15/10/21

Two draft strategies that seek to support Cardiff's vision of growing and nurturing the use of the Welsh language in the city are launching today.

On Diwrnod Shwmae Sutmae Day (October 15) - the annual day to celebrate and promote the Welsh language, the Council is asking people for their views on its Bilingual Cardiff: 5-Year Welsh Language Strategy, 2022 - 2027 and its draft Welsh in Education Strategic Plan, 2022 - 2032.

The two plans are integral to the city's vision of becoming a truly bilingual capital of Wales, with the Bilingual Cardiff strategy setting out a range of areas of work, across various aspects of city life towards achieving that ambition, including the growth of Welsh medium education, which will be driven by the new Welsh in Education Strategic Plan.

Both strategies support the aim of doubling the number of Welsh speakers in Cardiff by 2050, in line with Welsh Government's target of one million Welsh speakers across the nation by that time.

Leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Huw Thomas, said: "Over the last 25 years, the number of Welsh speakers in Cardiff has more than doubled and these two strategies will be the drivers to take that growth forward even further, initially over the coming five to ten years and beyond to 2050. 

"We want Cardiff to be a place where citizens can live, work and play, as well as access services and support in Welsh or English equally; a city where bilingualism is promoted as something completely natural, and where the Welsh language is protected and nurtured for future generations to use and enjoy.

"The Council can't achieve this alone and we are grateful to our lead partners and the wide range of stakeholders we have, all working together to achieve this common goal of a truly bilingual capital.

"It's particularly timely that we're launching these two consultations on Diwrnod Shwmae and I want to encourage people to share their views on these two important roadmaps that will help foster the growth of the Welsh language in our capital."

The Bilingual Cardiff strategy is structured to reflect the strategic areas outlined in the Welsh Government's Cymraeg 2050 Welsh language strategy. These are increasing the number of Welsh speakers, increasing the use of Welsh and Creating favourable conditions - infrastructure and context. The Cardiff strategy identifies the change needed to realise the bilingual Cardiff vision.

Consultation on the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) for 2022-2032, due to be published in January 2022, has been synchronised  with that on the Bilingual Cardiff Strategy to facilitate the inclusion of mutual objectives and outcomes in both strategic plans. The commitments made in the Bilingual Cardiff Strategy to increase the number of Welsh speakers in Cardiff may only be achieved through the increases in Welsh medium education proposed in the WESP.

Find out more about the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) for 2022-2032 here https://www.cardiffnewsroom.co.uk/releases/c25/27711.html and have your say on two strategies launched today here: https://www.cardiff.gov.uk/ENG/Your-Council/Have-your-say/Live-Consultations/welsh-strategy-consultations/Pages/default.aspx