Calls for action after steep decline in Welsh speakers revealed
Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter
New figures have revealed one of the sharpest declines in Welsh language use recorded in Wales over the last 30 years.
In Ystradgynlais, the proportion of Welsh speakers has fallen from 61% in 1991 to 34% in 2021, according to data presented to Powys County Council.
The figures were included in the council’s Welsh language standards report for 2025/26, which was discussed by the Liberal Democrat-Labour cabinet on Tuesday.
The findings form part of a wider study into the state of the Welsh language across Powys, with council officers analysing census data to identify long-term trends.
The report found that the decline has accelerated in recent years.
It states: “This analysis highlighted a significant shift in the Ystradgynlais area, where the proportion of Welsh speakers has declined by 10 percentage points since 2011, with some wards, such as Ynyscedwyn, recording an 11-point decrease.
“When viewed over a longer period, the decline is more pronounced.
“The proportion of Welsh speakers in the Ystradgynlais area has fallen from 61 per cent in 1991 to 34 per cent in 2021, representing one of the largest declines recorded in Wales over that 30-year period.”
Cabinet member for the Welsh language, Cllr Sandra Davies, said the figures were disappointing.
“Unfortunately we have had a decline of Welsh speakers in some areas and I’m sad to say we have seen a significant drop in Ystradgynlais,” she said.
“There is a new linguistic mapping study planned to understand and address this, so there is work going on to try and resolve these problems.”
Despite the decline, Cllr Davies said the council was largely complying with Welsh language standards.
She said the authority needed to improve consistency, coordination and organisational systems, while placing a greater focus on embedding Welsh in service delivery and decision-making.
“Our general compliance is strong, but inconsistency remains in some areas,” she said.
Welsh-medium education
Cabinet member for education, Cllr James Gibson-Watt, pointed to efforts to expand Welsh-medium education across the county.
“It’s worth noting the work being done by the administration to expand Welsh-medium education,” he said.
“We have made more significant progress in the last few years than in decades.
“And the development we’ve made will expand the proportion of the population that can speak Welsh and create a more bilingual county.
“That needs to be acknowledged.”
Cabinet member for a more prosperous Powys, Cllr Glyn Preston, also said he would endeavour to use more Welsh during council meetings.
The report was approved by cabinet and is expected to be published on the council’s website by the end of the month.
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I don’t believe it!!! Nonsense!! Who conducts these surveys? No one ever stops me in the street to ask me if I speak Cymraeg. No one ever sends me a questionaire by post or email. It’s all propaganda spread by the establishment who would truly love to see the demise of the language, the Cymry and Cymru. I hear more Cymraeg being spoken now than ever before.
An anonymous language hater has just down marked me but no reply comment.
Sad to see local people choosing to let the language decline.
One of the things that has frustrated me down the years has been the lack of urgency in the Welsh establishment over the continued decline of the language in our country despite the growth in Welsh Language education. I sometimes feel that the theory goes that as more people learn the language, it will eventually be saved. But that ignores the social factors that militate against its use in everyday life. It takes a considerable degree of wilful neglect for the number of Welsh speakers in a stronghold like Ystradgynlais to halve in two decades. This is a cause for… Read more »
I think the high numbers of English speaking incomers is diluting the figures. If the population of a town or village is, say, 2000 people and 50% of them are Welsh speakers and then 100 English incomers move to that town or village the percentage of Welsh speakers changes but there are still the same amount of Welsh speakers. I have never been a fan of percentages.
Possibly. I had assumed Ystradgynlais did not have a lot of inward migration. And if so would these be from England, fairly local non-Welsh speakers from, say Swansea, or from further afield. We need more information.
Perhaps my experience is unique to me but what helped me transition from being a learner to fluent speaker was the ability to include Cymraeg as a part of my day to day life. It’s great that there are social hubs that are learner friendly, but valuable as they are in providing a safe venue to gain valuable practice and experience, they are not the same as being able to use Cymraeg when doing shopping, or just conversing with locals. Being able to use Cymraeg as part of my daily life as a learner boosted my confidence and helped me… Read more »
You write as if the people of Ystradgynlais had no agency. It is their choice to let the language decline, so if there is anger, perhaps some of it should be directed at them.
Mae’r peth yn syml. Stopiwch godi tai i wladychwyr o dros y clawdd. Mae hyn yn creu newid cymdeithasol enfawr yn ein cymunedau ac yn rhoi pwysau cymdeithasol anrhaethol ar i bobl gydymffurfio efo’r diwylliant angloffon.
Is this really an issue in Ystradgynlais? It’s not exactly Abersoch.
Make all schools bi-lingual.
The legalised ethnic cleansing will continue.
It’s time for WG to put their big girl pants on and deal with this issue.
Perhaps introduce work place Welsh as a qualification required in as many companies and organisations as possible.
Yes, Rhun ap Iorwerth should put on some big girls pants.
Did I miss the bit about WHY? Never have we had more of a sense of ownership and interest and respect in our Welsh heritage and especially by those once denied it. Odd.