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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED: a) That the final determinations within the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales’ (IRPW) Annual Report 2025/2026 be noted. RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: b) That the status quo remains in terms of the payment of senior and civic salaries, i.e. that a senior salary is paid to the Chairs of the four Overview and Scrutiny Committees, the Planning Committee, the General/Statutory Licensing Committee, and the Democratic Services Committee, and that a civic salary is paid to the Chair of Council (but not the Vice-Chair of Council). Note: The following Councillors declared a personal interest in the above item as they are in receipt of a senior salary. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, they were all able to speak and vote on the matter. • Councillor Cheryl Carlisle, as Chair of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee. • Councillor Gwennol Ellis, as Chair of the Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee. • Councillor Goronwy Edwards, as Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Transport and Facilities. • Councillor Austin Roberts, as Chair of the Planning Committee. • Councillor Dilwyn Roberts, as Cabinet Member for Culture, Governance and IT. • Councillor Harry Saville, as Chair of the Democratic Services Committee. • Councillor Sue Shotter, as Chair of the Council. • Councillor Geoff Stewart, as Cabinet Member for Environment, Roads and Facilities – Neighbourhood and the Environment.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Chris Cater and Tom Montgomery.
The following Councillors declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 5a – Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales: Annual Report 2025/2026 as they are in receipt of a senior salary. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, they were all able to speak and vote on the matter. • Councillor Cheryl Carlisle, as Chair of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee. • Councillor Gwennol Ellis, as Chair of the Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee. • Councillor Goronwy Edwards, as Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Transport and Facilities. • Councillor Austin Roberts, as Chair of the Planning Committee. • Councillor Dilwyn Roberts, as Cabinet Member for Culture, Governance and IT. • Councillor Harry Saville, as Chair of the Democratic Services Committee. • Councillor Sue Shotter, as Chair of the Council. • Councillor Geoff Stewart, as Cabinet Member for Environment, Roads and Facilities – Neighbourhood and the Environment.
Whilst not an urgent item, the Chair advised, that following the Democratic Services Committee on 9 January 2025, he had met with the Head of Democratic Services and the Cabinet Member for Culture, Governance and IT to discuss the appointment of members to National Park Authorities and whether those appointed should represent wards within the National Park Authority area. The protocol for National Park Authority Nominations stated that: “Close connections to Park communities – in accordance with the legislation the aim should be to give priority in selection to those Councillors who have wards wholly or partly within the relevant National Park boundary. Selection of Councillors with electoral wards some distance away from the Park should be avoided where possible. Account should also be taken of the desirability of achieving equitable representation from across the Park area.” Members were also advised that appointments were made in line with political balance arrangements.
The Head of Law and Governance presented a report on the Review of the Overview and Scrutiny Function. Following feedback from scrutiny self-assessment workshops and recommendations from the Democratic Services Committee, the Council agreed to formally review the Council’s overview and scrutiny arrangements. A Working Group was established on a politically representative basis, including representation from non-aligned members, and the report provided details of the work undertaken and recommendations for improvement to the Council’s overview and scrutiny arrangements. The Chair, who was also Chair of the Working Group, advised that he had used his casting vote against the proposal for public questions as a standing item on Scrutiny Committee agendas as the vote had been tied. Thanks were extended to the Monitoring Officer, the Head of Democratic Services, the Scrutiny and Committee Services Officer and the Strategy, Performance and Engagement Manager who had provided excellent support to the working group. Members discussed the following: · Some Members felt that public questions should be reserved for Cabinet and Council meetings, as this is where decisions were made. · It was highlighted that some Town and Community Councils included public participation on their agendas. · It was suggested that Members of the public be given the opportunity to address the committee, as opposed to a question and answer session. · Whilst a process was in place for the public to participate in scrutiny committees, it was suggested that a standing item would further highlight this opportunity. · The public could request for items to be discussed via the scrutiny topic selection form, could register to speak at scrutiny committees on matters of interest and could submit petitions. · Councillors were elected to speak on behalf of their constituents. · No other Welsh Councils currently allowed public speakers at scrutiny committees. · Public speakers who had participated in meetings had been consulted as part of the consultation process. Speakers were happy with the arrangements but some had raised concerns in respect of the length of time allocated for them to speak. · The following proposal was put forward but was not seconded: That public participation be included as a standing item on Scrutiny Committee Agendas. · Reference was made to the recommendation regarding committee pre-meets – it was noted that the Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee would trial these in the first instance. RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: That the following changes to the scrutiny process be approved: i) That the status quo should remain, with a four committee structure, but with a tighter focus on the allocation of items, to ensure a balance of topics across all scrutiny committees. ii) That Scrutiny Committees meet at the start of the municipal year to look specifically at the forward work programme and scrutiny topics for the forthcoming year; and that any Member putting forward a scrutiny topic be invited to attend that meeting. iii) That the Chairs and Vice-Chairs be requested to invite any Member submitting a scrutiny topic form to their meetings to explain the reason for submitting the topic. iv) That consideration be given to increasing the use of social media to promote meetings of Overview and Scrutiny, by sharing links to the livestream and agenda and that the posts go out on behalf of the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Chairs. v) That the report guidance be amended to include the following prompts: - Officers need to give early consideration as to which external stakeholders should be consulted with. - All responses should be clear within the report and if there is no response from consultees, then this should be made clear within the report. - Officers should consider whether external stakeholders should be invited to scrutiny meetings. - If external stakeholders are invited to attend, this does not preclude members of the public requesting to speak on the matter (one for and one against). vi) That the Scrutiny Support and Committee Services Officer downloads Cabinet decision notices and liaise with the Chairs and Vice Chairs as to which reports would warrant a follow up report. Further discussions would then be had at either the Chairs and Vice Chairs meeting or at the Committee’s forward work programme planning meeting as to where those ‘follow up’ reports should sit in terms of the overall forward work programme planning process. vii) That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairs should hold pre-meets with Committee Members and that there be a standing agenda item, which evaluates the effectiveness of the previous Overview and Scrutiny meeting. The Chair of the Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee offered to trial this in the first instance. viii) That the Member Induction provides further training to the wider membership of the Council on the role of the Chair and how to engage with the Chair when required. ix) That reports for information, where there is no statutory requirement for those reports to go to democracy be included in the Members Bulletin as a matter of course as opposed to being reported to a scrutiny committee. Members would still have the opportunity to request relevant ‘information reports’. x) That routine Cabinet reports should go directly to Cabinet. xi) That Appendix 1, which includes a full list of the RAG ratings, recommendations and actions (which do not require a specific change in the scrutiny process) is noted. xii) That when developing Scrutiny forward work programmes, Members consider the number of meetings scheduled and time available, including the number of items on an agenda with a balance of pre and post scrutiny, mindful of the impact post scrutiny will have on resources and services.
The Head of Democratic Services presented a report on the Electoral Review Programme. The report explained the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru’s 2025 electoral review programme, which would review Conwy County Borough Council’s electoral arrangements. Members discussed the following: · It was suggested that additional Assembly Members following the 2026 Senedd elections would result in more decisions being made by the Welsh Government. · Concerns were raised that the proportional representation electoral system would disadvantage independent candidates. · It was suggested that a focus was needed on maximising voter turnout. · A more in-depth methodology would be provided in the run up to Conwy County Borough Council’s electoral review. · Concern was raised that the town of Conwy was not recognised as a strategic town. · Whilst the draft policy stated that it was not desirable to have more than 4 elected members per ward, the single transferable voting system allowed for between 4 and 6 elected members per ward. RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: That a response be provided to the draft Policy and Practice 2025 consultation document and the proposed Council Size Policy.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: a) That the final determinations within the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales’ (IRPW) Annual Report 2025/2026 be noted. RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: b) That the status quo remains in terms of the payment of senior and civic salaries, i.e. that a senior salary is paid to the Chairs of the four Overview and Scrutiny Committees, the Planning Committee, the General/Statutory Licensing Committee, and the Democratic Services Committee, and that a civic salary is paid to the Chair of Council (but not the Vice-Chair of Council). Note: The following Councillors declared a personal interest in the above item as they are in receipt of a senior salary. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, they were all able to speak and vote on the matter. • Councillor Cheryl Carlisle, as Chair of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee. • Councillor Gwennol Ellis, as Chair of the Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee. • Councillor Goronwy Edwards, as Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Transport and Facilities. • Councillor Austin Roberts, as Chair of the Planning Committee. • Councillor Dilwyn Roberts, as Cabinet Member for Culture, Governance and IT. • Councillor Harry Saville, as Chair of the Democratic Services Committee. • Councillor Sue Shotter, as Chair of the Council. • Councillor Geoff Stewart, as Cabinet Member for Environment, Roads and Facilities – Neighbourhood and the Environment.
The Head of Democratic Services presented the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales (IRPW) Annual Report for 2025/2026, which set out the type and levels of payments that Local Authorities must or may make available to their Members and Co-opted Members. It was a matter for Council to decide which chairs of committees were remunerated and whether a civic salary was paid. Members discussed the following: • Payments of senior salaries to Cabinet Members was mandatory. • The IRPW was an independent process, and it was felt that salary increases were appropriate. RESOLVED: a) That the final determinations within the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales’ (IRPW) Annual Report 2025/2026 be noted. RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: b) That the status quo remains in terms of the payment of senior and civic salaries, i.e. that a senior salary is paid to the Chairs of the four Overview and Scrutiny Committees, the Planning Committee, the General/Statutory Licensing Committee, and the Democratic Services Committee, and that a civic salary is paid to the Chair of Council (but not the Vice-Chair of Council). Note: The following Councillors declared a personal interest in the above item as they are in receipt of a senior salary. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, they were all able to speak and vote on the matter. • Councillor Cheryl Carlisle, as Chair of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee. • Councillor Gwennol Ellis, as Chair of the Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee. • Councillor Goronwy Edwards, as Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Transport and Facilities. • Councillor Austin Roberts, as Chair of the Planning Committee. • Councillor Dilwyn Roberts, as Cabinet Member for Culture, Governance and IT. • Councillor Harry Saville, as Chair of the Democratic Services Committee. • Councillor Sue Shotter, as Chair of the Council. • Councillor Geoff Stewart, as Cabinet Member for Environment, Roads and Facilities – Neighbourhood and the Environment.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
Lists the council's current councillors only. Co-opted members, officers and former councillors aren't shown.