Contact: Nia Jones
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Apologies Minutes: Councillors
Endaf Edwards, Elaine Evans, and Mark Strong apologised for their
inability to attend the meeting. |
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Disclosure of personal / prejudicial interests Minutes: The Chairman declared a personal interest on behalf of all
Councillors in item 6 below. All Councillors agreed. Councillors Gareth Davies and Rhodri Evans declared a
personal and prejudicial interest in relation to item 8 below and withdrew
from the meeting during discussions. Councillors Bryan Davies and John Roberts declared a personal interest in relation to item 8 below. |
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Personal matters Minutes: b) The Chairman, Councillor Ifan Davies extended his condolences to Rowland Rees Evans, the High Sheriff and former Councillor following the recent bereavement of his father; c) The Chairman, Councillor Ifan Davies extended his condolences to the family and friends of Councillor Hag Harris; The Council observed a minutes’ silence. d) Councillors Bryan Davies, Gareth
Lloyd, Elizabeth Evans and Alun Williams reiterated
the above condolences and
paid tribute to Councillor
Hag Harris; e) Councillor Catrin M S Davies congratulated Dr Daniel Huws on publishing a Repository of Welsh Manuscipts and Scribes; f) Councillor Catrin M S Davies congratulated Stevie Williams on being selected
to represent Wales in the Commonwealth Games; g) Councillor Catrin M S Davies congratulated Joshua Tarling on being selected
to represent Wales in the Commonwealth Games; h) Councillor Catrin M S Davies congratulated Alwen Butten on being selected
to represent Wales in the Commonwealth Games; i) Councillor Euros Davies congratulated Twm Ebbsworth on winning the Crown at the
Eisteddfod yr Urdd in Denbigh; j) Councillor Euros Davies congratulated Catrin Jones on winning the Arts and Crafts prize at the Eisteddfod yr
Urdd in Denbigh; k) Councillor Rhodri Davies congratulated Phyllis Kinney on celebrating her 100th birthday; l) Councillor Caryl Roberts congratulated Emma Healy and the team at Meithrinfa Gogerddan on winning the best nursery in Wales award; m) Councillor Gareth Davies congratulated Aberystwyth University on reaching first place and Wales and second prize in the UK in a recent student satisfaction survey; n) Councillor Eryl Evans congratulated Iwan Jones on winning a silver medal in the Welsh Championships in the 20-24 age category; o) Councillor Ifan Davies congratulated the Ceredigion team on all of the preparatory work for the National Eisteddfod in Tregaron. |
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Minutes of the Meetings of the Council held on: 13 May 2022, 20 May 2022 and 27 May 2022 13 May 2022 20 May 2022 27 May 2022 Additional documents: Minutes: It was RESOLVED to confirm as a true record the Minutes of the Council meeting held on 13 May 2022, 20 May 2022 and 27 May 2022. There were no matters
arising. |
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Appointment of Members to the following roles:
Member Champion
Internal Panels, Working Groups, Fora
Partnerships,
Joint Committees, Agencies
External Bodies
Additional documents:
Minutes: It was RESOLVED to appoint the following Members:
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Minutes: Councillor Bryan Davies, Leader of the Council presented the report, noting that The Members’ Schedule of Remuneration for 2022/23 was approved by Council on 20th May 2022 with the exception of paragraph 8, bullet point 6 and 7 of the covering report and paragraph 15.1 of the Schedule, which were deferred for further consideration by the Democratic Services Committee. Councillor Gareth Lloyd, Vice Chairman of the Democratic Services Committee noted that the matters deferred by Council were considered at its meeting on 20th May 2022, which recommended that Councillors who are not members of respective committee or are not specifically invited to attend, are encouraged to attend meetings remotely, and that Members should liaise with the Corporate Lead Officer, Democratic Services in order to ensure that there is provision in the budget and that there is a need to attend in person. No changes were recommended to paragraph 15.1 of the Schedule however it was recommended that Schedule 2, Approved duties is amended in line with paragraph 8, bullet point 7 of the covering report. Members noted the importance of the impact upon the climate and the costs associated with travelling Following a vote, it was RESOLVED to approve the following amendments to the Members’ Schedule of Remuneration 2022/23: a)
Paragraph
8; bullet point 6 and 7 of the covering report: In
line with the Local Government and Elections Act 2021, the Council will be
holding hybrid meetings which means that not all Councillors will need to be
present in the Council Chamber in order to attend meetings. Those that are not
members of the respective Committee or are specifically invited to attend, are
encouraged to attend meetings remotely. In person attendance at conferences,
seminars, external meetings and training events should liaise with the
Corporate Lead Officer, Democratic Services in order to ensure that there is
provision in the budget and that there is a need to attend in person.” b) Schedule 2, Approved duties, first paragraph to be amended
as follows, in line with paragraph 8, bullet point 7 of the covering report: Councillors should liaise with the Corporate Lead Officer: Democratic
Services if they intend to claim
travelling and expenses costs for in person attendance at conferences,
seminars, out of county meetings and training events, to ensure that there
is provision in the budget and that there is a need to attend in person. |
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Report on the Draft Protocols for Broadcasting and remote meetings Minutes: Councillor Bryan
Davies, Leader of the Council presented the report to Council noting that in
accordance with the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021, it is a
statutory requirement for Councils to publish arrangements relating to hybrid
meetings and the broadcasting of meetings. It was noted that the draft protocol
is subject to any amendments required following the publication of the final
Welsh Government guidance, and installation of phase 2 of the hybrid
system. The draft protocol was
considered by the Democratic Services Committee at its meeting on 17 June 2022
and recommended for approval by Council. Members asked that
a Workshop is held to discuss aspects such as the impact of technical failure
on a Members’ right to vote. It was
noted that where there is a technical impact which affects the whole meeting,
the discussion is suspended in order to re-establish connections; however where
an individual Councillor or Officer loses connection due to broadband capacity,
or temporarily leaves the meeting to take a telephone call, the protocol
reflects circumstances where a Member attending in person leaves the Council
Chamber and the meeting will not be suspended pending reconnection. Following a vote,
the Council resolved to: a)
approve
the protocols as set out in Appendix A of the report; and to b)
to
include the protocols with the Council’s Constitution. |
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Additional documents: Minutes: Councillors Gareth Davies and Rhodri Evans left the meeting for the duration of the discussion on the following item. Councillor Bryan Davies, Leader of the Council presented the report to Council noting that an application was received in February 2021 to register land at Erw Goch Field, Waunfawr on the Register of Town or Village Greens under Section 15 of the Commons Act 2006. The land is within the ownership of Ceredigion County Council, and also forms part of a planning application for residential development and associated works. He noted that the Council has sought independent legal advice, and that a separation of roles within relevant services has been established in order to avoid potential conflict of interest. The Registration Authority has sent a notice to every person (other than the applicant) believed to be an owner, lessee, tenant or occupier of any part of the land affected and notice was published in the Cambrian News and placed at various entry points onto the land. It was noted that a further 184 additional submissions were received, and that the Council as landowner had submitted an objection to the application for registration of the Land as Town or Village Green via external solicitors. There are no formal procedures in place for determining applications, however in order to consider the merits of the application and the application of law, it is proposed that a Barrister is appointed to consider the application on behalf of the Council as Registration Authority and that findings are reported back to the Council for final decision on the matter. Members questioned the proposal to appoint a Barrister, asking whether face to face meetings and mediation had been considered with an aim to find middle ground and whether it would be appropriate to request that a neighbouring authority acts as Registration Authority. Officers noted that the decision on the application would be made by Council, and that if it was their decision not to appoint a Barrister, they would then be dependent upon the deliberations and conclusions derived Officers on this matter. Appointing an independent Barrister would provide an assurance to the Council that the information is legally correct, and that Members would be less open to challenge. It was noted that the Land in question is included in the Local Development Plan and that an application presented to the Development Management Committee had been deferred to consider the application for Town or Village Green, therefore there may be a risk of being open to a challenge of mal administration if the Council entered into discussions with the applicant at this stage. It was also noted that the Council could look into procedures for working with a neighbouring authority in order to provide an additional safeguard. Following a vote, the Council RESOLVED to: a) authorise the appointment of a Barrister to act as an independent assessor; b) that the Barrister advises on the merits of the application for registration of the Land as Town or Village Green; |
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Minutes: Councillor Bryan Davies, Leader of the Council presented the
report to Council noting that in
accordance with the Council’s Constitution two representatives of Parent-Governors
currently serving on School Governing Bodies are appointed to serve on the
Learning Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee as co-opted members with
voting rights. One from the primary
sector and one from the secondary sector.
The term of the appointment will last for 5 years from the date of
appointment or until the representative ceases to be a parent-governor or
resigns from the Committee. A
recruitment exercise took place in May of this year. Following
a vote it was RESOLVED to approve the appointment of the following
co-opted members of the Learning Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee
from 7th July 2022, for a term of 5 years from that date: ·
Cathryn A.
Charnell-White (primary sector) ·
Jonny Huw Greatrex (secondary sector). |
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Report on Amendments to the Ethics and Standards Hearing Procedures Minutes: Councillor Matthew Vaux, Cabinet Member for Housing, Legal and Governance, People
and Organisation and Public Protection presented the report to Council noting that
the Independent Review of the Ethical Standards Framework in Wales report
recommends that training by undertaken by Standards Committee on holding
hearings to ensure openness and fairness. The report was
considered by the Ethics and Standards Committee on 17th January
2022 and again on 25 May 2022 to take into account recommendations arising from
a workshop held on 7th April 2022.
The Committee recommended that the report be presented to Council for
approval. Officers noted that
Ceredigion County Council has not been subject to an Ombudsman enquiry or
necessitated a hearing during the past 10 years, however it is important that
an appropriate hearing procedure is in place, noting that training will be
provided in September of this year. Following a vote, the Council unanimously RESOLVED to approve the revised ‘Dealing with Complaints’ hearing procedures. |
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The Annual Governance and Audit Committee Report 2021-22 Minutes: Councillor Matthew Vaux, Cabinet Member for Housing, Legal and
Governance, People and Organisation and Public Protection presented the report
to Council noting that the Local
Government (Wales) Measure 2011, as amended by the Local Government and
Elections (Wales) Act 2021, requires Councils to establish a Governance and
Audit Committee and to publish an Annual Report providing an assessment on the
effectiveness of the Governance and Audit Committee and to provide assurance
that issues have been addressed and progressed. A draft Annual
Report of the Governance and Audit Committee 2021-2022 was presented to the
Governance and Audit Committee during a meeting held on 6th June
2022 and recommended for approval by Council subject to incorporating the
attendance record of Committee Members during the year. Councillor
Elizabeth Evans, Chair of Audit Committee during 2021-2022 noted that the
report demonstrates the considerable amount of work carried out by this
committee and thanked the Officers supporting the committee. The Council noted
for the contents of the Annual Report of the Governance and Audit Committee
2021-22 which will now be published on the Council’s website. |
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The Governance Framework Document and Draft Annual Governance Statement 2021-22 Minutes: Councillor Matthew Vaux, Cabinet Member for Housing, Legal and
Governance, People and Organisation and Public Protection presented the report
to Council noting that the report was presented to Council on 3 March 2022, and
that recommendations by Council were considered by the Governance and Audit
Committee on 6th June 2022.
The recommendations have now been incorporated, and subject to Council
approval, will be presented to Audit Wales prior to a final approval by
Council. Councillor Elizabeth Evans noted that the amendments to the scoring had
been considered in consultation with Officers and included in the responses. The Council noted the content of the updated 2021-2022 Governance Framework Document and following a vote the Council unanimously RESOLVED to approve the Draft Annual Governance Statement 2021-2022. |
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Report on a Guide to the Constitution and changes to the Council's Constitution Minutes: Councillor Matthew
Vaux, Cabinet Member for Housing, Legal
and Governance, People and Organisation and Public Protection presented the
report to Council, noting that the Guide to the Constitution and the proposed
amendments had been considered by the Constitution Working Group at its
meetings dated 15 March and 20 June 2022. The Council
unanimously RESOLVED to a)
approve the Constitution Guide as amended at Appendix 1; b) approve the changes to the Constitution at Appendices
2-9;
and c) Authorise
the Monitoring Officer to update the Council’s Constitution to reflect the
above changes. |