Senior Welsh speaker a 'challenge' for Monmouthshire council
Councils and other public bodies are required to comply with tailored Welsh language standards setting out how they provide services and information through the language.
They also have to produce an annual report showing how they have complied with those standards with 176 applying to Monmouthshire County Council.
Abergavenny Park ward councillor, and Welsh speaker, Tudor Thomas asked about the ability to speak Welsh among the council's senior leadership.
The Labour councillor, who served in the cabinet for the first year of the current Labour-led administration, from 2022 to 2023, asked Welsh language officer Nia Thomas: 'If I wanted to speak to someone today in Welsh at a senior level who could I speak to?'
Ms Thomas replied: 'At a senior level I think that would be difficult.'
She said the council encourages staff to learn Welsh but recognised it is 'quite a commitment to undertake' and said: 'For staff at a senior level it's a lot of their time to be able to commit to learning Welsh.'
Ms Thomas said the council has put resources on its intranet so staff can use or recognise common words and phrases.
But Ms Thomas said: 'It would be a challenge at the moment to be able to speak to someone at a senior leadership level in Welsh.'
Cllr Thomas said he wanted to make the point as following a large fire that destroyed a number of shops in Frogmore Street, Abergavenny last November he was asked to appear on Welsh language television channel S4C's news bulletin.
He said: 'S4C phoned me, and I think someone from the authority, they wanted someone to go on Newyddion Saith, the 7pm news, in Welsh but no one from the authority could speak to them. If we want to promote the language, and we are very much part of Wales and come under the Welsh standards, we need to be able to do that.
'I think it's quite poor, we should have someone who can speak to the media in the Welsh language. Most authorities would but I understand the difficulties.'
Figures in the report show the council has 392 staff with some level of Welsh language skills, excluding those in schools, ranging from beginners to 48 who are fluent while the numbers of staff taking, and completing, Welsh language courses is increasing. Councillors can also join the courses.
Monmouth town ward councillor Martin Newell said he would like to discuss how the Welsh language department could further support learners in the community.
The Conservative member said: 'I was lucky enough to sing on the main stage at the National Eisteddfod in Abergavenny.
'Many of my colleagues in the male voice choir would love to learn Welsh but don't find there are enough opportunities in our town and our area.'
Labour cabinet member, Magor East with Undy councillor Angela Sandles, who is learning Welsh and introduced the report to the scrutiny committee in Welsh, said the council has received two complaints from the public over Welsh language services while the Welsh Language Commissioner had raised two complaints in 2024/25.
READ MORE: Monmouthshire and Torfaen could use AI Welsh translations
The complaints from the public related to a mistranslated street sign, which will be corrected, and the council's 'My Monmouthshire' reporting system generating English only responses to requests submitted in Welsh. That was resolved through an update to the system.
The Welsh Language Commissioner was contacted over the ability of a part-time worker to attend a Welsh language course and the complaint resolved when a class that was more suitable to their working hours was identified. The commissioner is still considering a complaint that a third party contractor, which works for Monmouthshire and other authorities, has failed to provide a bilingual service.
On recruitment Monmouthshire classes each new vacant post as Welsh language 'desirable' at a minimum. Positions that involve a high degree of interaction with the public, or where there is a lack of current Welsh language skills in the service area, are assessed as Welsh language 'essential'.
For Welsh 'essential' posts job specifications set out the type of Welsh skills required to encourage learners, who may lack confidence, to apply.
A new telephone system has also allowed calls to the council to be transferred directly to a Welsh-speaking member of staff in its contact centre though it can revert to the previous system of finding an available Welsh speaking officer at times of high demand.
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