SPEAKING to a senior leader in one Welsh county through the language “would be a challenge” the officer responsible for its promotion has admitted.

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........

© South Wales Argus