Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillors Gwynfor Owen, Hefin Underwood, Wendy Cleaver and Beca Brown. Apologies were also received from Llywela Haf Owain (Senior Language and Scrutiny Adviser) and Llio Mai Dafydd (Welsh Language Learning and Development Officer).

To receive any declaration of personal interest

No declarations of personal interest were received.

To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for consideration

No urgent items were received.

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 09 April 2026 be signed as a true record  (attached)

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 09 February 2026 as a true record.

To consider the report.

To accept the report, noting the observations received during the discussion.

The report was presented by the Head of   Economy and Community Department. She referred briefly to the following main points:

It was reported that all the Department's policies and strategic plans contributed to the objectives of the Language Strategy, such as the Gwynedd Economic Development Strategy which was currently being developed. Specific attention was drawn to other policies such as the Area Regeneration Framework, the Sustainable Visitor Economy Plan, the World Heritage Site Management Plan: The Welsh Slate Landscape as well as the Gwynedd Culture Plan which were currently in draft form. ⁠

Members were reminded that the Department was leading on a number of projects that were part of the Council's Plan and it was emphasised that consideration of the Welsh language was central to them all. It was highlighted that those projects were:

·       A Prosperous Gwynedd

o   Promoting our culture and a sustainable visitor economy

o   Regenerating communities and town centres

o   Creating the best possible conditions in Gwynedd for businesses and community enterprises to thrive, and to support the people of Gwynedd into work.

·       A Caring Gwynedd

o   Supporting People's Well-being

It was confirmed that language assessments were carried out when the department operated major schemes and procedures, recognising that there was room for improvement to assess the extent to which they were successful in doing so with smaller projects. It was emphasised that this was a regular discussion within the Department's management team to ensure that more language assessments were carried out on smaller projects in the future.

Due to the diverse and broad nature of the Department, it was explained that all managers within the Department had submitted an update on how their services are operating to contribute towards the objectives of the language strategy. Some specific areas were highlighted such as the Gwynedd Library Service and Neuadd Dwyfor which played a key role in supporting people to learn Welsh, access Welsh resources and knowledge whilst also learning about culture, heritage and offering activities. Similarly, it was explained that the 'LleCHI Lle Ni' project: Our World Heritage Site, Our Pride, Our Future promoted the Welsh language in the community while also focusing on four strong principles to promote the Welsh language. ⁠

This was expanded upon by referring to the Tourism, Marketing and Events Service which had been publishing articles that promoted the special qualities of our area, the Welsh language and local culture, as part of the Diwyllesiant project. Similarly, it was confirmed that the budget for the ARFOR programme had now come to an end but the Department was working to distribute and promote packages created during the programme period to ensure that young people continued to receive encouragement to return to the region to work whilst also promoting the use of Welsh.

It was explained that the Department's services had highlighted opportunities to raise the status of the Welsh language and ensure that it was used. A specific example of this was shared by referring to the Maritime Service's plans to: Encourage and support  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To consider the report.

To accept the report, noting the observations received during the discussion.

The report was presented by the Head of Legal Services. He referred briefly to the following main points:

It was reported that the Legal Services were responsible for propriety (including the Monitoring Officer role, legal services, Elections and Electoral Registration Team as well as Coroner's Support.) Regional work that the Service had been undertaking in recent years was highlighted, by providing support to GwE, the Growth Deal and the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee (CJC). 

It was recognised that legal requirements for the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee had increased significantly, and to cope with that work the CJC had formed an independent legal team, with Cyngor Gwynedd's Legal Services having now withdrawn from the partnership. It was stressed that Democracy and Finance Services continued to support the CJC. There was pride that there was a presence in the process of developing CJC procedures and systems as it was formed, which was essential to ensure bilingualism and that the Welsh language received equal attention, as good practice had been demonstrated and implemented.

It was explained that the Electoral Team promoted the Welsh language and insisted that bilingualism was ensured on all occasions. Examples of the importance of bilingualism were shared such as on documentation, training, and when election results were announced verbally. Pride was expressed that the Electoral Team was successfully promoting the language and that the work was being carried out to ensure that the Electoral Commission's bilingual systems were now standard. It was emphasised that there was room for improvement, highlighting that the Electoral Team emphasised that the English only provision of documentation or training was not acceptable.

Thanks were given to the Coroner, who worked at a national level and also promoted the Welsh language through her work. It was explained that the Gwynedd and Anglesey Coroners' Service had not been incorporated into a regional body across North Wales due to the linguistic emphasis placed by the Coroner in this area, noting that this reflected the importance of the language to the Service. Pride was expressed that this work was able to influence other Coroners' areas by ensuring that documentation was available for use in both Welsh and English.

Pride was expressed that the Legal Services were now able to carry out all elements of their duties bilingually, such as the most technical aspects of the work, the provision of contracts and transcripts of court proceedings for work in Gwynedd and regionally across north Wales. Members were reminded that this was not possible in recent years because locum solicitors had been appointed to assist with regional work, where the need for specific expertise dominated the need to ensure that those individuals were proficient in Welsh. It was acknowledged that the Legal Service had experienced recruitment challenges in recent years but emphasised that recruitment needs had now eased and that the Service was able to attract experienced and Welsh language skills staff when any staff turnover arose, taking pride in the highly enthusiastic and hard-working workforce.

The linguistic  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.