Plan to halt Welsh decline in language's heartlands

Welsh-speaking communities will receive more support after calls for a "radical shift" to stop the language's decline.

Under Welsh government plans, there will be better access to education in Welsh and more guidance on the language across a range of areas, including housing, the economy, community development and education.

The support will be targeted in heartland areas with more than 40% of Welsh speakers, in counties such as Anglesey, Gwynedd, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.

Welsh Language Secretary Mark Drakeford said the government would use planning powers to "re-balance the board" between second home owners and those who wish to buy their first home in those communities.

Gwynedd has an estimated 93,600 Welsh speakers and Carmarthenshire has 93,300, according to the Welsh government's annual survey.

Plans come after the recommendations of a Welsh government commission in 2022 to halt the decline of Welsh speakers and its report made 60 suggestions to support the language in its traditional "heartlands".

Speaking at the Urdd Eisteddfod at Margam Park on Thursday, Drakeford said there was more to be done to draw lines on a map but work will focus on identifying and adapting areas where Welsh language was a "part of everyday life".

It will make sure Welsh language speakers who want to stay and live in those communities are able to do so, he said, which will be achieved by supporting housing and education.

Planning powers will help make sure those who use Welsh in everyday life are provided a house to live in and are "not deprived out of the area" Drakeford added.

Drakeford said defining who can live in these places to support the Welsh language has not been done before.

The report suggests a mathematical approach, he added, meaning communities where more than 40% of residents are Welsh speakers would be targeted.

However, Drakeford recognised Welsh language is more than numbers, and said he would work with closely with organisations within those communities outside of the line.

Drakeford admitted there is more work required to get a sense of how the report works in practice, but he said some of the recommendations would be implemented before the Senedd election in May 2026.

"We're working to identify particular areas of the north west and to try out some of these efforts and ideas, which I'm hoping to identify this side of election," he added.

Earlier this year, Welsh government statistics indicated the percentage of people able to speak Welsh was the lowest recorded for more than eight years, causing some to question the target of creating one million Welsh speakers by 2050.

Welsh learner Sean Haggerty, 56, moved to Carmarthenshire from Pontypool so his daughter becomes a Welsh speaker.

He said the plan was a "brilliant idea" and while Welsh was spoken in his community near Llandeilo, he said it was not spoken as much as he had hoped.

He described the proposed support for first-time buyers as "crucial" adding while there needed to be a balance which goes hand in hand with tourism, he believed it sometimes went too far.

"The local communities lose out, they can't afford the housing, the schools close down and the culture gets eroded. I think it reaches a tipping point then and it's hard to come back.

"I think to pre-empt that and get in before it starts to crumble is a key point to me," he added.

19-year-old Ifan Meredydd, from Lampeter, Ceredigion, was at the announcement at the Urdd Eisteddfod with Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

He asked Drakeford what the Welsh government was doing to encourage more people to study further education in the medium of Welsh.

Ifan said he had to study some subjects through the medium of English and with Welsh language being his first language, resources for learning in Welsh should be made better available.

He said he was "disturbed" to see the number of Welsh language speakers fall in light of the 2050 target, and welcomed housing for young people who can keep Welshness "alive" in communities.

Ifan added there were still questions around the details of the recommendations, however, and the wider impact on locals would need to be assessed.

"It's important to keep young people in their communities," he added.

The commission released a second report in February recommending that the effect on the Welsh language should be considered during planning applications, which was met with some concern from builders who said this could increase bureaucracy and lead to delays in building "much-needed" housing.

Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for the Welsh Language, Tom Giffard, welcomed promoting the Welsh language, but said the Welsh government "must take a balanced approach, ensuring the needs of all Welsh residents are met".

Mr Giffard said policies prioritising specific communities based on linguistic criteria could unintentionally exclude or disadvantage others, creating "unintended consequences" for residents and businesses.

"Such an approach risks fostering division instead of cohesion," he added.

Plaid Cymru spokesperson for the Welsh language, Heledd Fychan MS said: "The lack of detail today is disappointing in terms of how the work will be undertaken and funded.

"With so many challenges facing our language, Plaid Cymru is clear, we need more than just words of support - the findings of the commission together with voices in Welsh-speaking communities must lead to action from the Welsh government."

Elin Haf Gruffudd Jones, chairwoman of the Welsh Communities Commission, called the announcement a "historical turning point in public policy" but said it did not undermine how important the language was "across the whole of Wales".

Drakeford said accepting the commission's recommendations could "strengthen Welsh in our communities".

The Welsh government said it would co-ordinate with local authorities and partners to discuss and implement the recommendations.