Newport City Council wants more Welsh speakers by 2050
Demonstrating their commitment to keeping the language alive, the council aims to normalise the Welsh language in areas where it is less spoken. This is a continuation of their five-year strategy, implemented in 2022, to increase the number of Welsh speakers within the area by 2027. The council's eventual goal is the 'Cymraeg 2050' strategy, which aims for one million Welsh speakers across the country by 2050.
Data from the Annual Population Survey regarding the use of the Welsh language highlights Blaenau Gwent as the county with the lowest estimated number of Welsh speakers.
In 2022, when the council's five-year strategy was put in place, Blaenau Gwent had an estimate of 11,200 people able to speak the language. Now in 2025, this number has decreased to around 9,500 Welsh speakers within the county.
Despite this statistic, Blaenau Gwent Council states that it "remains fully committed to the Welsh Government's Cymraeg 2050 vision".
The council plans on "working closely with neighbouring authorities to strengthen regional provision and continue to promote Welsh language use across our workforce and communities".
Newport City Council's strategies aim to meet the requirements of the Welsh language legislation; to ensure that both the Welsh and English languages are equally endorsed. The council has a wide outreach to Welsh organisations and schools also committed to the survival of the language. Newport City Council have decided not to comment further outside of their published report, which aims to normalise the language instead of outdate it.
The intention to provide bilingual services throughout the city aims to integrate the Welsh language into everyday life. The council has been developing the 'Cymraeg Gwaith'/'Work Welsh' programme for Welsh language skills to be built upon within the workplace, working with Menter Iaith Casnewydd and Coleg Gwent to encourage these changes.
Administering Welsh language lessons in local schools as well as providing 'Welsh for Adults' schemes, the council has focused on working with Welsh services throughout the county to better support the growth of Newport's Welsh speakers.
By encouraging a community effort towards a thriving Welsh language, Newport City Council is determined to provide opportunities for people of all ages to learn Welsh. Looking ahead to 2026, the report encourages increasing Welsh language skills in Newport through refining programmes like 'Cymraeg Gwaith', as well as engaging with minority ethnic communities to widen the outreach of the language.
Building up to the Urdd Eisteddfod coming to Newport in 2027, the council is directing its focus towards working with local authorities to promote the language before this Welsh-driven festival makes its highly anticipated arrival.
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