Agenda item

To consider the report.

To accept the report and to note the observations received.

 

The report was submitted by the Head of Corporate Services Department⁠, and he referred briefly to the following main points:

 

It was explained that the Department’s name had recently changed from 'Corporate Support' to 'Corporate Services' to convey the range of services that are part of the Department.

 

It was confirmed that the Department was leading on six priority projects within the Council Plan 2023-2028 and promoted the Welsh language at every opportunity.
It was added that the Department also supported many other projects in the Plan, namely Ffordd Gwynedd Plan Priorities 2023-2028. It was detailed that the Department was leading and contributed extensively towards realising priorities, namely:

 

·       A Satisfied and Healthy Workforce

·       Workforce Planning and Talent Development

·       The Council's Digital Plan

 

It was reported that the Information and Research Service was in regular discussions with the Office for National Statistics. It was explained that the Office for National Statistics had considered not conducting Censuses in the future and considered gathering data in other ways to gather similar information. It was noted that the Service and the Department had considered that continuing with the Census in its current form was an important practice to continue.

 

Attention was drawn to the fact that the Support Service continued to develop staff training modules bilingually through the internal Self-service system. It was added that they had been in contact with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) office in Liverpool to put pressure on them to develop an online application form in Welsh, asking for an update for when that form will be available for use.

 

Reference was made to the work of the Democracy and Language Service, mentioning the Language Awareness sessions, the Gwynedd Language Forum, the Welsh language in business, Partnership Boards, Place Names Project and Visitors from the Basque Country.

 

Pride was expressed that Cyngor Gwynedd had been nominated for an 'Employer of the Year' award at the North Wales Work-Based Learning Awards 2025, following the Department's work to promote the Welsh language and influence providers to provide courses through the medium of Welsh to trainees and apprentices employed by Cyngor Gwynedd.

 

It was confirmed that influential work had been undertaken in the Procurement field as new Procurement regulations had been developed for the future. It was emphasised that the Procurement Service had influenced those discussions to ensure that the Welsh language was central to the Procurement process in the future.

 

Menter Iaith Gwynedd officers were congratulated for coming out on top in the Mentrau Iaith Cymru awards recently. It was explained that the award related to their work on developing Croeso Cymraeg.

 

It was explained that Artificial Intelligence (AI) was a development that the Department was aware of, using it when appropriate whilst being mindful of the challenges of using it. It was noted that this field will receive ongoing consideration from the Department as it developed over the next few years.

 

It was reported that 166 of the 176 staff members within the Department had completed the language self-assessment. It was confirmed that 119 individuals who had completed it were at Proficiency Level, 39 individuals at Advanced Level and 8 individuals at Intermediate Level. It was explained that the 10 staff members who had not completed the questionnaire thus far were new and they would complete the questionnaire as soon as possible, in accordance with the Department's emphasis to stress its importance.

 

During the discussion, the following observations were made: - 

 

Concern was expressed that the Office for National Statistics had considered amending the arrangements regarding conducting the census and it was asked whether they had other future options. In response to the enquiry, the Head of Corporate Services Department agreed that it was important to ensure that data was gathered, and the Data and Research service disagreed with the suggestion of bringing the census to an end. However, it was noted that the Service welcomed change if it could be guaranteed that all the necessary data was gathered through new methods. It was emphasised that the Department encouraged the Office for National Statistics to continue with the Census.

 

Attention was drawn to a new project underway within the Department where the Language Unit, Learning and Development, Human Resources and the Communication team collaborated to dispel language myths. In response to an enquiry about some of the current myths, the Head of Corporate Services Department explained that the public tended to believe that Welsh skills had to be perfect to work in the Council. It was detailed that this cross-service work aimed to amend job descriptions to make them simpler and more accessible, emphasising that some posts required different levels of Welsh language ability. The Senior Language and Scrutiny Advisor added that this work derived from the Council's role on the Gwynedd and Anglesey Public Services Board which was trying to develop a series of videos demonstrating the actual and different language needs for posts within the Council. It was also noted that there was support available for anyone who required it to improve their Welsh skills, or their confidence to use the language, that was provided by the Council. It was acknowledged that language myths were a specific challenge for recruiting in the Care field, but work was being done to dispel these myths by using the Council's resources and developing specific resources for this field through the Public Services Board.

 

An enquiry was made about the arrangements of the Registration service, considering whether it was possible to use Welsh or bilingual forms to register births and deaths by now. In response to the enquiry, the Head of Corporate Services Department confirmed that it was currently not possible to use Welsh or bilingual forms as the Service's administration systems did not allow this. However, it was emphasised that the discussions with service users were being held in Welsh where possible. The Senior Language and Scrutiny Adviser added that these challenges derived from the Westminster Government and ongoing lobbying was taking place to ensure that the language was seen on the appropriate forms in the future.

 

It was asked what were the arrangements for those staff members who needed to attend language training as they were learning Welsh from the start, considering whether they had time off work and financial support for subscriptions such as 'Say Something in Welsh'. In response to the enquiry, the Head of Corporate Services Department confirmed that specific arrangements were being made for every staff member learning Welsh based on their individual needs. It was ensured that weekly training was provided within normal working hours in sessions of up to 3 hours between September and June, and staff members were released from work to attend them. It was added that the 'Language Training Hub' site demonstrated to staff what was available in addition to this. It was confirmed that information about new training was shared quarterly following meetings of the Language Designation Forum. It was explained that no staff member had requested support with subscriptions, but learners were welcomed to make use of Say Something in Welsh or Duolingo if they wished.

 

More information regarding the recent visit from representatives from the Basque Country was enquired. In response, the Language Adviser confirmed that this visit was informal jointly with Bangor University, ARFOR, Menter Iaith Gwynedd and the Economy and Community Department. It was explained that the Language Unit had provided a presentation on Cyngor Gwynedd's Language Policy, information about the Language Strategy, promoted the Menter Iaith's work and drew attention to other important organisations. Pride was expressed that the visitors from the Basque Country believed that Cyngor Gwynedd's arrangements were very ambitious and innovative. The Senior Language and Scrutiny Adviser added that the visitors from the Basque Country gave a financial investment to the language to ensure that it was central to the country’s general operation. It was noted that this was not always true in Wales and Cyngor Gwynedd led the way by developing an innovative Language Policy and Strategy which influenced other organisations.

 

It was asked whether community consultation work was happening through the Place Names Project, referring to Eryri National Park's far-reaching plan which invited local residents to record the names of buildings and local areas on a map. In response to the observations, the Senior Language and Scrutiny Adviser confirmed that similar work had been conducted by Cyngor Gwynedd during the National Eisteddfod in Boduan. It was acknowledged that no more sessions had been held to not disrupt the important work that the Park already does in the field. However, it was noted that the observation would be considered when drawing up the work programme for the coming year.

 

In response to an enquiry on Cadernid Iaith training, the Senior Language and Scrutiny Adviser confirmed that this training continued to be held. It was explained that the aim of the training was to try to ensure that discussions did not turn to English unnecessarily, ensuring that people continued to use Welsh politely in community situations to teach others about the language.

 

The members expressed their thanks for the report.

 

RESOLVED

 

To accept the report and note the observations received.