the Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing, Councillor Dilwyn Morgan. It notes an increase in the waiting list for care assessments, partly due to a lack of occupational therapists, and says that the council is trying to ensure that resources and officers are targeted effectively to resolve some of the problems arising.

Performance of the Cabinet Member for Corporate and Legal Services

The Cabinet will receive a report on the performance of the Cabinet Member for Corporate and Legal Services, Councillor Llio Elenid Owen. The report notes that 41% of the council's managers are women, up 11% from when the Women in Leadership development programme began. It says that 300 people applied to the council's apprenticeship scheme this year, double the number last year. 15 apprentices and 5 professional trainees were appointed. The report also thanks the Information and Research Service for their work assessing the impact of the council tax premium, and for their research into the future of older people's care services in Gwynedd through the Llechen Lân plan. The report notes that the Legal Service received positive feedback from the departments that use it. It says that the service has in the past struggled to recruit staff but that the situation has now been resolved, and that demand for the service is increasing as the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee prepares to launch.

The meeting is scheduled for 1 pm on Tuesday 17 December 2024 at Siambr Hywel Dda, Council Offices, Caernarfon, LL55 1SH, and on Zoom. You can see the full agenda and report pack on the council's website: https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=147&MId=5190.