Venue: Siambr Hywel Dda, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd. LL55 1SH
Contact: Rhonwen Jones 01286 679780
No. | Item |
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APOLOGIES To receive apologies for absence. Minutes: Apologies were
received from Councillor Aled Evans. |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declaration of personal interest Minutes: No declarations of
personal interest were received from any members
present. |
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URGENT BUSINESS To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for consideration Minutes: No urgent items were received. |
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The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 9th of July 2019 be signed as a true record Minutes: The Chair
signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 9 July
2019 as a true record, subject to the amendment of the decision on item 6
(minutes of the meeting held on 1 May 2019). 'Hunaniaith - Menter Iaith Gwynedd - Targeting Young people aged 15+', regarding
a letter to take further action to gain the interest and commitment of Grŵp Llandrillo Menai. The Workplace Language Development Officer responded
that she had sent a letter to the Group, but that no feedback had been received. It had been resolved at the previous
committee meeting that a committee member would also write a letter. This had not
been done.' It was noted that the minutes should note that the Committee as
an entity should also be writing a letter, rather than one member of the
Committee. It was suggested that the letter that was
sent should be reviewed at the next meeting. It was confirmed that the Welsh Language Commissioner had
received an invitation to attend the Committee. |
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To consider the
report Minutes: A verbal report and presentation was received from the Rural Gwynedd Development Scheme
Manager, providing an update on the Arfor scheme. Following a budgetary agreement between Welsh Government
and Plaid Cymru, in February 2019, the Minister for
the Economy, Ken Skates AM, confirmed that a budget of £2 million was available
to Gwynedd, Anglesey, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire Councils to trial
innovative methods of supporting the economy in the Welsh language's
strongholds. It was noted that the funding was
available up to the end of 2020/21, with £466,250 available to be invested in
Gwynedd on activities that would lead to the creation of new jobs that would
support the language in our communities. It was reported that two cross
border projects had been established; Strategic Plan /
Evaluation and the Bwrlwm Business Scheme. It was reiterated that the Strategic Plan looked at individual
projects across the County and was in the process of setting up a business plan
for submission. It was expressed that Bwrlwm Business had designed a welcome pack to encourage
businesses to work through the medium of Welsh. It was noted that it was
intended to commission a company to look at digital material across the four
Counties to seek information and identify and share
good practice. Reference was made to the
Gwynedd Arfor Steering Group which led the work in
Gwynedd and which had identified a package of innovative projects to trial over
the period that was in-keeping with the programme's
criteria. It was reiterated that the Language Unit had
been part of the group since the beginning. It was noted
that a number of exciting projects had been established, and a language questionnaire
had been drawn up to record the standard of project users / supporters so that
the impact of Arfor could be measured. During the ensuing discussion, the following main
observations were noted by members: ·
That
a two year period was too short to promote and develop
business initiatives. Needed to pressurise Welsh Government to get a longer
period ·
The
funding received was insufficient ·
Needed
to consult with Menter Busnes
to avoid duplicating work ·
The
impact would need to be measured in order to secure Arfor
2 ·
Needed
to target and support young people who were less likely to use Welsh in
business ·
That
there was a need to ensure that Welsh names were retained on the lands ·
Arfor
was initially an innovative idea, but the outcome was now much lower ·
No certainty
of the future of Arfor. It was
proposed that the Committee write to the Minister, asking how the Arfor Scheme worked with the Government's wider schemes
such as language schemes and the Economic strategy. In
response to an observation regarding how the scheme would continue after two
years, it was highlighted that the intention of the
Strategic Plan that was in development was to look at how the projects worked
and measure the impact. In response to a question regarding guidance from Welsh Government, it was highlighted that ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
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BYW'N IACH To receive a
verbal overview on how the Service will continue to prioritise the Welsh
Language Minutes: A verbal report was given
by the Byw'n Iach Managing
Director on the work that has been carried out by the company to protect the
Welsh language as Council departments are externalised. It was explained
that Byw'n Iach had been
established in April 2019 as a company limited by guarantee under the
management of Gwynedd Council, acting on behalf of the Council to manage the
Leisure Centres of the County and provide a range of Sport, Health and Fitness
services. As part of the agreement, it was noted that responsibility for the language had been
included, and that collaboration with the Language Development Officers had
ensured that the transfer process had been formalised. It was
reported that 250 staff members had transferred, and that the initial
response had been positive, with praise for the staff's attitude towards
change. A soft launch was held for the transfer, as
there were no obvious changes to customer services. It was
highlighted that the intention was to create a culture of ownership for
all staff. In the context of
language, it was reported that the company had created
a Language policy that was equivalent to Gwynedd Council's policy, which was
relevant and practical to the Leisure field. It was emphasised that some of the
policy objectives had remained the same but with additional clauses to create
an influence within the Leisure sector. It was noted
that work was being done to develop the workplace, with an intention of
creating specialist jobs to undertake particular duties. It was
reiterated that the language specifications in job descriptions had been
challenged to be ambitious in mapping the need, and that a skills assessment
had been completed as a foundation to prioritise a work programme for the
teams. The Council's Welsh
Language Learning and Development Officer reiterated that every member of staff
in the Leisure service who had received training was being
assessed, and that the staff member and manager was ensuring that
training took root. It was expressed that the initial feedback of the staff had
been positive, and their efforts and willingness to respond to the challenge
were commended. Gratitude was expressed
for the information. In response to an observation regarding the
use of Welsh language music in fitness classes, it was noted that the music had been prepared by particular companies, and it
was music without lyrics that was to be played. It would be difficult to create
a Byw'n Iach resource, however
it was accepted that the observation could be
considered. In response to an observation regarding
developing a career path, the intention to create specific jobs
which would offer expertise in appropriate fields was highlighted.
Training and support would be delivered, with the
intention of creating more variety and opportunities for staff to develop. The
need to invest in staff in order to ensure development was
noted, along with the need to eliminate the idea that only casual jobs
were being offered in the Leisure field. In response ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
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LANGUAGE SPECIFICATIONS PDF 62 KB To consider the
report Minutes: An update was received
on the progress of the Language Specifications project and give Members an
opportunity to ask questions or propose recommendations for any further action The background of the project was explained, emphasising that the Language Committee (in
2015) had decided to examine the procedure for recording the language skills of
staff in preparation for the emergence of the Welsh Language Standards in 2016.
In January 2016, a further decision was made to review
the language requirements and conditions of Council posts in order to impose
realistic requirements alongside the post duties. In 2017, the second part of
the project was started of ensuring that support was
available for existing members of staff either to maintain their Welsh skills
or reach the language requirements of their post if a gap existed. Attention was drawn
to some notable services that were worked with along with main work
developments, e.g. level self-evaluation questionnaire, training, after-care, Cyfeillion Cymraeg (Welsh
Friends) and the successes of the project. It was hoped to continue to visit
Services, work closely with the Byw'n Iach company and the staff of care
homes. Gratitude was expressed
for the inspirational and encouraging information. In response to a question regarding ensuring
the continuation of the project, it was emphasised that it was
hoped for Heads of Department and Service Managers to undertake the work
of developing and supporting their staff. It was reiterated
that staff turnover highlighted challenges, and that there was no real end to
the project. |
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THE WELSH LANGUAGE COMISSIONERS ASSURANCE REPORT 2018-19 RIGHTS IN USE PDF 79 KB To consider the
report of the Language Consultant Minutes: A
report was presented by the Language Advisor, briefly reporting on the findings of
the Welsh Language Commissioner's Assurance Report. It was
noted that the report was the result of work to monitor complaints,
research, observing and questioning focus groups, which demonstrated findings
about the success of organisations to implement and comply with the Standards. The
Commissioner's latest assurance report was published under the title Rights in
Use in summer 2019. The report focused on the ability of organisations to
guarantee that an individual's right to Welsh language services was satisfied
and the public's use of these services. Attention was
drawn to the relevant matters in the report; -
That
awareness needed to be raised of the requirements of the Standards -
There
was a need to ensure that everyone across the Council was aware of their responsibilities
and duties in terms of the Standards -
More
activities needed to be considered to check services at random -
That
the self-monitoring form needed to be used as a means of gathering information
regularly by departments for compliance -
That
sufficient time and staff resources be allocated to fulfil the role of monitoring the
implementation of the Standards. -
That
executive and specialist officers be included early enough in the planning and
implementation of projects in order to make the best of every opportunity to
promote the Welsh language. -
There
was a need to motivate people to use Welsh and gather meaningful information
with regard to an individual's language use. The members
expressed their thanks for the report, and the actions were
welcomed. During the ensuing
discussion, the following main observations were noted by
members: -
That
the Council needed to communicate its expectation for people to contact the
Council through the medium of Welsh -
Needed
to emphasise that the Council's administrative language was Welsh -
Needed
to promote the fact that a very high percentage of staff spoke Welsh -
There
was a need to maximise the use of the Welsh language in information technology -
Heads
of Departments should be invited in turn to share
experiences / good practices on how they responded to the requirements of the
Standards. There was a suggestion to report on the situation of the Welsh
language in their departments, offering examples of successes and challenges so
that the Committee was aware of the situation. -
A
request for the Cabinet Member to present a brief report to meetings of the
Committee, which would provide a strategic overview on the work of the Council -
A
request to include reports on complaints / commendations as a fixed item on the
agenda Resolved: ·
To invite Heads of Departments to the
Committee in turn to provide an update on the situation within their
departments. ·
Restore the practice of including
complaint reports as a short, standing item on the agenda
which would also include commendations. · That the Cabinet Member presents a short report that would provide a strategic overview on developments in ... view the full minutes text for item 8. |