PUBLIC bodies in Ceredigion have been urged to ensure that all employees can speak Welsh to help increase the number of Welsh-speaking employees.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith has warned that figures show that the number of Welsh speaking staff at public sector bodies in Ceredigion has dropped since 2015, with questions being asked about Ceredigion County Council’s language strategy in particular.

The figures obtained by Cymdeithas show that only Aberystwyth University has seen an increase in the percentage of staff who speak Welsh with 23 per cent speaking Welsh in 2015, rising to 29 per cent in 2016.

Coleg Ceredigion maintained the same percentage with 41 per cent of staff speaking Welsh across 2015 and 2016.

However, the council saw a drop from 58 per cent of staff speaking Welsh in 2015 to 51 per cent in 2016.

Hywel Dda saw a reduction also from 29 per cent in 2015 to 27 per cent in 2016.

Dyfed-Powys Police saw a reduction from 53 per cent to 45 per cent.

In a letter to the council, Cymdeithas has insisted the authority’s language policy has gaps and looks to maintain what is happening, instead of building on it.

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