The well-known head of a Welsh language initiative has urged councillors to allow them to break off from “unsustainable” Gwynedd Council control and to forge their own path.

Tuesday saw Gwynedd Council’s Cabinet unanimously back the setting up of a task force to consider the future of Hunaniaith – Gwynedd’s “menter iaith” – and how it can best reach its potential over the coming years.

But while the task force will consider several options including continuing under the wing of Gwynedd Council or the local authority establishing Hunaniaith as an ‘at arm’s length’ company, the chair of its strategic group was unequivocal in his belief that cutting all formal ties is needed.

Dafydd Iwan, a former Gwynedd councillor and well-known Welsh language campaigner and folk singer, told cabinet members that the current situation was “not sustainable in its present form” and “not achieving what it was set out to do”.

He added: “I feel that the option of setting up of an arm’s length company would fall between two stools and would instead favour an independent company limited by guarantee.

“I understand that there would be implications in terms of staffing and funding and these current times aren’t the best, but on behalf of the group I strongly recommend we proceed.

“This would lessen the financial burden on the council by becoming more self-sustaining and adding to the funding received by the government via its own means, creating a very different animal to the current form.

“This is wholly needed if we are to reach out to communities and strengthen the language throughout the county, I don’t think we have another choice.”

Mr Iwan added the need to build on the work of already established groups such as ‘papurau bro’ (Welsh language community newspapers) and other community initiatives to help push the county’s linguistic boundaries.

Cllr Craig ab Iago acknowledged that “90% of Gwynedd residents had never heard of Hunaniaith,” but backed Mr Iwan’s calls with hopes that any structural changes would only build on the work achieved so far.

Cllr Gareth Thomas pointed out that a revamped Hunaniaith, outside of the authority’s sphere, would likely be in a better position to secure outside funding avenues.

Hunaniaith is presently located as a service within Gwynedd Council’s structures but is the only menter iaith in the country which is managed in such a way – mainly funded by the Welsh Government and the authority.

As part of their work, Hunaniaith officers are responsible for a wide range of initiatives to promote and increase the use of the language, including working with a number of local organisations and groups as well as freelancers on various projects for families, children and young people.

But while five members of staff were once employed, since 2015 and with a reduction in the grant received from Welsh Government – from £224,362 in 2015-16 to £166,890 in 2020-21 – the direct staffing under the grant is now equivalent to 3.5 full-time members of staff.

With the report unanimously approved by Gwynedd’s cabinet, the task force will now be tasked with considering the pros and cons of options including maintaining the status quo, changing its status to an at arms-length unit or establishing it as an independent legal entity.

Its findings are expected to be presented in due course.