Language campaigners ‘let down by Welsh Government’s failure to commit to protection measures for Welsh-speaking communities’

Martin Shipton

Language campaigners fear the Welsh Government has no transformational plans to support threatened Welsh-speaking communities during its current term which ends in May 2026.

They say they are disillusioned despite First Minister Eluned Morgan’s commitment to respond to a landmark report during the Urdd National Eisteddfod in late May 2025.

The Welsh Government set up a Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities in 2022. It has 11 members, and is chaired by the academic Dr Simon Brooks.

In August 2024, at the National Eisteddfod, the Commission published its first report Empowering Communities, making 57 recommendations in several key policy areas.

The recommendations included:

Designating ‘areas of higher density linguistic significance’ to recognise communities where there is a high percentage of Welsh speakers, and to ensure greater consideration for Welsh in policy developments, the ability to vary policy, and to support the effective use of Welsh at community level. The Commission recommends two ways of designating these areas, namely that the Government designates areas where over 40% of the population speaks Welsh, and also gives local authorities the discretion to designate specific areas where appropriate;

Addressing the housing crisis within Welsh-speaking communities, advocating housing developments based on local needs and community-led housing initiatives. There is also a call to set up a low-interest loan fund or equity scheme to assist community groups to purchase land or property;

Supporting models of community development that promote community initiatives and shared ownership; and

Developing language planning strategies for communities facing a language shift.

The other recommendations address issues affecting Welsh language communities, including community development, workplaces, the economy, education and equality.

Rally

On Saturday, March 29, Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, the Welsh Language Society will be holding a rally in Nefyn, Gwynedd, aimed at adding to the pressure on the Welsh Government to take urgent and serious action on the important recommendations of the Commission.

Osian Jones, of Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s Nid yw Cymru ar Werth (Wales is Not For Sale) campaign, said: “The Commission published its report and recommendations seven months ago, but there has been no response from the Government so far, and there is only a year left to act before the end of the current Senedd term. Even the very limited investment in the Arfor project [aimed at stimulating economic development in Welsh-speaking areas] ends this month, and it is clear that the government has no understanding of the crisis facing our Welsh-speaking communities.”

One of the speakers at the rally will be the poet Ieuan Wyn from Dyffryn Ogwen. He will tell the hundreds expected to gather:”With our language in the worst crisis in its history, it is essential that the Welsh Government sets out urgently to implement the recommendations of the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities. We also need to act at community level; a number of town and community councils have already taken the lead by designating themselves as Areas of Higher Density Linguistic Significance and are calling for measures for them to be protected and strengthened. It’s time for the government to follow where our communities have led the way.”

Funding

Cymdeithas yr Iaith says it has also noted that the Welsh Government has earmarked no funding in its 2025-26 Budget to implement the recommendations of the Commission.

Veteran campaigner Ffred Ffransis said: “They appear oblivious to the crisis facing Welsh-speaking rural communities. Mark Drakeford currently holds the portfolio for the Welsh language in Cabinet and he is retiring next year.

“At least the increasing pressure on this issue has resulted in the Government now giving a firm date for a response – at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Margam Park at the end of May this year. However Eluned Morgan pointedly refused to commit to implementing recommendations during the term of this Senedd.

In fact, she merely reported that a number of conventional Welsh language schemes would receive financial backing this coming year. However no finance has been earmarked for the sort of socio-economic transformational changes envisaged by the Welsh-speaking Communities Commission.

“The Arfor Scheme of economic development to promote the language in its strongholds was part of the-Labour-Plaid Cooperation agreement and came into effect in 2022. The second phase Arfor2 had £11m of finance, and that has now come to an end, and local authorities in the west say that they are now in limbo. Our contention is that we still believe, following the First Minister’s reply, that the government has no intention whatsoever of adopting any radical policies in housing or the economy to revitalise our Welsh-speaking communities , and that they intend to do as little as possible before the next election.”

Welsh speakers

Plaid Cymru MS Cefin Campbell raised the issue during First Minister’s Questions. His home county of Carmarthenshire has seen its percentage of Welsh speakers fall from 50.3% in 2001, to 43.9% in 2011,and to 39.9% in 2021.

Mr. Campbell said: “[The Commission’s report] is an extremely valuable piece of research and reflection by experts in the field, which sets clear recommendations for the government to enact, including in education, housing, country and town planning and economic development in order to prevent the further deterioration of our Welsh-speaking communities and secure their recovery.

“There are only 14 months left until the next Senedd election. Time is running out to act and the clock is ticking for our Welsh-speaking communities.”

The Welsh Government would only say: “We will publish our response to the Commission report and recommendations at the Urdd National Eisteddfod in May.”