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Caerphilly County Borough Council has seen the lowest number of staff taking up Welsh lessons since records began in 2001.
The Welsh Language Standards report for 2021/22 found that only 35 out of more than 8,000 members of council staff had signed up to learn Welsh during the past financial year.
Cllr Carol Andrews, cabinet member for education and communities, told the cabinet on Wednesday, June 15 that the covid pandemic and staff adjusting to working from home could be explanations for the drop in uptake.
What is Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet?
A council’s cabinet is made up of councillors in charge of different policy areas – such as education, environment, local economy, etc – and a leader.
It is separate to the council’s corporate management structure, which is headed up by its chief executive and various directors. Cabinet is made up of councillors, who are elected and have the ultimate say.
Typically, cabinet members are councillors from the party with the most elected council members.
Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet is made up of:
- Cllr Sean Morgan (Nelson) – Leader
- Cllr Jamie Pritchard (Morgan Jones) – Deputy Leader; Prosperity, Regeneration and Climate Change
- Cllr Nigel George (Risca East) – Corporate Services and Property
- Cllr Eluned Stenner (New Tredegar) – Finance and Performance
- Cllr Carol Andrews (Gilfach) – Education and Communities
- Cllr Shayne Cook (Morgan Jones) – Housing
- Cllr Julian Simmonds (Crosskeys) – Highways and Transportation
- Cllr Elaine Forehead (Van) – Social Care
- Cllr Philippa Leonard (Risca East) – Planning and Public Protection
- Cllr Chris Morgan (Machen and Rudry) – Waste, Leisure and Green Spaces
Corporate management is made up of unelected employees of the council and has responsibility for day-to-day management of services, such as making sure the bins are collected. Corporate directors work with cabinet members to come up with policy which is then agreed upon by the cabinet.
Last updated June 29, 2022
The cost of supporting staff to attend Welsh in the workplace courses for this year was £2,209.
But the report also highlighted that the number of Welsh speaking council staff increased by 2%, compared to the previous financial year.
The council’s deputy leader, Cllr Jamie Pritchard, said: “We have made some progress, but obviously more to go.”
He added that Ffiliffest, held on Saturday, June 11, had been a “fantastic” celebration of the language and Welsh culture.
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