Council backs whistle-blowing policy following paedophile headteacher’s crimes

Dale Spridgeon, Local Democracy Reporter

Welsh county is set to adopt a new whistleblowing policy following recommendations in a report into the crimes of paedophile headteacher.

Neil Foden, from Old Colwyn, was headteacher of Ysgol Friars in Bangor, and was the strategic head at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle, both in Gwynedd.

He was arrested in September 2023 when a claim of sexual assault was made by a child and in 2024 was jailed for 17 years after being convicted of 19 charges involving four girls.

A Child Practice Review (CPR), led by safeguarding expert Jan Pickles, had looked into Foden’s crimes, and had published a 107 page report in November last year.

‘Our Bravery Brought Justice’ – the title given by Foden’s young victims – had listed the many occasions that the authorities had failed to intervene amid multiple concerns raised over his abhorrent behaviour.

Cyngor Gwynedd has offered a full apology for its part in the failings.

On Tuesday, January 20, the council’s cabinet unanimously agreed proposals to adopt a revised, amended staff whistleblowing policy.

Cllr Llio Elenid Owen said reviewing the policy and arrangements surrounding whistleblowing was “a specific task” within the council’s Crime Response Plan.

The staff policy and its arrangements related to the council’s statutory duties and safeguards for employees.

Amendments 

Several amendments were proposed, including submitting to the policy to the governance and audit committee for scrutiny,

It also included reconciling the decisions made within the Response Board, for councillors to raise concerns, and to include an independent method when needed, in line with the Protect organisation, a report said.

The council has been developing a relationship with the charity, a body specialising in whistleblowing matters, with an eye on regular policy review and to implement it through raising awareness and training, a report said.

The council’s whistleblowing policy provides guidance to staff, contractors and suppliers, and others who carry out work for the council on its premises.

It advises how to report issues such as malpractice, inappropriate behaviour, or illegal activity within the organisation, whilst also explaining the steps taken to respond.

The emphasis now was on “sharing information about issues that may be of public interest” – but not matters relating to personal employment where other arrangements are in place.

These included anything of public interest, such as fraud or misuse of public funds, abuse or neglect towards customers or clients, corruption or abuse of authority, risk to health and safety and concealment of important information or malpractice.

The current policy had been reviewed by a working group of officers from legal services, human resources, and internal audit during the autumn months of 2025.

Welcomed policy 

Speaking at the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, January 20, the council’s leader, Cllr Nia Jeffreys said she “welcomed” the policy as “extremely important”.

She said: “I am pleased it has come forward so quickly after the publication of the important report ‘Our Bravery Brought Justice’ back in November.

“I am also pleased it has come to us and that Cllr Lleo Elenid has also brought amendments forward, so that we can respond more or less immediately to the recommendations of the scrutiny committees, only held over this past week, and it will go for post scrutiny in the governance and audit committee.”

Cllr Menna Trenholme also welcomed the policy and amendments, saying she had been at the Response meeting.

She said: “When we discussed this, the chair Sally Holland was quite supportive that something separate was needed for councillors.

“By getting the amendment it will strengthen the protection for us as councillors, as we do our constituency work.”

Cllr Dilwyn Morgan added: “The important point was raising awareness.

“You remember we have field staff who are not in contact with us by email, so I think we need to give a lot of attention to awareness raising, so everyone knows who to, and where to go.”

He also added that the issues, for him, had also “raised a question” about whistleblowing by the public in general and felt a “broader conversation” was needed.

Unanimous approval 

The decision sought was unanimously approved in a vote.

Head of corporate services, Ian Jones said this was “only the start of the journey” in setting up the policy, and that more detailed work will happen now, with regard to communication training and raising awareness, and that it would “impact every area of the council, in terms of staff”.

He added there was a mechanism in place to receive public concerns, but agreed that “raising awareness was important”.

The council’s chief executive Dafydd Gibbard said: “We are happy this policy in terms of staff has been created so quickly, it has only been two months since the CPR (Child Practice Review) report was published.

“I am happy now it has been reviewed and that it is available for the 6,000 staff to view and very pleased it has progressed so quickly.”

He was also aware of “challenges ahead” around awareness raising, training and “embedding changes in the culture so that it filters down and becomes the new normal”.

Updates to the current whistleblowing policy, will eventually be included in the council’s constitution.