GWYNEDD Council’s leader has launched a passionate defence of its Welsh language policy, describing opposition claims that they were resting on their laurels as “pure rubbish”.

During last Thursday’s full council meeting, members rubber stamped the new Welsh Language Promotion Plan which hopes to see the number of Welsh speakers increase from 65.4 per cent to 70 per cent by 2023.

According to the plan, while the county’s education system already means that 92 per cent of the five to 15 age group can speak Welsh, the challenge is to get those Welsh speakers to continue to do so throughout their lives.

“This plan builds on the decades of work we’ve carried on as a council,” said portfolio holder, Cllr Nia Jeffreys.

“We were the first council to commission such a strategy on our own accord in 2010, showing a clear commitment to promoting the language.”

But one of Llais Gwynedd’s most prominent members launched a fierce attack on the Plaid Cymru administration, accusing them of being too “self satisfied”.

“This document certainly responds to the requirements in ticking the boxes and says what’s expected of a council working in the most naturally Welsh speaking area in the world,” said Cllr Alwyn Gruffydd.

“But is easy to fall into self satisfaction, and that’s what we see on these pages.

“We need more than that, we need some passion and desire and a wish to get things done.”

He went on to say: “This council has adopted planning objectives that will undermined the language and decided to close youth clubs.

“We’re not very good at giving priority to our own language even when we have the power to do so.

“If we’re seriously in favour of the language, why are a third of pupils taking their GCSE exams in English? That isn’t acceptable.

“Welsh education is growing in parts of Wales but that doesn’t appear to be the case here.”

But this prompted a response from the council leader, who accused Cllr Gruffydd of speaking “pure rubbish” and being “negative towards everything”.

See this week’s north editions for the full story, in shops and online tomorrow