The full council of cyngor Gwynedd met on the 5th March, 2026.  The agenda pack for the meeting can be found here -  https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g5675/Public%20reports%20pack%2005th-Mar-2026%2013.30%20The%20Council.pdf?T=10 Council tax increase... The Plaid Cymru council passed - A budget of £379,701,110 should be set for 2026/27, to be funded by £264,009,390 of Government Grant and £115,691,720 of Council Tax income (which is an increase of 4.75% baseline

Re the cyngor Gwynedd council planning committee, held on the 2nd March, 2026... There had been much interest in the planning application for 15 homes to be built on land adjacent to Llys yr Eifl, in Llanaelhaearn. Only Welsh speakers should live on new housing estate, local council says https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy87gk8we8o The agenda pack containing the planning applications can be found here -  https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g5481/Public%20repor

Cyngor Gwynedd council are advertising for a new head of the children's SS department. The job is paying £84,480 - £93,163 a year, which is a lot less than the £104,15, the former head, Marian Parry Hughes was 'earning' last year. The highest-paid council employees in Gwynedd and Anglesey https://www.northwaleschronicle.co.uk/news/25065053.highest-paid-council-employees-gwynedd-anglesey/ Hughes failed to act when concerns were raised against Neil Foden in 2019.  The former he

In 2017, Ysgol Friars underwent an inspection by Estyn -  https://estyn.gov.wales/system/files/2020-08/Ysgol%2520Friars.pdf In June, 2023, Estyn undertook an inspection of education services in cyngor Gwynedd - https://www.estyn.gov.wales/system/files/?file=2023-09/Inspection%20report%20Cyngor%20Gwynedd%202023_0.pdf   It's not my fault...   But cyngor Gwynedd did not have an effective digital strategy at this time.  Geraint Owen, the former corporate director, was responsibl

Surrey County Council has been accused of carrying out "illegal" and "immoral" care assessments of vulnerable adults, and excluding their families, in a bid to save money by reducing their support. Learning disabled adults face 'dangerous' cuts to care after 'illegal assessments', claim families. https://www.itv.com/news/2026-02-12/learning-disabled-adults-face-care-cuts-after-unsafe-assessments-say-families In response, Sinead Mooney, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member f

Five years ago, Audit Wales flagged the culture within cyngor Gwynedd as 'destructive'.   https://www.wao.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/ffordd_gwynedd.pdf At the recent extraordinary meeting of the full council, councillors Nia Jeffreys and Olaf Cai Larsen spoke of staff feeling safe to challenge.  Irony indeed - speaking to a full council meeting where councillors had been 'advised' not to challenge... The webcast of the meeting can be found here -  https://gwynedd

An extraordinary meeting of cyngor Gwynedd's full council was held on the 5th February, 2026. Gwynedd councillors were shut down even before the meeting began when the monitoring officer, Iwan Evans, messaged them to 'advise' what could and could not be asked. Was Evans protecting the legal officer who advised senior officers in 2019? From the Jan Pickles review -  LA1 Head C&FS requested a meeting on a ‘Mater Diogelu Brys- Cyfrinachol’ (UrgentSafeguarding matter - Confidenti

Stephen Wood, manager of the Gwynedd and Ynys Mon Youth Justice Service presented his report to the care scrutiny committee on the 29th, January, 2026. The webcast of the meeting can be found here -  https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1060285 There appears to be a change of culture within the service that coincides with a big drop in the numbers of young people being criminalised through the courts.  Wood informed that the short, sharp shock tactics d

Cyngor Gwynedd's care scrutiny committee meet on Thursday, 29th January, 2026. The agenda pack for the meeting can be found here -  https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=394&MId=5671 The meeting will discuss the ' Keeping Families Together Strategy'  co-authored by Sharron Williams Carter, the interim head of children's SS and Gwenan Medi Hughes, Sue Layton and Caren Brown.  A report from the Youth Justice Service , authored by Stephen Wood, will be p

Dafydd Gibbard, CEO of cyngor Gwynedd has authored the council's 'Response Plan to the Our Bravery Brought Justice Report'. He writes -  The Committee is asked to scrutinise the revamped Response Plan before it is submitted to Cabinet for formal adoption. This January, his report has gone before the Care scrutiny committee , the Education/Economy scrutiny committee and the Governance and Audit committee. His report can be found here - https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//doc