Agenda item

a)    To commit £20,000 of funding from now until the end of March 2019 from the Transformation Fund to fund the Gwynedd Secondary Sector Language Strategy Coordinator. The post will be a means of delivering on one of the commitments in the Council Plan, which will lead to further increase in pupils' social and curricular use of the Welsh language.

b)    To return to the Cabinet with a request for further resources to fund the Gwynedd Secondary Sector Language Strategy Coordinator post from 2019/20 onwards, should the discussions with the regional consortium (GwE) to fund the post in future not prove successful.

RESOLVED

a)    To commit £20,000 of funding from now until the end of March 2019 from the Transformation Fund to fund the Gwynedd Secondary Sector Language Strategy Coordinator. The post would be a means of delivering on one of the commitments in the Council Plan, which will lead to further increase in pupils' social and curricular use of the Welsh language.

b)    To return to the Cabinet with a request for further resources to fund the Gwynedd Secondary Sector Language Strategy Coordinator post from 2019/20 onwards, should the discussions with the regional consortium (GwE) to fund the post in future not prove successful.

DISCUSSION

The report was submitted by Cllr Gareth Thomas.

The report was submitted noting that the Language Strategy had been in place for years, and that the primary schools' Language Charter had been rolled-out across Wales. It was expressed that a follow-up to the Language Charter was needed in the secondary schools.  The Coordinator had been appointed in April 2017 to lead on the language strategy and it was added that good work had been done.  Attention was drawn to Ysgol Tywyn where there had been a change of attitude towards the Welsh language, after the coordinator had been undertaking specific work at the school. 

It was noted that a year ago, the Cabinet Member had applied for additional resources, based on the same commitment of resources that had been granted to the establishment of the primary schools' Language Charter.  A response had been received at the Cabinet Meeting, noting that the Cabinet Member for Education and the Cabinet Member for the Welsh Language, needed to write to the relevant Cabinet Ministers in Welsh Government, asking them to provide the funding in order to fund the Coordinator's post.  A response had been received from Eluned Morgan AM, referring to the GwE regional consortia.  Following discussions with GwE, it was noted that it would not be possible for the consortia to fund the post during 2018/19.

It was expressed that the Council would be able to apply for funding from the regional consortia from 2019/20 onwards, noting that the £20,000 being sought would be used to bridge both periods. 

Observations arising from the discussion

-        It was expressed that the response of Minister Eluned Morgan was contentious, considering the fact that the Assembly was hoping to have one million Welsh-speakers by 2050.  Astonishment was also expressed regarding the fact that the Government did not view this as a golden opportunity to develop a Language Charter that was already working in the primary sector.  

-        It was reiterated that the Welsh Language Support Grant had been cut by the Government this year, which showed the Government's lack of commitment to having one million Welsh-speakers. It was added that Gwynedd Council had done the groundwork for the primary Language Charter and that the Government had undertaken the project when it was successful.  Disappointment was expressed in that the Government was not prepared to support and invest in order to develop. 

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