"No" to St David's Day holiday

Powys County Council will not support St David’s Day becoming a national holiday after hearing the move could cost the council up to £600,000.

Cabinet member James Evans told a full meeting of the council that creating the new Bank Holiday could cost the authority up to £600,000 per year to cover staff wages and other costs.

Plaid Cymru Councillor Elwyn Vaughan proposed that the council supported a cross-party call for the creation of a bank holiday to mark the importance of St David’s Day – which celebrates the patron saint of Wales.

Councillor Vaughan also proposed that in the meantime, the council should move to recognise the importance of the day by raising the flag of St David on its sites, together with the Welsh flag during the week of March 1, and the Glyndwr flag during the week including September 16.

The motion on St David’s Day becoming a Bank Holiday was defeated by 25 votes to 12, with one abstention.

Members were told the council currently flies flags at four of its sites including County Hall and the Gwalia in Llandrindod Wells, at Neuadd Brycheiniog in Brecon and at Neuadd Maldwyn in Welshpool.The councillors voted in favour of flying the flags at the four authority sites by 36 votes to one.