Latest news with #WelshLanguageStandardsAnnualReport
Business News Wales
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Business News Wales
Neath Port Talbot Reports Strong Progress in Promoting Welsh Language
Neath Port Talbot Council's Cabinet members have heard of good progress being made in promoting the use of Welsh across the county borough. This comes just weeks after Margam Country Park played host to the Eisteddfod yr Urdd Dur a Môr, which saw a record-breaking number of registrations to compete. Both the Welsh Language Standards Annual Report and the Welsh Language Promotion Strategy Annual Report for 2024-2025 were presented to Cabinet. The reports detail how the council has complied with the Standards, and the activities and initiatives that took place during the year to promote the Welsh language and facilitate its use in the area. Cllr Simon Knoyle, Neath Port Talbot Council's Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Social Justice, said: 'This council remains committed to promoting the Welsh language as a living, vibrant part of everyday life. I hope the reports demonstrate that our approach to implementing the Welsh language Standards and delivering on our Welsh Language Promotion Strategy is not just a legal requirement, but a genuine commitment. 'These reports highlight some significant progress during a busy and exciting year when we were preparing to welcome the Urdd Eisteddfod in May 2025. The Urdd was a huge success, and we anticipate that one if its legacies will be a significant boost for the Welsh language in our area. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners to make the most of this.' Cabinet members were given annual updates on notable areas of progress during 2024/2025 which included: The launch of the council's new online, fully bilingual resident account platform, myNPT; The production and launch of 6 promotional videos to support the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan. These promote the benefits of bilingualism and all aspects of Welsh-medium education for non-Welsh speaking parents. A decrease of 18 seconds in the average time taken to answer Welsh language telephone calls to the council compared to 2023-24. Support for national campaigns 'Diwrnod Shwmae Su'mae' and 'Defnyddia dy Gymraeg' to promote the Welsh language; Promotion of the 'Welsh Language in NPT' eLearning course to council employees, as a result, 2,859 had completed the course by 31st March 2025, an increase of 1,179 since the end of the previous year. Strengthening of the Welsh Language Standards content of the council's corporate induction training session for new employees which moved to a fully bilingual slide deck and expanding the Welsh Language content.
Business News Wales
16-06-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
Cardiff Council Celebrates Progress in its Goal to Create a 'Truly Bilingual' City
Cardiff Council says its Welsh Language Standards Annual Report for 2024/25 reveals 'significant progress' in promoting the Welsh language across the capital. The report highlights key achievements in workforce training, education, and public engagement, and the council said it reinforces Cardiff's ambition to become a 'truly bilingual' city. Key achievements include: A 10% increase in Welsh-speaking staff, with 1,480 council employees now reporting Welsh language skills—representing nearly 19% of the council's workforce. Over 1,400 staff have received Welsh language training, surpassing the council's 2027 target two years ahead of schedule. In excess of 13.8 million words were translated by the Bilingual Cardiff team, supporting both internal services and external partners. 689 hours of simultaneous translation was provided to support 252 bilingual events and meetings. 17.7% of reception pupils and an increase to 19.7% of nursery children enrolled in Welsh-medium schools. Over 700 students attended the Gyrfa Gymraeg careers fair, promoting Welsh language career pathways. Welsh language social media reach grew to nearly 5,000 followers, generating over 450,000 impressions. Council Leader Cllr Huw Thomas said: 'Cardiff remains the local authority with the third highest number of Welsh speakers in Wales and it's great to see the progress made over the past year, as we work to support Welsh Government's Cymraeg 2050 goal of one million Welsh speakers by 2050. 'This report reflects our commitment to making Cardiff a truly bilingual capital where the Welsh language thrives in everyday life – from schools and workplaces to public services and cultural events.' Local authorities in Wales have a statutory duty to comply with Welsh Language Standards Regulations that explain how they as organisations will use the Welsh language in different situations. Cardiff is expected to comply with 171 standards, including the requirement to produce this annual compliance report. The report also marks a historic first – a full Welsh language impact assessment was conducted, and a bespoke Welsh language policy developed, for Cardiff's Replacement Local Development Plan (LDP), setting a precedent for future planning policy across Wales. The Cymraeg i Bawb (Welsh for All) regional partnership to promote access to Welsh-medium education in Southeast Wales, chaired by Cardiff Council, has been hailed a success and will now be expanded nationally with doubled Welsh Government funding. Looking ahead, the council will revise its Bilingual Cardiff Strategy and Welsh in Education Strategic Plan in 2025/26 to align with the new LDP and strengthen its data-driven approach to measuring progress.
