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Tory council moves to keep street signs English-only after report cites ‘safety benefits’

01 Jan 2022 2 minute read
Monmouthshire County Council offices. Photo by Jaggery, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

A Tory council has moved to keep street signs English-only after a report cited “safety benefits” to doing so.

The Monmouthshire County Council report, which recommends that this be the case for replacement or additional signs on existing streets, uses a hypothetical example of a Welsh speaker calling emergency services to justify the policy.

It suggests a Welsh place name could lead to a dangerous delay if it does not officially exist in the National Land and Property Gazetteer, which is used by the emergency services

The report claims that keeping English-only signs “will reduce the chances of confusion”.

The move reverses the council’s previous policy, which was to add a Welsh translation to a nameplate to comply with its Welsh Language Scheme.

The report, which follows updated advice from the Welsh Language Commission, was submitted to Tory councillor Jane Pratt, who is the cabinet member for infrastructure and neighbourhood services.

The report says: “The negative impact of reducing potential use of the Welsh language by translating existing street names is offset by the safety benefits for emergency services.

“This proposal aims to standardise the provision of street nameplates in line with recommendations by the Welsh Language Commissioner. It will reduce the chances of confusion around road names, particularly where the Welsh version is significantly different to the English. This will particularly benefit groups such as those with learning disabilities, dementia and visual impairment.”

The report adds the monolingual language policy relates only to existing named streets, and that streets on new developments will be bilingual or in Welsh only.


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Gill Jones
Gill Jones
2 years ago

Amser i chwilio yn gefn y sied am y pot paent gwyrdd, unwaith eto!

Neil Jones
Neil Jones
2 years ago
Reply to  Gill Jones

Cytuno yn llwyr! Nes i ffeindo bod spray paint o Halfords yn well 😀

Neil Jones
Neil Jones
2 years ago
Reply to  Neil Jones

Pump punt y tun

Arwyn
Arwyn
2 years ago

That old myth again. Dressing up prejudice with a veneer of confected logic and an unfounded basis as the substrate.

Grayham Jones
2 years ago

Welsh is the first language in wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 kick all English party’s out of wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 stop being little Englanders and be proud to be welsh it’s time for a new wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Richard
Richard
2 years ago
Reply to  Grayham Jones

I think we’re all looking forward to a new 2022 script Grayham – as our senior and most loyal correspondent you need to lead 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 into a brave new world 🌎 . I’r Gad !

Barry Pandy
Barry Pandy
2 years ago
Reply to  Grayham Jones

South Pembs WAS a Welsh speaking area at one time – this is why you have Welsh place names (or names derived from Welsh) such as Pwllchrochan, Rhoscrowther, Pennar, Llandstadwell, Pennally, Llangwm – all in the so-called ‘Little England beyond Wales’ bit. Just look at a map for more.

Furthermore, the Welsh name for Pembrokeshire – Penfro – is derived from the Welsh name for one of the Cantref of the pre-Norman Welsh kingdom of Dyfed and is NOT (as some people believe) a Welsh corruption Pembrokeshire.

Drew
Drew
2 years ago
Reply to  Grayham Jones

Correction, it was Welsh speaking before the Flemish and Normans arrived. Know the history and you’ll understand more. Don’t be so stupid because England (Angleland) was Celtic/ Gymraeg before taken over by English Saxons.

Richard
Richard
2 years ago
Reply to  Drew

Cornwall: Kernow offers us two lessons – 1. What will happen if the organs of Gvt work against your language through a mixture of hostility and disinterest….running it down in church and public. 2. What can happen even after it’s reported’ death ‘ a Celtic people can do working together to use folk memory, fragments of literature and sheer determination to achieve open recognition and display of civic bilingualism as those of us who work and visit them rejoice to see. In Wales – southern Pembroke,and areas such as Maelor Saeneg running down the Cheshire and Salop border see. Things… Read more »

Dewi Jones
Dewi Jones
2 years ago
Reply to  Grayham Jones

Approximately 40% and increasing every year due to the growth in the number of pupils educated in Welsh medium schools and the place of the Welsh language in our national curriculum. A blingual nation, something to be proud of.

Penderyn
Penderyn
2 years ago
Reply to  Grayham Jones

Welsh is the native language of Wales
It’s not hard to understand.
Its not the native language of Indonesia

Kim Jung Drakeford
Kim Jung Drakeford
2 years ago
Reply to  Grayham Jones

Kicking someone out of a country based on their nationality could be perceived as racist Graham

Barry Pandy
Barry Pandy
2 years ago

Unless of course it is done by extreme right-wing English Nationalists in the name of ‘Ingerland’, ‘Brexit’ and ‘taking back control’ (rather ironic that Bojo the Clown seems to have less control of our borders now that we are out of the EU).

The very fact that you have chosen the pseudonym ‘Kim Jung Drakeford’ speaks volumes about yourself and your political view so don’t lecture us about nationalism and racism. May I suggest a better pseudonym more fitting for your extreme right-wing views such as ‘Generalissimo Franco’, ‘Mussolini’ or perhaps ‘Voldemort’.

Wrexhamian
Wrexhamian
2 years ago

He was advocating (somewhat unrealistically) the winding up of unionist political parties in Cymru, not the removal of their members, many of whom are Welsh.

Paul
Paul
2 years ago
Reply to  Grayham Jones

Dai the Milk, lol good name by the way. Firstly I was born in Wales, in Brecon in fact. No I dont fluently speak Welsh but can get by. You are on a hiding to nothing here I’m afraid as the only people going to comment will be your so called nationalists happy to spend english tax payers money. The reason I say hiding to nothing was that I once commented on some similar to you and that most people who could speak Welsh could also speak english. I also said that the money wasted on welsh signs and bills… Read more »

Marc
Marc
2 years ago

Download what3words the emergency services use it

Last edited 2 years ago by Marc
Morris Dean
Morris Dean
2 years ago
Reply to  Marc

Trap us in a world defined by private, for-profit companies, and watch them ratchet up the prices when we’re all hooked

Richard
Richard
2 years ago

It is decades since Sir Roderic Bowen’s report on Bilingual signs , public safety etc put to bed the arguments of those who used this to try to stop equal treatment for each of our National languages, years later when I chaired the public sector committee of the Welsh Language Board. ( As the only elected member on that body) I was dispatched to see Council leaders in the then Gwent and Newport Borough Councils…..who our late CEO thought might be somewhat resistant to embracing Language Schemes. Being a County and Borough member…though not of their party ……..I knew the… Read more »

Gareth
Gareth
2 years ago

I hope to goodness that nobody from Monmouthshire has an accident in Stuttgarter strasse in Cardiff, it could end up very nasty.

Wrexhamian
Wrexhamian
2 years ago
Reply to  Gareth

Massive pile-up predicted on the Boulevard de Nantes.

Last edited 2 years ago by Wrexhamian
Crwtyn Cemais
Crwtyn Cemais
2 years ago
Reply to  Wrexhamian

Heb son am Stuttgarter strasse yng Nghaerdydd ~ Not to mention the next street along from Cardiff’s Boulevard de Nantes : Stuttgarter Strasse (cue spluttering Tory councillors in Monmouth…)

Bruce
Bruce
2 years ago
Reply to  Gareth

With all due respect, that’s a specious argument. Since Stuttgarter Strasse doesn’t have a Welsh translation on the signage there isn’t opportunity for confusion.

Rhosddu
Rhosddu
2 years ago
Reply to  Bruce

No-one’s advocating one, but Stryd Stutttgart would do (although Ffordd Stuttgart sounds better).

Last edited 2 years ago by Rhosddu
Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
2 years ago

How much is green paint by the gallon these days?

Gill Jones
Gill Jones
2 years ago
Reply to  Kerry Davies

I still have a supply in the garden shed though it might need a vigorous stirring after all these years!

Keith Gogarth
Keith Gogarth
2 years ago

Typical 5th columnists

J Davies
J Davies
2 years ago

Tories. Ever the champions of Victorian attitudes. It’s time to kick these anchronistic Little Englanders out of Cymru.

Stephen Owen
Stephen Owen
2 years ago

Any excuse not to use the Welsh language by the Tory anti-Welsh party

Gareth Wyn Jones
Gareth Wyn Jones
2 years ago

This is abuse, real abuse

Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
2 years ago

Good try by the Tories but it really is too late. The future for Wales is set – independence.Once achieved hopefully the Welsh language will mandatory across Wales – regardless what local councils decree. It our language it is here to stay, permanently.

John McDougall
John McDougall
2 years ago

Absolute nonsense! The truth is they simply do not want to use Welsh names because they are anti-Welsh little Englanders!

Stephen Owen
Stephen Owen
2 years ago
Reply to  John McDougall

Very true

Ed Jones
Ed Jones
2 years ago

Time to paint…

Quornby
Quornby
2 years ago

Scum like this stole the language from me and my family.

Hannergylch
Hannergylch
2 years ago

Who would you rather believe: an ideology-driven councillor or the folks who deliver letters to those addresses every day? Here’s the latter’s advice to their users:— “…Royal Mail’s operational systems have been developed so that they can read the address in both Welsh and English and route, sort and sequence the mail in the same way, irrespective of which language is used on the envelope. This allows citizens and organisations to choose which language they want to use when ordering goods and services, safe in the knowledge they will be delivered safely and swiftly. … So, if you’re sending marketing… Read more »

Dafydd B
Dafydd B
2 years ago
Reply to  Hannergylch

Ifit is not on the Officisl gazeteer it will not be recognised

Jac
Jac
2 years ago

Isn’t this illegal under the Welsh Language Act 1967 and subsequent Welsh Language Acts?

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
2 years ago

I’ve never heard so much rubbish in my life.. Firstly, Monmouth Council mentions confusion if Welsh were added to English road signage. Excuse me. We are in Wales by the way. And Wales is a bilingual nation. I suggest Monmouthshire Council and their Tory Anglophiles should invest more in Welsh medium schools rather than trying to eradicate the Welsh language & culture from their county. Also, they used a hypothetical example of someone phoning the emergency services in Welsh to condone their actions, lol.. Are they being serious, or has the 1st of April celebrations been moved forward to mark… Read more »

Last edited 2 years ago by Y Cymro
stub Mandrel
2 years ago

Tory Council… do we need to read further?

Gareth
Gareth
2 years ago

I find it strange that we have not heard of lots of accidents in places such as LLantrisant, Llangybi, Ponthir all places in Monmouthshire that have Welsh place names. If the language confused people that much, they would have changed the names years ago into English.

Gaynor Jones
Gaynor Jones
2 years ago

The mass deaths of innocent road users within the county of Monmouthshire has always been a stain on our country. Surely their road casualty stats are far worse than those of Afghanistan and the DRC …due to mutations and a double d…… !!!!

Rhosddu
Rhosddu
2 years ago

If the excuses used in this localised instance of Tory anti-Welsh language policy weren’t so bigoted and offensive, I would find it comical.

Peter Cuthbert
Peter Cuthbert
2 years ago
Reply to  Rhosddu

Some amusing posts folks. Thanks for that. I think the Tory Council really ought to talk to their Tourist folks as there is a realy good Tourist Trail possibility from all this. I am hoping one of these days to do it for Aberystwyth where we have had bilingual signs for ages. What I find amusing is that some of the Welsh and English names are so different in their meaning. I think some digging for the historical reasons would be interesting. The other point of amusement is where I think possibly an English name has been ‘Welshified’. Sometimes translating… Read more »

Erisian
Erisian
2 years ago

Why doesn’t the Conservative and Unionist junta just lay it’s cards on the table, admit they despise everything and everyone that isn’t English and express their true, racist, anti-devolution policies their Mani(ac)festo.
Oh wait… no, that would involve telling the truth.

Barry Pandy
Barry Pandy
2 years ago

In Switzerland they have four official languages (German, French, Italian and Romansch).

With such a confusing array of languages they must have the highest traffic accident rate in Europe.

Stephen Owen
Stephen Owen
2 years ago
Reply to  Barry Pandy

Singapore has four official languages too. I live in India where we have road signs in many languages

Penderyn
Penderyn
2 years ago

Cymru is deeply colonised

Neil Jones
Neil Jones
2 years ago

Beth yw Cyngor Caerdydd yn mynd i’w neud am Boulevard De Nantes 🤔

Rhosddu
Rhosddu
2 years ago
Reply to  Neil Jones

Rhodfa Naoned, efallai?

Kim Jung Drakeford
Kim Jung Drakeford
2 years ago

From the comments it’s clear that most of you racist angry Welsh xenophobes didn’t understand the article and just jumped into defensive mode, little brother syndrome. Grow up the lot of you.

Barry Pandy
Barry Pandy
2 years ago

Whilst I understand that people may want to use a pseudonym when posting on this (or any other) platform, the very fact that you use the name ‘Kim Jung Drakeford’ says everything we need to know about you. Do you honestly think that the left-of-centre government of Wales can be equated with the totalitarian government of North Korea? If you do then that shows you up for what you are – a right-wing extremist who thinks that anything to the left of Thatcher is Marxist. Come to think of it you probably think of Thatcher as rather too liberal. Grow… Read more »

Wrexhamian
Wrexhamian
2 years ago

Nice try (again), but the “xenophobe” ploy just won’t wash. Have you nothing constructive to contribute to this, or any other, debate?

Only Jane
Only Jane
2 years ago

Sorry this link is long, but here is a list of street names in Monmouth. The Welsh street names are few and far between and also I think are easy to pronounce and understand. Mae’n ddrwg gennym fod y ddolen hon yn hir, ond dyma restr o enwau strydoedd yn Nhrefynwy. Prin iawn yw’r enwau strydoedd Cymraeg a hefyd credaf eu bod yn hawdd eu ynganu a’u deall. Agincourt Road Agincourt Square Agincourt Street Almshouse Street Ancrehill Lane Ash Lane Auden Close Beaufort Road Beaufort Road Beech Road Berryfield Close Berryfield Park Berryfield Rise Bigham Close Blake Street Blestium Street… Read more »

Peter Cuthbert
Peter Cuthbert
2 years ago
Reply to  Only Jane

Well done! As a non Welsh speaker I would agree. Who could not cope with Clos Wonastow or Clos Wyatt?

Yantoo
Yantoo
2 years ago

Good, Welsh is not the first language of Wales

Yantoo
Yantoo
2 years ago

Nothing but nasty racists in the comment section here. Probably I bit thick too.

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