Tories want county's Welsh language plan stopped

The Welsh government needs to "urgently intervene" in a council's plans to reduce English usage in its schools, the leader of the Tories in the Senedd said.

Under Cyngor Gwynedd's proposals, at least 70% of the curriculum would be taught in Welsh, with English-medium streams ending in secondary schools.

Overall there was support for the plans at a scrutiny meeting on Thursday, but Tory Darren Millar described it as "fundamentally wrong", and even suggested the UK government should get involved.

The Welsh government said local authorities were responsible for planning in schools.

Writing on the Conservative Home website, Millar argued that the proposal is "not only harmful to education but also unfair to teachers and divisive for communities".

He also criticised it by calling it part of a broader trend of inward-looking policies in Gwynedd.

Millar called on Education Secretary Lynne Neagle to "urgently intervene" and warned, "If the Welsh government fails to protect citizens' rights, the UK government must step in".

During Thursday's meeting, some Gwynedd councillors felt the draft policy lacked boldness, while others expressed concerns about the inadequate monitoring of progress.

However, there was broad support for the aim of expanding Welsh-language education.

In response to Millar's opposition, Gwynedd's education portfolio holder, councillor Dewi Jones, called his stance "disappointing" and "very unfortunate".

Mr Jones said he "naively thought" Millar was in the minority and that Wales had reached a point where the Welsh language was accepted and everyone supported its growth for our children and young people.

He added: "I thought the days of using Welsh as a political football to score points were over.

"But it is very disappointing to hear those comments, and I would like to state that publicly."

In his column, Millar warned that Gwynedd council's approach could "push people away from the Welsh language", which "undermines the goal of achieving one million Welsh speakers", a target he said he continues to fully support.

He added: "It's time for the Welsh government to intervene and stand up for the English-speaking minority in Gwynedd, just as it should protect the Welsh-speaking minority in other parts of Wales.

"This is not about taking sides in some language war.

"It's about protecting fairness, choice, and the principle that bilingualism should work for communities – and not be used as a tool to separate or exclude."

According to Gwynedd council, the new policy would "eliminated bilingualism and bilingual learning" and "clearly stated that Welsh would be the main language of teaching".

Language group Cymdeithas yr Iaith, which supported the plans, suggested other councils in west Wales should consider adopting similar measures.

In response to concerns about recruiting Welsh-speaking staff, Councillor Jones said: "When are we going to make that shift? We have to increase Welsh education so we can eventually get more teachers - it's obvious."

A Welsh government spokesman stated that school planning is the responsibility of local authorities.

It added that it is up to the local authority, after considering its Welsh in Education Strategic Plan, and consulting with the school community, to choose the most suitable route for individual schools.