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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Democratic Services Committee held on 9 May 2025 be approved and signed as a correct record.
RESOLVED: a) That the information provided relating to member training and development be noted and that the information be shared with Group Leaders, with a further breakdown of individual member attendance on the mandatory training modules. b) That consideration be given to delivering mandatory training on the use of Welsh language in education as per the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Sian Grady, Anne McCaffrey and Austin Roberts.
Whilst not declared at this point in the meeting, Councillors Sharon Doleman and Chris Hughes declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 6i) (Welsh Government Consultation on extending the duty on local authorities to broadcast meetings) as they were members of the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority Board. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, the Councillors remained in the meeting whilst the matter was discussed and voted upon.
None.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Democratic Services Committee held on 9 May 2025 be approved and signed as a correct record.
The minutes of the meeting of the Democratic Services Committee held on 9 May 2025 were submitted for approval. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Democratic Services Committee held on 9 May 2025 be approved and signed as a correct record.
The Head of Law and Governance presented a review of the Members' Self-Regulatory Protocol. The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales had reviewed all Local Resolution Protocols (LRPs) in Wales. In response, Monitoring Officers had established a small working group to review the issues. The report of the working group took the form of a checklist against which LRPs could be reviewed. Conwy County Borough Council’s LRP had been reviewed against the checklist and suggested changes had been made for approval. Members discussed the following: • The ability to seek early resolution of issues was welcomed. • It was explained that, in terms of legal advisors/mediators involved in the process, this would be either the Monitoring Officer or Deputy Monitoring Officer who were experienced in assisting in such processes. • A single independent member of the Standards Committee would only be involved in the final stage of the local resolution process if the complaint is not resolved during the initial stages of the process. • It was confirmed that separate procedures and protocols were in place for handling complaints of misconduct against officers. • The protocol outlining a list of expected member behaviour forms part of the recommendations provided by the Monitoring Officers’ working group which has been approved by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales and is derived from lists within the local resolution processes already adopted by other Local Authorities. • There are no automatic referrals to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales and matters would need to be considered on a case by case basis, including where concerns were raised about breaches of confidentiality. RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: That the changes to the Member’s Self-Regulatory Protocol shown as tracked changes in Appendix B of the report be approved.
The Head of Democratic Services presented a report, which sought members views on the Welsh Government (WG) Consultation on extending the duty on local authorities to broadcast meetings. The report outlined the current legislative requirements for principal councils, Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) and National Park Authorities (NPAs) and explained the current arrangements within Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC). In considering the consultation questions, Members discussed the following: Questions 1 and 2 • Whilst WG funding had supported the implementation of hybrid meeting arrangements, no further funding had been allocated for the potential expansion of broadcasting requirements. • CCBC had procured a new conferencing system that had robust streaming capabilities. • It was recognised that not all authorities had the same technical resources and that some could be affected by capacity issues or system limitations • It was noted that the North Wales FRA could utilise CCBC’s chamber (or that of another principal council) to stream its meetings. • Members expressed the view that all meetings of a principal council that were open to the press and public should be broadcast. Question 3 • A suggestion that NPAs had a significant impact on communities. • Members agreed that the requirement to broadcast meetings should be extended to National Park Authorities and Fire and Rescue Authorities. Question 4 • Broadcasting committee meetings was considered best practice for public bodies. • Members agreed that the broadcasting of NPA meetings be extended to meetings of the Planning Committee and Standards Committee. Question 5 • Members agreed that principal councils, NPAs, and FRAs should be required to retain recordings of meetings but didn’t suggest an appropriate retention period. • The role of transcription services in the retention process should also be considered as a way of minimising any impact on server space which could be quite significant for video recordings. Question 6 • There was a requirement for CCBC to provide a simultaneous translation service for democratic meetings that were open to the public and broadcast. • The Head of Democratic Services would make enquiries regarding the resource implications of providing simultaneous translation for all meetings and would circulate a response to members of the Committee via the Chair of the Committee. • Automated transcription services were not readily available for the Welsh language and could be considered unreliable. • Consideration be given to making formal representations to transcription providers regarding the inclusion of the Welsh language. • Members agreed that the use of automated transcription services as part of any retention solution would have to be capable of providing a reliable English and Welsh transcript. Question 7 • The provision of translation services at formal meetings was welcomed. • Reducing translation services to create savings should not be considered as an option, given its prejudicial effect on the Welsh language. Question 8 • It was recognised that some members of the public may encounter difficulties accessing webcasts, therefore the continued availability of meeting minutes remained important to ensure public access to information. • Webcasts were available to access at public libraries, where staff could offer assistance to individuals. • It was suggested that WG give consideration to how broadcasting of Council meetings could be used to improve engagement in Local and Welsh democracy. RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: That a response be provided to the Welsh Government consultation as suggested by the Democratic Services Committee. Note: Councillors Sharon Doleman and Chris Hughes declared a personal interest in the above Item as they are members of the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority (NWFRA) Board. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, the Councillors remained in the meeting whilst the matter was discussed and voted upon, however Councillors Doleman and Hughes did not vote on consultation responses related to NWFRA.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: a) That the information provided relating to member training and development be noted and that the information be shared with Group Leaders, with a further breakdown of individual member attendance on the mandatory training modules. b) That consideration be given to delivering mandatory training on the use of Welsh language in education as per the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025.
The Head of Democratic Services presented an annual update on Members’ attendance at training and development events. As part of the discussions, it was suggested that consideration be given to including mandatory training for Members on the use of the Welsh language in education, as per the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025; this would enable Members serving as School Governors to challenge schools regarding their compliance with the legislation. RESOLVED: a) That the information provided relating to member training and development be noted and that the information be shared with Group Leaders, with a further breakdown of individual member attendance on the mandatory training modules. b) That consideration be given to delivering mandatory training on the use of Welsh language in education as per the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025.
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.
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