Agenda item

To submit a report by the Anglesey and Gwynedd Public Services Board Programme Manager.

Submitted – a report by the Anglesey and Gwynedd Public Services Board Programme Manager in relation to the above.

The Public Services Board Programme Manager reported that the Anglesey Public Services Board was established in accordance with the requirements of the Well-being of Future Generation (Wales) Act 2015.  It was agreed to collaborate with the Gwynedd Public Services Board and it’s a partnership which includes the main public sector organisations across both counties.  The main focus of the work of the joint Pubic Service Board between April 2016 and May 2017 was to produce an Assessment of Well-being for both counties.  This work will lead to the production of a Well-being Plan that will be published in May 2018.  The initial consultation took place in the autumn of 2016 and a number of activities were organised as noted within the report.

A draft Well-being Assessment was presented to the Partnership and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee in January 2017 and to the Executive in March 2017and work has now started to prepare for the publication of the Well-being Plan.  Workshops were arranged during August 2017 with officers from a number of different organisations and agencies attended. There will be a 12 week statutory consultation period on the draft Well-being Plan and will be submitted to this Committee at its meeting to be held on 14^th November, 2017 for consideration. 

The Committee considered the report and raised the following main matters :-

·      Clarification was sought if there was evidence to show that all the organisations associated with the Public Services Board have worked efficiently together to produce an assessment of local Well-being for the Anglesey area.  The Programme Manager responded that a Well-being Sub-group was established to lead the work of producing the assessment and every member of the Public Service Board ensured that Officers from their establishment attended the Sub-group.  There was collaboration on collecting the required data for the assessment.  She noted that the Gwynedd and Anglesey Public Services Board has divided the region into 14 smaller areas rather than a regional area with 6 of these areas on Anglesey and 8 in Gwynedd;

·      Clarification was sought as to whether the data collected saw profound differences in different part of the Island. The Programme Manager responded that no significant differences were seen across he identified area as regard to the questions asked to residents.  However, she gave an example that over the last 30 years, Aethwy and Seiriol Wards have seen an increase in Welsh speakers moving into the area.  Members said that Llandegfan Primary School has seen an increase of intake of pupils whose first language is Welsh;

·      Reference was made as to whether residents have expressed concerns to the lack of toilet facilities on the Island.  The Programme Manager responded that responses seemed to focus on the facilities available within residents communities and how their town centre are viewed;

·      Clarification was sought as to the cost and advantages of joint working with Gwynedd Council as regard to the Public Services Board.  The Chief Executive said that there are numerous advantages in joint working on projects between neighbouring authorities and especially the requirement for expertise in specific statutory legislation being enforced by Welsh Government.  He further said that efficiency savings between both neighbouring authorities is also an advantage as the Well-being of Future Generation (Wales) Act 2015 is a statutory requirements by all the 22 Welsh local authorities.

It was RESOLVED :-

·      To note the progress made by the Public Services Board in relation to producing and publishing the Local Well-being Assessment and the work of preparing the Well-being Plan;

·      To receive further updates from the Public Services Board while the Well-being Plan is being developed.

ACTION : As noted above.