MINUTES OF A MEETING OF FULL COUNCIL HELD IN THE MEETING ROOM, 11 BAKER STREET, ABERYSTWYTH ON TUESDAY 23RD OF SEPTEMBER 2013 AT 6:30PM

 

Present:

Councillor Wendy Morris-Twiddy

Councillor Mair Benjamin

Councillor Brenda Haines

Councillor Endaf Edwards

Councillor Steve Davies

Councillor J. Aled Davies

Councillor Mererid Jones

Councillor Ceredig Davies

Councillor Brian Davies

Councillor Kevin Roy Price

Councillor Sue Jones-Davies

Councillor Mark A. Strong

Councillor Alun Williams

 

 

Apologies:

Councillor Dylan Lewis

Councillor Jeff Smith

 

In attendance:

Mr Rhydian Mason

 

Minute 66

Declarations of Interest for matters arising from agenda items

Councillor W. Morris-Twiddy

Expenses for a trip to Sant-Brieg, Brittany (Breizh) for twinning relations.

 

Minute 67

TraCC – Mr Rhydian Mason

A talk about the importance of a campaign run by the Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth Railway Committee.

TraCC is a consortium in Mid Wales that looks at the public transport sector.  TraCC is one of four of its kind in Wales.

Councillor Mansel Williams is the chairman of the committee who also represents the Belle Vue division in Shrewsbury (on the Shropshire County Council).

The clerk to the committee is Mr Robert Robinson who is also clerk to Welsh Town Council.

The purpose is to prove to the minister that there is a demand for an hourly train service.  The committee has reached out for participation from every town and community council on the route from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth and also from Machynlleth to Pwllheli.  Telford and Wrekin Council have participated and also Wolverhampton City Council have done so too.  It is essential that a strong interest is shown by the populous that there is a demand for this service.

 

It was RESOLVED that the clerk should find out the costings to use the shop and the costings to hire a gazebo in order to accommodate an hourly train service campaign in Aberystwyth to encourage people in favour of an hourly train service to complete the survey.

 

Minute 68

Cae Kronberg

It was RESOLVED that a new bank account be opened purely for this project so that the accounting is transparent and open.

It was RESOLVED that Freestylers become the appointed holders of the tender following the due process to find a suitable tenderer.

 

Minute 69

Personal References

Mererid Jones congratulated the former town council member Carys Morgan on beginning her new job in Cardiff for the Welsh Language Commissioner.

Mererid Jones gave her best wishes to the former council member Christopher Griffiths with his recovery from an illness.

 

Minute 70

Minutes of a meeting of Council held of 22nd July 2013

Following discussion, it was RESOLVED to accept and adopt the minutes of the above meeting with the following amendments:

• The reference to the Cambrian News reporter in minute 49 should be changed to Mr Chris Betteley from Mr Chris Buckley.

 

• It was RESOLVED to delete the following sentence:

“It is understood that the company was based in Panama City and run by Russians.”

From the third bullet point within minute number 54.

 

• Correct the figure of £27,86512 to £27,865.12

 

Minute 71

Minutes of a Planning Committee meeting held on 2nd of September 2013

Following discussion it was RESOLVED to accept and adopt the minutes as being correct.

 

CYNGOR TREF ABERYSTWYTH TOWN COUNCIL

 

J O GRIFFITHS   11 BAKER STREET

TOWN CLERK   ABERYSTWYTH

  

MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMITTEE HELD IN THE MEETING ROOM, 11 BAKER STREET ABERYSTWYTH ON MONDAY 2^nd SEPTEMBER 2013 AT 6.30PM

 

Present::Councillor Steve Davies

Councillor Kevin Price

Councillor Martin Shewring

Councillor Sarah Bowen

Councillor Brenda Haines

Councillor Chris Griffiths

Councillor Endaf Edwards

Councillor Dylan Lewis

Councillor Jeff Smith

Councillor Wendy Morris-Twiddy

 

Apologies:Councillor Ceredig Wyn Davies

Councillor Mair Benjamin

Councillor Sue Jones-Davies

Councillor Mark Strong

 

1. Planning issues and Economic Development in Aberystwyth

 

1. Correspondence

 

1. Planning Applications

 

A 130618AV

10A Terrace Road, Aberystwyth

Display of Advertisement.

 

A130630

Aberystwyth Football Club, Park Avenue, Aberystwyth

Variation of condition 1 (App A080730) to extend time for commencement by 5 years

 

A 130611LB

61 Marine Terrace, Aberystwyth

Amendment to existing consent- A120826LBto incorporate changes to fabrication material of external stairs and installation of PV panels.

 

A130609

Café Express (Coniston House), 2a, Alexandra Road, Aberystwyth

Variation of condition 2 of A120467- change to plans- renovation and alteration to façade including new shop signs.

 

A130590

The Portacabin, Bath Street, Aberystwyth.

Retention of portacabin with continued use for hiring and storage of electric mobility scooters.

 

A 130584AV

Rheidol Retail Park, Aberystwyth.

Replacement of existing totem sign with new one, title to be amended to bilingual.

 

A 130602

E Morris and Sons, 15 Chalybeate St, Aberystwyth.

Change of use of first floor into residential accom. For use with second and third floors. Minor internal alterations.

 

A130591

Dominos, 1 The Barn Centre, Aberystwyth.

Variation of condition 4 – app- A100767 to allow premisis to trade from 0900 until 0100(deliveries only between 2300 and 0100)

 

A130567

Penglais Farm, Clarach Road, Aberystwyth.

Land improvement works to existing agricultural land at Penglais farm.

 

A130632AV

Halifax PLC, 5 Gt Dargate St, Aberystwyth

Display of signage.

 

A130640

Mill Street, Aberystwyth

Proposed retail and residential development at Mill Street car park, Aberystwyth

 

 

Minute 72

Minutes of a General Management Committee meeting held on 9th of September 2013

Following discussion it was RESOLVED to accept and adopt the minutes as being correct.

 

MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT COMMITEE HELD IN THE MEETING ROOM, 11 BAKER STREET, ABERYSTWYTH ON MONDAY  9^th SEPTEMBER 2013 AT 6.30PM

 

Present:Councillor Ceredig Wyn Davies

Councillor Kevin Price

Councillor Wendy Morris-Twiddy

Councillor Mair Benjamin

Councillor Martin Shewring

Councillor Jeff Smith

Councillor Mark Strong

Councillor J Aled Davies

Councillor Mererid Jones

Councillor Brian Davies

Councillor Dylan Lewis

 

Apologies:                Councillor Steve Davies

Councillor Brenda Haines

Councillor Sue Jones-Davies

 

 

 

 

1. Declarations of Interest

There were none recorded. Councillor Strong asked for consideration if needed as his wife had an allotment.

 

1. Correspondence

1. Zombie Apocalypse

A local resident asked if the council had a policy dealing with this matter.

It was decided to acknowledge receipt of the letter.

 

1. Storage of furniture.

Responsibility for the storage of Aberystwyth Town Council furniture was passed from Ceredigion County Council to Aberystwyth Town Council. The matter was passed to Finance Committee for consideration.

 

1. SARPA

A request was made of Aberystwyth Town Council to assist in a data gathering exercise for the service improvement on the Cambrian Coast line. It was agreed that Aberystwyth Town Council would support the initiative by doing what it could to promote the need for eveidence gathering etc in an open day.

It was also reported that Mr Rhydian Mason from TRACC would address Aberystwyth Town Council meeting on the 23^rd September.

 

1. Report on new council accommodation

The Town Clerk reported that the joint parties solicitors were finalising the details of what had been asked for in the leases and that as soon as a final draft was received a meeting of the council would be called.

He also reported that work had started on the alterations but no completion had been given.

 

 

 

1. Updates on Resolutions

The Town Clerk presented a “new” list of resolutions compiled with the MS Access® programme. He explained that this was still a work in progress as the programme was only “tweaked” on the previous Friday.

The list was gone through with amendments made as needed.

 

1. Festive Lighting Infrastructure- Update

The Town Clerk gave a written update on the status of the breakout boxes and urged that the work to connect the boxes be carried out as soon as possible to enable light unit to be connected to them. Two quotes had been received.

Following discussion it was decided to ask Ceredigion County Council street lights department to make a contribution to the cost as they had drawn up the original specification and this had omitted to ensure that connection take place.

It was also agreed to check the length of the catenary “zig zags” in the town and to investigate if these could be upgraded to the new 24 volt system before Christmas.

 

1. Recycling facilities in Aberystwyth- an update

The Town Clerk gave an update on changes to the system that occurred over August. The Chairman gave details of the potential money saved by these changes.

Councillor Strong stated that he was unaware that these changes were going to happen and that the service was detrimental to local users. The chairman reminded him that this project had been fully discussed and approved and that the Ceredigion County Council kerbside collection service would address the concerns that Councillor Strong had.

 

1. Aberystwyth Allotments.

The Town Clerk reported that the matter had not progressed too far as a key member of the University team had suffered a stroke.

It was reported that the testing of the existing allotments in Min y Ddol had begun and results could take time to come back from the labs.

The Town Clerk also reported that he had been to Faenor Community Council to give them an overview of the project which had been warmly welcomed.

 

1. Issues involving Rubbish collection and littering at the request of Councillor Mererid Jones

Councillor Jones had provided a concise and clear motion sheet indicating the potential for improvements to the rubbish and littering situation in various parts of the town.

Following a full debate on each point the following recommendations were made

1. Write to HPW requesting a meeting to discuss the banning of feeding seagulls in designated areas.
2. Write to HPW and Planning  requesting a meeting to discuss getting fast food outlets to provide bins in areas they operate in. It was felt that appropriate bins for the size of the litter problem should be used. I.e.- large enough to take pizza boxes.
3. Write to HPW requesting a meeting to discuss adding more temporary bins in tourist season.
4. Town Council writes to the police for suggestions and comments on the enforcement of the confiscation of alcohol powers.
5. Write to HPW requesting a meeting to discuss adding more bins in Penparcau- especially Gwel Afon and other estate areas. It was agreed to inform Ceredigion County Council members of this initiative.
6. Write to McDonalds and thank them for their recent litter collecting activities. It was further noted that all companies and groups that did similar efforts should be thanked.

 

1. Drop Kerbs at the request of Councillor M Shewring

Councillor Shewring asked for consideration in sending Ceredigion County Council a request for a drop kerb on the junction of High St and Union St.

Following discussion it was agreed to ask Ceredigion County Council to accompany all relevant local Cllrs to carry out a needs assessment of the whole ward.

 

1. Castle bins at the request of Councillor M Shewring.

Councillor Shewring reported that certain bins in the castle area were old and broken and in need of urgent replacement.

It was reported that Ceredigion County Council were experimenting with new larger capacity “Bellybins” and a request would be made to place these in the reported area as well as on the promenade.

 

1. Playground inspections at the request of Councillor M Shewring.

Councillor Shewring had recently completed a ROSPA accredited Playground Inspectors course. He had also passed the exam. The fees for the course and the exam had been paid for by Aberystwyth Town Council and Councillor

Shewring was the only member to show any interest in attending the course when details of it were promulgated.

Councillor Mererid Jones congratulated Councillor Shewring on his achievement.

He had drawn up a discussion document where scales of fees for inspections were noted.

Councillor Shewring was asked to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed.

The Town Clerk was asked to check the legality of “employing” a member to carry out a service and report back to the Finance Committee for consideration.

 

 

Minute 73

Minutes of a Finance and Establishment Committee meeting held on

Following discussion it was RESOLVED to accept and adopt the minutes of the above meeting with the following amendments.

• That Councillor Mark A. Strong requested the town clerk to contact Trading Standards regarding issues with the electrical power outlets for the Christmas lights.

 

• Insert the following name of the new host and registrar for the Town Council’s website:

Domain Name Registrar = Xilo Communications Ltd.

Host = Xilo Communications Ltd.

 

MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE FINANCE AND ESTABLISHMENT COMMITTEE HELD IN THE MEETING ROOM, 11 BAKER STREET, ABERYSTWYTH ON MONDAY 16^th SEPTEMBER 2013 AT 6.30PM

 

Present:Councillor M Jones

Councillor J A Davies

Councillor E Edwards

Councillor B Haines

Councillor B Davies

Councillor M Strong

Councillor D Lewis

Councillor C Davies

Councillor R Price

Councillor A Williams

 

Apologies:         Councillor S Jones-Davies

Councillor W Morris-Twiddy

 

1. Declarations of Interest

Cllr Mererid Jones- Ras a’r Iaith

 

1. Correspondence

a)Ras yr Iaith

Councillor M Jones declared an interest and left the meeting for this matter.

It was reported that the Rasa r Iaith had been postponed until next year and as the Council had made a grant to the event members were asked to consider whether to ask for the grant to be returned or to allow the organisers to keep the grant towards next years event.

Following a discussion and vote it was decided to recommend to allow the event organisers to keep the grant until next year’s event. If this were not to happen then the grant should be returned.

 

b) The Chairman introduced a document which gave the Nationally accepted Salary awards which contractually awarded all staff on the agreement a 1% award.

She added that this would be accepted by the council.

 

c)Rail Liaison Committee

A copy of the letter reported at the GM meeting was copied to members and confirmation of assistance would be given to the data gathering needed by the rail users.

 

d)Wales Audit Office.

A report published by the WAO into Improving Financial Management and Governance: Issues from the Audit of Community Council Accounts 2011-12 had been released. Copies would be provided to all members.

 

1. Questions relating to financial matters.

There were none asked.

 

 

1. Matters referred from General Management / Full council meeting: –
   1. Mayoral chain repair

It was recommended that the cost of the repair and maintenance of the chain be paid.

 

1. 1. Storage facility in Ynyslas from October 2013

Cost in this matter would be ascertained.

 

1. 1. Skateboard park update

A full written update would be given to full council as recommendations as to resolutions were needed. A brief overview of the current situation was given to members about the possibility of the project progressing under Lottery funding.

 

1. 1. Festoon lights estimate/ quote

This matter could not be discussed as the quotes and lead time needed could not be accomplished by Christmas. This was confirmed by the chairman of the GM committee.

The system could be repaired for the coming Christmas but a new project to replace for the new year was needed.

Following discussion it was agreed to ask Ceredigion County Council trading standards to investigate proceeding with action of non completion of the contract.

 

1. 1. Rent to be charged on external users for renting the meeting room

This matter was deferred until the Council had an element of control over the property to be leased.

It was recommended that Aberystwyth Town Council collect data on comparable facilities and cost before consideration.

 

1. Business Improvement Districts Wales – Development Support- Councillor M Jones

The Chairman suggested that a letter of support be sent to Menter encouraging them in the development of the bid and co-ordinating support from the local business community in getting Aberystwyth recognised as a Business Improvement District.

 

1. Website update- Councillor Kevin Price

Councillor Price gave an overview of recent progress with the appointment of a new registrar and the need to choose a new content management system.

 

1. Review and adoption of the accounts for July 2013

Following discussion it was recommended to accept and adopt the accounts for July 2013.

 

1. Review and adoption of the accounts for August 2013

Following discussion it was recommended to accept and adopt the accounts for August 2013.

 

1. Adoption and review of Annual accounts report from the External Auditor.

In compliance with audit regulations the Town Clerk presented the External Auditors report into the Annual Accounts for year ending 31^st March 2013 for Aberystwyth Town Council.

The matter related to the adding of bus shelters to the asset register of the council.

Following a short discussion it was recommended that the final report be accepted and adopted by council and that steps be taken to try and address the matter of original cost of the shelters.

 

Minute 74

Clerk’s Report

There was no report.

 

Minute 75

Correspondence

1. Town Councillor Vacancy

It was announced that the closing date for requests for an election was the 3^rd of October 2013.

1. Co-option

Ceredigion’s returning officer declared that there was no call for an election in the Central Ward of Aberystwyth and that the Town Council may now co-opt a new member if it so wished.

c)   Christmas lighting

A order has been placed to replace some of the lighting equipment.  Dispensation was granted by the chairman of finance to do this.  Following correspondence with the manufacturing company, members were advised that the waving Santa Claus feature will return this year.

d)   Town car parking – A letter of complaint

A further letter complaining of Parking Eye services was received.  It highlighted that Aberystwyth Town Council could be deterring people from parking in the town.  Ceredigion County Council’s Trading Standards department are currently compiling a dossier relating to this company and this letter will be sent to assist the department.  It was RESOLVED that a response be sent to the complainant indicating that Aberystwyth Town Council is not responsible for the car park in question.

e)   A letter from the Royal British Legion

A reminder was received from the Royal British Legion about the forthcoming Remembrance Day Parade.

f)   Street Choir’s Festival

A letter of thanks to the Mayor and councillors for volunteering at the event.  The letter highlighted the overall friendliness of the Aberystwyth public.

g)   Utilisation of empty shops in Aberystwyth – An initiative by Arad Goch and the Welsh Government

Entitled ‘High Street Heist’ – encouraging the use of empty shops for the local benefit.

h)   Mr Hywel Jones

The All Wales Brass Band Competition in Aberystwyth.  The Brass Band Competition to be staged in the Great Hall will not now proceed.

1. Queen’s Road Bowling Club and the Queen’s Road Labyrinth

A letter of complaint regarding the wild flowers growing around the labyrinth was received from Mr Harry Brooksby of the Queen’s Road Bowling Club.  It was stated that the wild flowers, if allowed to continue growing, could spread their seeds onto the bowling green and in the winter months, when fewer cuts are performed, could germinate causing problems.

Many Council members including Councillor J. Aled Davies, Councillor Mark A. Strong and Councillor Jeff A. Smith have been visiting the labyrinth monitoring its condition.  Council members expressed the importance of biodiversity but simultaneously, recognised the need to achieve a balance with managing biodiversity and its current well-kept appearance.  The Council was reminded about receiving previous congratulations from the public about the success of this project and its biodiversity.

It was also noted that dogs have been allowed to run loose within the area and concerns were raised because children could be hurt as a result.  The Council are currently preparing signs for the park which will inform members of the public about the park’s purpose, and rules governing its use.

j)   Gala Lights

Gala Lights were sent an email in an attempt to recoup losses to the Council.

Gala Lights recognised that the work carried out for the Council was not satisfactory and are prepared to resolve this issue.  The company contracted to complete the work for Gala Lights have been investigated by the Health and Safety Executive over this matter with no prosecutions or serving of notice being enforced.

The Council were informed that this problem will be addressed at no cost to the Council.

Gala Lights are awaiting for written confirmation that this work can go proceed.  Ceredigion County Council have been approached about this but the Council has yet to receive a written response.

The Council could potentially save £1700.

 

Minute 76

Questions relating only to matters in this Council’s remit.

Q1.Can Council appoint a new representative to One Voice Wales given the resignation of Mr Christopher Griffiths and if so can we appoint and approve new representatives tonight?

A1.Yes.

It was RESOLVED that Councillor Mererid Jones be the primary representative and Councillor Kevin Roy Price be the secondary representative.

 

Q2.Has a card been sent to Mr Christopher Griffiths on behalf of the Council?

A2.It was AGREED that one be sent.

 

Q3.Has a congratulatory card been sent to Carys Morgan on behalf of the Council?

A3.It was AGREED that one be sent.

 

Minute 77

Expenses

Following a discussion it was RESOLVED to exclude the payments for the digital mapping software and the Local Government Administration book from the following list of payments and to have those items discussed in the next meeting of the Finance and Establishment Committee.

It was RESOLVED to pay the presented expenses incurred totalling £498 by the Mayor of Aberystwyth for her recent visit to Sant-Brieg (Saint-Brieuc) in Brittany to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of twinning between the two towns.

Minute 78

Verbal Reports from Ceredigion County Councillors only on matters pertaining to this Council

Councillor Alun Williams

• Piercefield Lane inspection panel meet week.
  • New pelican crossing for Great Darkgate Street within twelve weeks.
  • Temporary fencing and railing to be removed.
  • Curb stones will be raised out to allow more space to pedestrians.
  • Will be a big help to:
    • elderly people
    • those with visual impairment
    • users of wheelchairs.

 

Councillor Mark A. Strong

• Business Improvement District
  • Raised with Officers of Ceredigion County Council.
  • A paper submitted to the Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet
    • Discussing Aberystwyth nominations for this district
  • Received an email response
    • If this is successful
      • then consultants will be appointed to:
        • The Chamber of Trade
        • The community (namely, Aberystwyth Town Council)
    • This could be passed this Thursday (26^th September 2013)

 

Councillor Ceredig W. Davies

• Changes to traffic orders
  • wardens will operate for the new designated areas at the end of this month
  • new discussions will be held in October
    • About a couple of places in the Town area
  • duration of parking will be revised
    • possibly allowing an extra hour of parking in places

 

Minute 79

Aberystwyth Regeneration Board Report – Councillor Alun Williams

• Next meeting on the Board will be 24^th October 2 o’clock
  • One or two things to be presented
    • will need to be about housing or job creation
  • Minister will not accept things that are not about housing or job creation

 

Minute 80

Castle Rocks Pool – Councillor Dylan P. Lewis

Because of Councillor Lewis’ illness, this motion will be postponed until next month’s meeting.

 

Minute 81

Motion request Councillor Mair Benjamin

No action was taken with this motion and Councillor Dylan Paul Lewis remains Aberystwyth Town Council’s representative on this external body.

 

Minute 82

Councillor J. Aled Davies asked questions regarding a report from the Town Clerk about the Council’s information technology policies.  Councillor J. Aled Davies expressed concerns over some of the comments in this précis.  The Mayor asked the Town Clerk for clarification about who is who within this document and who is saying which comments.  The Town Clerk stated that he himself compiled the document from various sources and that he is happy to give copies of the original documents.  The Mayor asked for greater clarity with this report and to revisit it again later on.  Councillor Ceredig Wyn Davies asked to have another report instead of struggling to understand this one.

 

Minute 83

Motion Request

After the following discussion, it was RESOLVED to exclude the press, the public and the Council’s  staff from the meeting.

 

Cllr W. Morris-Twiddy – To consider that under the public bodies admission to meetings act 1960, as extended by S100A (4) of the local government act 1972, the public and the accredited representatives of newspapers to be excluded from the meetings for the following items of business on the ground that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in part one of schedule 12a of the local government act 1972.

The nature of an exempt business is relating to a request from Councillor Aled Davies.  Can I just ask one question, what is the business?

 

Cllr J. A. Davies – It’s a staffing matter.

 

Cllr W. Morris-Twiddy – Okay.  It’s a staffing matter.  So are we around the table in agreement, a show of hands that the press and the public are exempt from this and asked to leave? Or are we not?  A show of hands, yes they are?  Are we also, a show of hands that the clerk leaves this meeting.

 

Cllr A. Williams – I’ve got no idea of what it’s all about.

 

Cllr J. A. Davies – I can’t say.

 

Mr J. O. Griffiths (advising Cllr W. Morris-Twiddy) – There should be a motion in front of Council to discuss this.

 

Cllr W. Morris-Twiddy – I agree, there should be a motion in front of Council but it’s so vague, it’s has been defined there but the only question, we didn’t know it was staffing.  And I think, I actually have read, correct me if I’m wrong, that the decision is final by the Mayor.  Is that correct, so I agree that this can go ahead and we exclude the press, the public and yourselves.  This can go ahead.

 

Mr J. O. Griffiths – Can somebody come up and let me know when the meeting has finished please?  And will someone take minutes of this section of the meeting please?

 

Cllr W. Morris-Twiddy – Yeah fine, thank you.  Chris Betteley – sorry, the press.

 

Mr C. Betteley – I’m going to have to challenge it because there’s not enough information here for you to make a decision as to whether this is exactly exempt information or not.

 

Mr J. O. Griffiths (advising Cllr W. Morris-Twiddy) – He’s right.  He’s right.

 

Mr C. Betteley – You can’t just put staffing matters and then exempt, you can’t get, you can’t get.

 

Cllr J. A. Davies – We can discuss it.

 

Mr C. Betteley – You can discuss it but you have to tell me what you are discussing.

 

Cllr J. A. Davies – No, I can’t.

 

Cllr W. Morris-Twiddy – You do, you have to.

 

Cllr J. A. Davies – It is part of the exemption.

 

Mr C. Betteley – It’s either you either tell me what you are discussing or you…

 

Cllr J. A. Davies – No no no, it is part of the exemption what we are discussing.

 

Mr C. Betteley – Staffing matters is too vague.

 

Cllr W. Morris-Twiddy – Aled, it is, it is.

 

Mr C. Betteley – (Inaudible) it’s got an index of about twelve different varieties… That is the  law, the law.

 

Mr J. O. Griffiths (advising Cllr W. Morris-Twiddy) – He’s right.

 

Cllr J. A. Davies – This is a personal privileged piece of information and it cannot be discussed with any members of the public because it relates to staff.

 

Mr C. Betteley – Yes.  It is a staffing matter.  I get that.  It says that right there.  But that is too vague.  That is like putting something in the town council meeting that says finance, it is too vague.  You have to say what it is exact.

 

Cllr A. Williams – Can I just say that I have no idea what it’s all about, but is it possible to explain, I appreciate that there is a discussion that has got to be had.  But is it possible to give the agenda item a title so that these people can…

 

Cllr J. A. Davies – It is a very sensitive matter that cannot be discussed with any members of the public.

 

Cllr W. Morris-Twiddy – But Aled if you don’t give us some idea how can we not have the press, the public and the clerk, you need…

 

Cllr J. A. Davies – You know, you know, you personally know.

 

Cllr W. Morris-Twiddy – I don’t know it.

 

Cllr J. A. Davies – Well, I think that you should know why I am bringing this up, as a member of the staffing panel.  Okay?

 

Cllr W. Morris-Twiddy – Right, okay.  But can we have an idea of.

 

Cllr J. A. Davies – Well, what would I say?

 

UNCERTAIN ID – You can have a report from the staffing panel.

 

Cllr J. A. Davies – Okay, you can have a report from the staffing panel.

 

Cllr W. Morris-Twiddy – What would you suggest?

 

Cllr C. Davies – A verbal report from the staffing panel.  A verbal report from the staffing panel.

 

Mr C. Betteley – It’s just not good enough.  It’s not good enough.

 

Mr J. O. Griffiths – I have to advise you that the Cambrian News reporter is technically correct and you could be challenged, and this has been mentioned before, not tonight.  But it has been mentioned before that you do need to be specific, maybe the matter should be discussed by the staffing panel and then the report given to Council on pink paper that is not in the public domain.  That is the technical way of dealing with it and you have been advised to that.  I for one, am happy to leave this meeting, if that is what you want to progress matters but you do stand a chance of being challenged, in a court of law should you take this action.

 

Cllr A. Williams – Is it personal matters pertaining to an employee?  Would that sum it up?

 

Cllr M. Jones – I think it is more to do with corporate responsibility of everybody knowing things which have been going on in the staffing panel.

 

Cllr W. Morris-Twiddy – For the full Council.

 

Cllr J. A. Davies – For the full Council to know.

 

Cllr M. Jones – It’s almost like sharing what some of us know and others don’t.

 

Mr J. O. Griffiths – In order to offer to help you, I will inform the member of the press that the Council need to be informed about an item which is subdue to see at this moment and consequently, is not in the public interest to be discussed openly at this time.  Should the Council decide corporately, to issue a press release, subsequent to this meeting, you will be fully informed.  How does that stand?

 

Mr C. Betteley – (Inaudible) decision…

 

Mr J. O. Griffiths – It’s not my decision, but that is the advice that I am giving to this Council.  Your due concerns have to been noted sir.

 

Mr C. Betteley – Alright.

 

Mr J. O. Griffiths – Right.  How do you want to progress Madam Mayor?  I’m sorry to put it on you but at the end of the day, it’s your call.

 

Cllr W. Morris-Twiddy – I’m trying to read between the lines of what exactly is going to be and exactly how much information.

 

Mr J. O. Griffiths – Can I add that I know nothing about what is about to be discussed, and I do not know.  So.

 

Cllr M. Jones – I think as a result of this, we need to look at the staffing panel and its structure because it’s currently not working, because, we’re allowed to know stuff and we’re not allowed to tell you and it’s just very frustrating.

 

Mr J. O. Griffiths – In order to allow this meeting to progress, can I ask members of the press to indulge the Council at this moment and just go with the flow and we will suffer, or the Council will suffer the consequences.  I’m leaving the meeting to progress the matter.  Can someone let me know when this meeting has finished please.  Diolch.