A Gwynedd Council meeting on the new relationship and education curriculum descended into chaos and police were called in as shouting and booing from the public gallery disrupted proceedings.
Commenting on the news, Welsh Conservative Shadow Local Government Minister, Sam Rowlands MS said:
Parents should have every right, in our view, to be able to choose what is and what isn’t age appropriate for their own child’s education. The parents should have the final say on relationship education, not the state.
However, in this specific instance, more needs to be done to prevent council voices from being shouted down. Councillors need to be supported in their duty of representing their local communities.
I am glad that the meeting was able to continue after this disruption, but am troubled to learn that there were fears for councillors’ safety. Free speech is essential for local democracy to function and all voices should be heard.
Councillors were held back in the chamber at the end of the meeting for safety reasons. This unfolded at the council offices in Caernarfon, in a meeting called for by five Gwynedd councillors.
Ceidwadwr Cymreig yn gwneud sylw ar anhrefn Cyngor Gwynedd
Achosodd cyfarfod Cyngor Gwynedd ar y cwricwlwm addysg cydberthynas newydd anhrefn a bu’n rhaid galw’r heddlu wrth i weiddi a bwio o’r oriel gyhoeddus darfu ar y trafod.
Wrth roi sylw ar y newyddion, dywedodd Gweinidog yr Wrthblaid dros Lywodraeth Leol ar ran y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, Sam Rowlands AS:
Yn ein barn ni, dylai rhieni gael yr hawl i allu dewis beth sydd a beth sydd ddim yn oedran-briodol i addysg eu plentyn eu hunain. Y rhieni ddylai gael gwneud penderfyniad ar addysg gydberthynas, nid y wladwriaeth.
Fodd bynnag, yn yr achos penodol hwn, mae angen gwneud mwy i atal tarfu ar leisiau’r cyngor. Mae angen cefnogi cynghorwyr yn eu dyletswydd wrth gynrychioli eu cymunedau lleol.
Rwy’n falch bod y cyfarfod wedi gallu parhau ar ôl y tarfu hwn, ond roedd clywed eu bod nhw’n ofni am ddiogelwch cynghorwyr yn destun gofid. Mae rhyddid mynegiant yn hanfodol er mwyn i ddemocratiaeth leol weithio a dylai pob llais gael ei glywed.
Cadwyd y cynghorwyr yn y siambr ar ddiwedd y cyfarfod am resymau diogelwch. Digwyddodd hyn yn swyddfeydd y cyngor yng Nghaernarfon, mewn cyfarfod a alwyd gan bum cynghorydd o Gyngor Gwynedd.
