Gwynedd Council workers lose day off for St David's Day

Council workers who had a day off last St David's Day are back in work this year due to the authority's "difficult financial situation".

Last year Gwynedd Council declared 1 March a holiday for staff to mark the celebration of Wales' patron saint.

However, it has decided to "pause" the custom this year and has hit out at the UK government's "insulting" response to a bank holiday request.

The UK government said it had "no plans" to change public holidays.

Wales is the only devolved UK nation that does not to have the power to decide its own national holidays.

Council leader Dyfrig Siencyn criticised the fact that Wales has to go "cap in hand" to ask permission from "our masters in London" for the day to be designed a formal bank holiday. 

The council said its decision to give staff the day off was "successful and popular", but that it "comes at a cost" that could not be justified this year.

Although it said it is working on plans to make sure staff will be able to take the day off next year and "every year from 2024 onwards", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Siencyn, of Plaid Cymru, said: "Wales does not have the right to designate bank holidays and it seems that we are not responsible enough to do so.

"The response received from Westminster last year was insulting, claiming that it would be too complicated for people working across the border to cope with a Welsh bank holiday and that it would have huge cost implications."

He highlighted the extra bank holiday granted by the UK government for King Charles' coronation, "without any consideration of cost".

"This is yet another example of the insulting and pretentious attitude of our Tory masters in London and the way in which they deal with the people of Wales - with complete lack of respect for our nation," he added.

A UK government spokesman said: "The current pattern of public and bank holidays is well established and there are no plans to change this".