COUNCIL workers in Gwynedd will get an extra day’s holiday this year to celebrate St David’s Day.

Gwynedd Council’s cabinet has voted this afternoon to grant the extra day in a move that will cost the taxpayer £200,000.

In a letter to Gwynedd Council, Westminster refused to devolve power to Wales to decide its national holidays. Scotland and Northern Ireland have that power and celebrate their saints with a national holiday.

Cabinet members discussed the cost of covering the extra day’s holiday, and the fact that teachers cannot be included in the scheme, before voting to go ahead with the proposal put forward by Cllr Nia Jeffreys.

Speaking to cabinet about the proposal, and Westminster’s refusal to devolve power to Wales on this matter, she said: “It angers me that we can’t decide this for ourselves in Wales and it rubs salt in the wound that Westminster is giving us two extra days this year to celebrate the Queen.

“Some people will disagree with the costs but granting an extra day shows our appreciation for our staff.”

Cllr Jeffreys said an extra day for everyone in Wales could boost tourism, as the celebration of St Patrick’s Day does in Ireland and America.

Nine cabinet members voted to give staff the extra day this year, also authorising officers to investigate options to establish how the arrangement can become permanent by holding further discussions with recognised trade unions and continuing to lobby for the support of the Westminster Government to devolve the power to establish bank holidays to Wales.

One member abstained.

For more on this, see this week’s Arfon/Dwyfor and Meirionnydd editions of the Cambrian News, out on Thursday.