OVER £300,000 will be spent promoting Gaelic in Perth and Kinross.
The council has unveiled its first Gaelic Language Plan (GLP) following extensive consultation with local communities.
The area currently has around 1,700 speakers of the language but, under central government directions, wants to boost the number of people using the tongue.
The council is obliged by statute to design a local GLP so, while it still has to be approved by the council tomorrow, it is likely to be given the green light.
The £330,000 plan includes a raft of “high level commitments” to enhance the language locally.
The council admits there are a low number of Gaelic speakers, but says the GLP is “proportionate”.
A paper has been prepared on the matter by education and children’s services, which councillors will consider tomorrow.
It reads: “This is a whole-council responsibility with expectations of high-level commitments to be monitored and approved by the Scottish Government.
“Expectations are outlined within the letter of notification and include developing targets in such areas as bilingual signage, communications, and increasing the number of Gaelic speakers through developing Gaelic education at all levels.
“Given the low numbers of Gaelic speakers in the Perth and Kinross Council area, the plan has been developed proportionately whilst still considering the outcomes of the National Plan for Gaelic.
“Emphasising areas for improvement in current Gaelic-related activity, using existing capacity and developing partnerships with 3rd sector voluntary organisations are examples of these measures.”
Turning to financing the GLP, the paper states: “The plan has been designed with limited impact on resources, utilising existing capacity where possible, and emphasising development within current Gaelic-related activity.
“Perth and Kinross Council receive an annual specific grant of £115,000 to support development within Gaelic Education.
“Additional grant funding may also be made available to support the development of a Gaelic Language Plan under the Brd na Gidhlig Gaelic Language Act Implementation Fund, Communities Fund and Early Years fund. £39,000 has already been committed to Perth and Kinross Council from Brd na Gidhlig in 2012-13.
“In addition to the above, Perth and Kinross Council commit funding of £178,857 towards Gaelic Teaching and activities.”
Among specific actions mooted are providing translations of council documents and marketing materials, re-establishing the Perthshire Gaelic Community Forum and establishing youth groups.
A “comprehensive review” of Gaelic education in Perth and Kinross will be carried out. Awareness will be raised at secondary school level and the document aims to raise both Gaelic adult learning and medium education by 15% per year.
The GLP also contains a “Principle of Equal Respect” to ensure that “Gaelic does not suffer from any of lack of respect either at an individual or a corporate level and that Gaelic speakers are not the subject of any disrespectful actions or comments from the council.”
arichardson@thecourier.co.uk