Issue - meetings

To present the Annual Report to the Members in order for them to recommend that it be approved by the Cabinet Member to publish.

·       To accept the report and note the observations received.

·       Recommend that the Cabinet Member publishes the report by the closing date (30 June 2023).

The report was presented by the Language Adviser, and she briefly drew attention to the following main points:

It was explained that there was a statutory requirement to publish an annual report on its compliance with the language standards in accordance with Section 44 of the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011. It was noted that this report had to be published by 30 May 2023.

It was confirmed that the following figures had been included within the report:

·       99.4% of Council staff had some degree of Welsh language skills.

·       93% of staff reached the Foundation level or higher, and so could speak Welsh.

·       833 job adverts had been published over the year where Welsh language skills were essential.

·       A new Welsh Language Policy had been approved and published, with supplementary policies.

·       Specific steps to strengthen and improve compliance regarding consultation on policy
decisions.

·       A review of IT systems had begun, to ensure that they complied with the Policy in respect of using Welsh place names and the Standards in relation to replying to correspondence in Welsh or bilingually.

Attention was drawn to some of the challenges that the Language and Scrutiny Unit would be addressing during the year in order to improve the bilingual provision and the Welsh active offer. It was noted that these challenges included:

·       Raising staff awareness about the exact requirements of the language standards. It was considered that the Council should share this information with staff in creative ways in order to confirm that everyone was aware of the requirements.

·       There had been a small reduction over recent years in the number of staff who chose to complete courses through the medium of Welsh. It was emphasised that the unit intended to hold discussions with the Learning and Development Team to consider how they could assist.

Members were given an opportunity to ask questions and offer observations. During the discussion, the following matters were raised:

·       It was confirmed that the Council had not advertised any posts that did not note the necessary linguistic skills to deliver the post. It was explained that the language designation requirements varied from post to post, in accordance with the roles delivered within those posts.

·       It was explained that individuals on the Welsh Foundation level were confident in speaking the language and were able to communicate effectively. Some posts sought individuals with Higher level skills, although this varied between roles. Members were reminded that the Council had an effective procedure to support workers to learn Welsh and these arrangements had been used to develop the language skills of any staff members who required support.

Gratitude was expressed for the report.

RESOLVED

·       To accept the report and note the observations received.

·       Recommend the Cabinet Member to publish the report by the deadline (30 June 2023).