Wrthi'n llwytho
Y penderfyniadau fel y mae cofnodion y cyngor yn eu cofnodi. Bydd crynodeb mewn iaith glir yn dilyn pan fydd wedi'i ysgrifennu.
RESOLVED to recommend that Council approve the adoption of a single Licensing Committee to discharge all licensing functions.
RESOLVED to re-establish the Cross-Party Task and Finish Group to review the size of all Committees.
RESOLVED to approve the draft documentation for inclusion in the 2027 Councillors’ Information Pack.
RESOLVED to note the guidance and Personal Safety Checklists for inclusion in the New and Returning Members’ Induction Pack.
None.
None.
None.
It was RESOLVED to confirm as true the minutes of the meeting held on 22 May 2026. Matters arising There were no matters arising.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to recommend that Council approve the adoption of a single Licensing Committee to discharge all licensing functions.
Nia Jones, Corporate Manager: Democratic Services presented the report to the Committee noting that a proposal to combine the Statutory Licensing Committee and the Non-statutory Licensing Committee (taxis and other matters) had been considered by the Licensing Committee on 18 June 2026 and recommended for approval by Council. She also gave an overview of the benefits of combining the committees and practice elsewhere. Councillor Gwyn James, Chair of the Licensing Committee noted that operating two separate committees resulted in duplication of the notice at the beginning of the meeting, apologies and chair announcements, and that combining the meetings would reduce administration and effectiveness of the meetings. It was unanimously RESOLVED to recommend that Council approve the adoption of a single Licensing Committee to discharge all licensing functions.
It was noted that this item would be withdrawn from the agenda and presented at the next meeting.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to re-establish the Cross-Party Task and Finish Group to review the size of all Committees.
Lowri Edwards, Corporate Lead Officer: Democratic Services presented the report to the Committee noting that the Scrutiny Self-Evaluation exercise held in May of this year had proposed a review of the size of committees. She noted that this matter was previously reviewed in 2021, prior to the Local Government election in 2022. She also noted that the number of Councillors would increase from 38 to 39 from 2027, as a result of the addition of an additional Councillor representing the Aberystwyth Morfa Glais Ward. Members noted the following: · That there was limited scope for reducing the membership of the Licensing Committee and the Development Management Committee due to other legislation; · That reducing the membership of each committee would result in a lower quorum figure with a risk that high numbers of apologies could result in meetings not being quorate; · That some Members believed that a reduced committee would result in specialism and focussed discussion, whilst others were of the opinion that a larger committee would result in a wider scope of knowledge and experience; · The timing of a review, and whether this should take place prior to the 2027 election or mid-term; · That if Members decided to re-establish the Task and Finish group, a report would be presented to Council to confirm the membership of the Task and Finish group, and that a possible outcome of the review could be that no changes are required. Following discussion, it was RESOLVED to re-establish the Cross-Party Task and Finish Group to review the size of all Committees.
Lowri Edwards, Corporate Lead Officer: Democratic Services presented the report to the Committee noting that the Council’s ‘Personal Announcements’ had been superseded by ‘Chair Announcements’ following a review in 2023 and subsequently adopted by other committees. She also noted that the Chair had discretion under both schemes. It was noted that during the Overview and Scrutiny Self-Evaluation exercise, Members had noted a perception that the scrutiny function could be influenced by party politics, and an action point to provide guidance on political neutrality which also apply to Chair Announcements was approved by the Overview and Scrutiny Co-ordinating Committee. Members noted the following: · That on the whole the Chair Announcements were effective, and that the opportunity of verifying information in advance of the meeting as opposed to the Chair applying discretion during the meeting reduced a potential risk of embarrassment to Members; · That the Constitution is silent upon Chair discretion, however the guidance approved in 2023 does stipulate Chair discretion; and · That officers brief Chairs in advance of meetings, however the final decision upon discretion sits with the Chair. Following discussion and a vote it was RESOLVED to recommend that Council: a) continue with the current Chair Announcements, which includes: - Congratulating individuals selected to represent Wales or winning a National competition. Members should however try to avoid excessive duplication e.g. each time an individual is selected to the team, per game; - Personal matters relating to Members, e.g. condolences on the death of a close relative, to wish them a speedy recovery or congratulations on a wedding, or the birth of a child or grandchild; - Avoid matters relating to staff with the exception of congratulations on winning awards related to the work of the Council, or condolences with Chief Officers if a member of staff has died in office. It is also recommended that the Announcements avoids local matters such as birthday congratulations, winning local competitions, passing examinations etc which are best dealt with at Ward level or by the relevant Town/Community Council. b) add the stipulation that Chair Announcements should be non-politicised.
Nia Jones, Corporate Manager: Democratic Services presented the report to the Committee noting that the brief guides to declaring apologies and interests do not supersede the Constitution or the Council’s Code of Conduct. She noted that the focus of the guidance related to differentiating between apologies for absence and apologies for absence due to other Council duties, and the importance of stipulating whether a declaration of interest was due to personal, or personal and prejudicial interests. Elin Prysor, Corporate Lead Officer for Legal and Governnace and Monitoring Officer recommended amendments to the guidance which included replacing the word ‘should’ with ‘must’ in relation to distinguishing between personal interest and personal and prejudicial interest. She also noted that all interests must be declared verbally during the meeting and that it is not acceptable to note interests in the ‘chat’ function; that Members should read all reports in advance of meetings to identify interests; and that Chairs should ask Members to stipulate the nature of the declaration as the Monitoring Officer does not attend all meetings. Members questioned whether it would be possible to include additional categories of apologies such as sickness absence and technical problems. Officers advised against including absences due to sickness as there is a separate protocol for dealing with long term absences, and concerns that Members may feel pressurised to share personal information. Members asked if it would be acceptable for Members who wished to stipulate the reason for their absence to do so verbally, but that it is not recorded. There was no objection to this proposal. It was noted that following the meeting, the amended quick-reference guides would be uploaded to the Councillor pages of Cerinet and included in the new and returning Members’ induction pack in 2027. Following discussion it was RESOLVED to note the draft guidance.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to approve the draft documentation for inclusion in the 2027 Councillors’ Information Pack.
Nia Jones, Corporate Manager: Democratic Services presented the report to the Committee noting that the Information Pack issued to all Councillors following the 2022 elections contained a document relating to a Data Agreement and a Privacy Notice. It was noted that this document had been updated and would be included in the 2027 Information Pack as two separate documents. In addition, a sample Consent Form had been drafted and would also be contained in the 2027 Information Pack. It was acknowledged that Members as Data Controllers may wish to use their own documentation and that those representing political parties may have their own versions, however the aim of the sample Consent Form was to provide a template which they could use if they so choose. The Chair noted that when representing a constituent, she would normally send an e-mail asking if they were happy for her to represent them, noting that this would be an useful document for all Councillors to use. Following discussion, it was RESOLVED to approve the draft documentation for inclusion in the 2027 Councillors’ Information Pack.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to note the guidance and Personal Safety Checklists for inclusion in the New and Returning Members’ Induction Pack.
Lowri Edwards, Corporate Lead Officer: Democratic Services presented the report to the Committee noting that the Wellbeing and Personal Safety guide for Councillors was initially presented to the Democratic Services Committee in 2024, and that it had been reviewed and updated in advance of the 2027 Local Government Elections. She noted the training that had been provided to Members and provided an outline of the support provided by Dyfed Powys Police to elected persons. She also noted that several Members had already registered with the police, and that a reminder had been sent to all Members recently regarding this. The Chair noted that the guide was useful and that it was also an important document which provided links to further guidance and support. She also noted that a doorbell camera could also provide Members with additional reassurance. Members noted that the guidance was as important to Senior Officers as it is to Members. Following discussion, it was RESOLVED to note the guidance and Personal Safety Checklists for inclusion in the New and Returning Members’ Induction Pack.
The following items were proposed for the Democratic Services Committee forward work programme: · A Prospective Candidate’s Guide · An Induction Programme and Training · Members’ ICT provision
Councillor Gareth Lloyd on behalf of Councillor Keith Evans noted that the Minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Minutes are included at the end of the agenda, asking whether there should be uniformity. The Chair noted that external bodies are invited to attend Scrutiny Committee meetings, and that considering the Minutes of the previous meetings would often take a considerable amount of time when included at the beginning of the meeting. She also noted the importance of listing the reports for decision at the top of the agenda, followed by reports for noting. Lowri Edwards noted that this amendment had been implemented several years ago due to the time spent considering the Minutes of the previous meeting, and that it had been implemented for Scrutiny specifically due to the nature of the in-depth analysis conducted by these committees and the variety of topics from one meeting to another. These committees require strong leadership by the Chair in order to avoid further discussions on matters that had already been decided. Councillor Gareth Lloyd recommended that this matter is included within the discussion by the review of the size of Committees Cross-Party Working Group.
Rhaid i gynghorwyr ddweud pan fydd ganddyn nhw gysylltiad personol â rhywbeth sy'n cael ei drafod, fel swydd, eiddo neu aelod o'r teulu. Mae buddiant sy'n rhagfarnu yn ddigon cryf i'r cynghorydd adael yr ystafell fel arfer a pheidio â chymryd rhan.
Caiff datganiadau eu darllen o'r cofnodion unwaith y byddan nhw wedi'u cyhoeddi.
Yn rhestru cynghorwyr presennol y cyngor yn unig. Nid yw aelodau cyfetholedig, swyddogion a chyn-gynghorwyr yn cael eu dangos.