St David’s Day isn’t currently a bank holiday for much of the country, despite widespread support for it to become one.

However, one part of the country will be celebrating Dydd Gwyl Dewi with a day off today.

Gwynedd Council has decided to make March 1 a public holiday.

Councillor Nia Jeffreys, head of Gwynedd Council’s corporate affairs, said: “This is an important message.

 

“It is a national disgrace that in Wales we cannot choose and identify our own significant events, be they culturally, linguistically or of importance to our heritage.

“Westminster refuses to devolve the power to the Welsh Government to decide on this fundamental right.

“We are seeking the same powers as Scotland and Northern Ireland to choose our own bank holidays and give proper status to our nationally significant events.”

St Andrew’s Day has been a public holiday in Scotland since the passing of the St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007, although remaining at the discretion of employers, with St Patrick’s Day also a designated public holiday on the island of Ireland.

Successive UK governments have so far failed to grant Wales similar powers to the other Celtic nations, requiring amendments to the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971.

This is despite the then National Assembly voting unanimously in favour of a St David’s Day Bank Holiday in 2000.

So why won’t the UK Government allow a St David’s Day bank holiday?

Responding to Gwynedd council’s initial request for a bank holiday on March 1 in December, small business minister Paul Scully said: “While we appreciate that the people of Wales want to celebrate their patron saint, more people work across the English/Welsh border than across the English/Scottish Border.

“This closer degree of integration could cause greater business disruption. If we had separate bank holidays in England and Wales, the impact on both employees and businesses is difficult to predict.”