IT could translate as penn gocki or, perhaps, gocki bras. Complete plonker. That’s what the leader of Cornwall Council has called a Reform UK councillor following his comments about the Cornish lanAt a council meeting earlier this month, Reform councillor for St Cleer and Menheniot Sean Smith questioned whether the local authority’s Cornish Language Strategy for the next ten years reflected the priorities of the wider population rather than “the relatively small group of committed language advocates”.

The strategy sets out the direction and priorities for the next phase of the revival of Kernewek, the Cornish language. It comes after the recognition by the Government last year of Cornish under Part III of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, putting it on a legal par with Welsh, Irish and Scots Gaelic.

Cllr Smith asked whether there was a public benefit to the strategy and whether continued investment represents an “appropriate use of council funds”. The language strategy receives annual funding of £170,000, which helps pay for two council officers, expansion of Kernewek’s presence in everyday life, focus on learning and establishing the first bilingual Cornish school.

“Can the officers provide evidence demonstrating that the outcomes achieved through the previous 2015 to 2025 strategy justifies continued public investment at a time when Cornwall faces significant pressure in housing, adult social care, children’s services and also economic inequality?” asked Cllr Smith.

“The strategy acknowledges that there are approximately 500 people with advanced proficiency in Cornish and sets ambitious objectives including establishing a bilingual Cornish language school. Can the officers provide evidence that there is sufficient public demand across Cornwall to justify that ambition?”

He was told that the £170,000 funding comes from the Government’s devolution settlement and not from Cornwall’s taxpayers.

At a Speak Cornish Week celebration at Lys Kernow (even County Hall is known by its Cornish name these days) on Thursday, Cornwall Council’s Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Leigh Frost didn’t pull any punches about Cllr Smith’s comments.

Asked what he would say to Cllr Smith’s questioning of the language programme, Cllr Frost replied: “I would say he’s a complete plonker. I believe the Cornish language is massively important as part of our culture and our heritage. It’s massively important to our national minority status. It’s a part of who we are – don’t deny your own history.”

Surrounded by children from primary school pupils from across Cornwall who were singing in Cornish, the council’s lead officer for culture Mark Trevethan, said: “One of the councillors was asking questions about use of public money and the benefits of why Cornwall Council actively supports a Cornish language programme.

“For us, that’s twofold – one is that Cornish is a protected language, protected by the UK Government having signed up to national agreements and Cornwall Council is the institution for Cornwall that picks that up. We feel that the UK Government should more actively support that with more funding as well.

“For Cornwall itself, it’s such an important part of our heritage, our landscape and our sense of identity. It’s a great way of connecting all sorts of things and is valuable for Cornwall in all sorts of ways.”

Mr Trevethan – a Cornish speaker himself – added: “It’s a small amount of money relatively speaking and we use that to help partner organisations.

If you look at other parts of the UK – Wales, Scotland, Isle of Man, Jersey – they’re investing in their language. They see it as something to be really proud of and something useful as part of their identity and soft power. We’re lucky to have the language and ought to be investing in it.”

The event at Lys Kernow included the launch of the new Go Cornish schools’ language programme sampler pack, presentation of Go Cornish awards to successful schools and performances from pupils sharing songs, rhymes and stories in Kernewek.

Thirty schools from Launceston to Penwith are currently taking part in the Cornish language project. The council headquarters in Truro were transformed into a lively gallery space, featuring Cornish language artwork created by local schools, with Kernewek at the heart of every piece.

One of those working with the children was Sarah Buck, Cornish language officer at Cornwall Council, who is currently enjoying a starring role in the new Learn Cornish, Dyski Kernewek BBC podcast.

She said of the schools event: “This is so important because these children have been studying all year to come to this ceremony to celebrate their progress and success with the Cornish language.

“Isn’t it fantastic that they can link back to their heritage, their history and revive our language, and hear it all around them with other children speaking the language?”

Why is the Cornish language important to Sarah herself?

“For me, it’s a connection with place – we see it on our signs and our place names. You carry your culture in your language and it’s about connecting back to our history and our culture.”

Commenting on the podcast, she added: “It’s been so well received. It’s been such a pleasure to work with [BBC Radio 1’s] Danni Diston, who is originally from Bude but now lives in London. She’s such a good advocate for Cornwall.

“I’ve been so surprised by how many people have listened to the podcast. I’ve passed people on the street who are now saying ‘dydh da’, ‘splann’ and ‘meur ras’. It’s fantastic how that little podcast has had such a big impact on Cornwall.”

Cllr Frost said: “This is massively important because this year we secured Part III status for Kernewek – that puts us on par with our other Celtic languages in the United Kingdom.

“We want the Cornish language to thrive in Cornwall – we want kids to know where their past is and build it into their future. Wales did it a few decades ago, now look at what’s happened with the Welsh language. The Cornish language deserves that same opportunity.”

Head to the Speak Cornish and Learn Cornish websites for more information.