Councillor’s Annual Report This is the report by the Councillor below regarding his key activities over the year ending 31 March 2014. It is provided for the information of all constituents and for no other purpose. The views expressed in this report are those of the Councillor and not necessarily reflect the views of the Isle of Anglesey County Council. Councillor: R. Meirion Jones Ward: Aethwy Group: Plaid Cymru Role & Responsibilities I was elected in May 2013 and since then, as one of 3 Councillors, I have had the privilege and the responsibility of representing the residents of the Aethwy Ward. It has been a busy and interesting period and I have come into contact with a large number of people and dealt with a number of issues. The work is interesting and ranges from enquiries and complaints, meetings and visits, personal discussions, surgeries, representing individuals, advising when appropriate, messages, letters, phone calls and e-mails. I was chosen as Scrutiny Champion and Chairman of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee. I’ve had the opportunity to scrutinise the budget. I was not happy with the procedure or the timetable and I am now part of the working party which is reviewing and improving those procedures and timetables. I was chosen to be a member of the Council’s Language Working Group which monitors the implementation of the Language Plan and I am also a member of the County Language Forum. I hold the Shadow Portfolio on Corporate issues. Between May 2013 and March 2014, I sat on the following * Attendance Figures main committees / sub-committees: (supplied by IOACC) Corporate Scrutiny (Chair) 6 (85%) Council 12 (92%) Democratic Services 2 (50%) Pay & Grading Review Panel No meetings Special Educational Needs Joint Committee 3 (75%) * The statistics provided are relevant only to the committees listed in this table. The statistics do not include attendance at other meetings related to the work of the Council. As a member of the Council I am part of the Isle of Anglesey Charitable Trust (I attended 2 meetings). I represent the County Council on Cwmni Cynnal and Cwmni’r Fran Wen. Constituency Activity I have regularly attended the meetings of the local Community Councils which are held monthly/every fortnight – Llanfairpwll Community Council [of which I am a member], Menai Bridge Town Council and Penmynydd and Star Community Council, and at times have liaised between these Councils and the County Council. As a School Governor representing the County Council, I have attended meetings in Menai Bridge Primary School and Ysgol David Hughes and other meetings such as the Education Forum. Along with my fellow Plaid Cymru Councillor in the Aethwy Ward, I arranged a surgery in Menai Bridge. Due to a period of illness, I was unable to attend some meetings but I did attend a number of local events – the opening of the Urdd Centre in Penmynydd, the Fish Fair in Menai Bridge. Many planning issues have been brought to my intention and I have taken appropriate action thereon. Initiatives & Special Activities The applications by Lord Treffos (Stephen Paul Hayes) to the Land Registry caused a great deal of upset and concern in the ward and a number of constituent asked for my help. The matter received national attention and I spoke on the radio. I worked with local Councillors and in particular the Assembly Member and Mr Hayes has withdrawn all his applications. We await to hear from the National Grid about the December 2012 consultation regarding pylons. A meeting was held with cross party Parliamentary representatives in Llanfairpwll to which I contributed, and I spoke on the radio. Llanfairpwll has been declared the first smoke-free village in Europe. I chaired the Launch. Traffic matters have been a prominent issue in the three areas and I have contributed to discussions to try and progress these issues. Learning & Development As a new member, a number of courses had been arranged for me. I believe that I have had a number of experiences in my work as a Councillor and as a result I believe that I have developed in the post. I have attended the following learning and development initiatives during the past year: (Information supplied by the IOACC) An Introduction to the Members Support Service May 2013 Ethical Framework May 2013 The Welsh Language/Data Protection/Press & Media May 2013 Training on the Register of Interest May 2013 An Overview of Scrutiny Functions June 2013 Scrutiny – Questioning Skills June 2013 Corporate Planning Meeting June 2013 A general Workshop on Chairing Meetings June 2013 Making more of a Difference in Scrutiny June 2013 Scrutinising Performance Data July 2013 Holding a Scrutiny Review July 2013 Making Social Media Work for Councillors September 2013 Equalities Awareness Training September 2013 Training for the Shadow Executive Committee September 2013 Training Sessions with Ian Bottrill October 2013 Training on Personal Development Reviews October 2013 Scrutinising the Budget October 2013 PINS Training November 2013 PRINCE 2 – Training for Board Members December 2013 A general Introduction to Planning Matters December 2013 Session 3 – Shadow Executive Committee January 2014 Other Activities & Issues As the Chair of the Group of Plaid Cymru Councillors on the County Council I’ve had satisfaction in helping the Group to be a powerful and effective opposition and Shadow Executive Committee which contributes positively to the Council’s Work. I am the Scrutiny Champion and Chair of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee and this entails working with Scrutiny Officers and others to arrange and prepare for meetings. I have also attended national meetings regarding scrutiny in Llandrindod and Cardiff. I am a member of the Improvement Board for Education matters. I am a member of a Panel regarding the work of the Information Commissioner. A member of the Schools Progress Review Panel. I met Estyn in relation to their inspection. I contributed towards arranging a Housing Symposium. A member of the Services Review Panel. A member of the Staff Awards Panel. Councillor R. Meirion Jones April 2014 .