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23.
June
2017.
Improving bilingual services with the Welsh Language Standards

Improving bilingual services with the Welsh Language Standards

 

An overview of Cardiff Council's compliance with the Welsh Language Standards for 2016-17 will be considered by full Council next week.

 

The Council's Welsh Language Standards Annual Report has been completed to meet the

requirements of the standards, which aim to ensure that the Welsh language is treated no

less favourably than the English language.

 

The Council is committed to creating a truly bilingual Capital city for Wales, providing equally high quality services in both Welsh and English. The authority's Bilingual Cardiff Strategy was approved in March and sets out how the vision of a truly bilingual capital can be achieved including the aim of increasing the number of Welsh speakers in Cardiff by 15.9% by 2021.

 

The annual report outlines key data about the Council's work to promote the Welsh language and how it is progressing in its compliance with the standards.

 

The Council was issued with 171 standards by the Welsh Language Commissioner relating

to service delivery, policy making, record keeping, promotional and operational standards.

 

Leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Huw Thomas, said: "The Welsh Language Standards aim to improve the services people can expect to receive from organisations such as the Council through the medium of Welsh.

 

"Over the last 25 years, the number of Welsh speakers in Cardiff has more than doubled and we want to build on that to play our part in supporting the Welsh Government's vision for a million Welsh speakers by 2050.

 

"The standards, as well as the Bilingual Cardiff strategy and associated action plan to increase the number of Welsh speakers in Cardiff and ensure that the Welsh language is very much a part of life in the city, will play a significant role in achieving this.

 

"We've already made progress on the journey to becoming a truly bilingual capital, both as an organisation and throughout the city. However, some challenges still remain and we are working hard across the authority, and essentially with partners too, to promote and facilitate the use of Welsh."