Campaigners urge Senedd candidates to commit to bold action to halt Welsh language decline

Language campaigners have set out a series of demands for the next Senedd term, calling for urgent measures to reverse the long-term decline in Welsh-speaking communities and secure the future of the language.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith outlined its core priorities at a briefing in the Senedd on Wednesday (14 January).

The session, attended by MSs from across the political spectrum, was sponsored by Plaid Cymru’s Welsh language spokesperson Heledd Fychan MS.

The group warned that whoever forms the next Welsh Government after May’s Senedd election must act decisively if the language is to thrive as a community language rather than exist only in schools and institutions.

Among its headline proposals is a call for a new Property Act, intended to tackle what the organisation describes as a crisis in Welsh-speaking communities impacted by unaffordable housing and demographic change.

Cymdeithas argues such legislation could codify a legal right to adequate housing, with powers to shape local property markets so that young people and families are able to buy homes in the communities where they were raised.

The group also used the briefing to push for action across a wide range of policy areas that influence how and where people live, work and use Welsh daily.

Recommendations include a significant expansion of Welsh-medium education provision, stronger legal rights for residents to use Welsh in both public and private-sector services, and reinforced expectations on health, care and media organisations to operate bilingually.

Cymdeithas said progress in areas such as education has not translated into sustained community language strength, warning that without systemic reform, the numbers of everyday Welsh speakers will continue to fall.

The group’s vice-chair of campaigns told MSs that action rather than rhetoric must define the next parliamentary term.

“There has been a political consensus for years now that the Welsh language belongs to everyone, but the decline continues due to a lack of adequate action,” she said.

“Our Actions Speak Louder than Words document sets out a clear path for the Seventh Senedd — practical, measurable and courageous policies to ensure a future for the Welsh language as a living community language. The onus is now on the Members of the Senedd to act, not to be satisfied with words alone.”