Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendation.

Councillor Eastwood introduced the report and explained that the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 enabled the Welsh Ministers to specify standards for the Welsh language.  The aims of the Standards were to:

·         Improve the services Welsh speakers could expect to receive from organisations in Welsh;

·         Increase the use people made of Welsh language services;

·         Make it clear to organisations what they needed to do in terms of the Welsh language; and

·         Ensure that there was an appropriate degree of consistency of the duties placed on bodies in the same sectors.

The report presented the Welsh Language Standards Annual Monitoring Report 2022/23 and provided an overview of the Council’s progress in complying with the Welsh language standards and identifying areas for further progress and improvement.

The Policy Development Officer – Equalitiesadded that the Council was required to adhere to Welsh language standards, as set out in a Compliance Notice that was served on the Council in 2015.  The Notice placed a statutory duty on the Council to publish an annual report that set out how it had met the Welsh language standards.

Details of the complaints received were outlined in the report.

Although there were positive areas of progress, some issues remained as

areas in which to progress and improve. Given the challenges recruiting to

vacant posts, and filling Welsh essential posts, key areas for improvement

included:

• Developing employees’ Welsh language skills, particularly those in public facing posts, to support services to be delivered bilingually
• Supporting employees to use Welsh, naturally, in the workplace, to increase the audibility of the language and opportunities to use Welsh

Next steps were outlined as the Council aiming to:

• Increase the number of employees who speak Welsh (this was an action in the Council Plan 2023-28)
• Introduce initiatives to encourage the use of Welsh at work
• Continue completing self-assessments against the Welsh language standards to ensure services were complying

Councillor Roberts thanked the Chief Executive for his leadership in the promotion of the Welsh language.  He advised that course were available to Members as well as staff who wished to learn the Welsh language. 

The Chief Executive concurred with the view that using Welsh phrases regularly in the workplace helped to build confidence in the use of the language. 

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet be assured of the Council’s compliance with the Welsh Language Standards and supports the areas for further progress and improvement.