Cyngor Sir Powys County Council: Welsh Language

Welsh Language

The Council believes that it is a source of pride that the Welsh language is widely used in Powys and is increasing in many areas – with more young and older people learning and using the language. The Council is committed to supporting the language and aims to promote it and encourage its use throughout the county.

The Council supports the Welsh Assembly Government’s vision for a ‘truly bilingual Wales’ which it described in its 2003 action plan entitled ‘Iaith Pawb’ (‘Everyone’s language’). ‘Iaith Pawb’ says “the Welsh language is an integral part of our national identity…and an essential and enduring component in the history, culture and social fabric of our nation. We must respect that inheritance and work to ensure that it is not lost for future generations.”

Powys County Council agrees with this, and aims to contribute towards the achievement of the objectives of ‘Iaith Pawb’ by helping to increase the number of Welsh speakers in the county, by continuing to increase the number of its services provided in Welsh and by continuously encouraging people to deal with the Council in Welsh.

Welsh Language Scheme 2006-2008

It is a legal requirement, under the terms of the Welsh Language Act 1993, for public bodies in Wales to adopt and implement a Welsh Language Scheme. The scheme should set out how the public body will treat the Welsh and English languages equally when providing services for and communicating with the public.

Powys County Council has adopted a revised Welsh Language Scheme which you can read by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page. The scheme describes what the Council will do in order to meet the requirements of the Language Act and includes sections on:

Publishing bilingual documents;
Maintaining a bilingual corporate identity;
Promoting the use of Welsh in public meetings;
Answering the phone bilingually;
Corresponding with the public bilingually;
Ensuring third-party organisations provide services in Welsh;
Delivering services bilingually;
Mainstreaming the Welsh language into policies and services.

The scheme describes how the Council aims to provide services in either Welsh or English (according to the service user’s choice); how Council publications (such as this website and paper documents) are bilingual in order to give the public the choice of reading them in Welsh or English, as well as other measures the Council will implement in order to promote language equality.

The Council hopes that more and more people will make contact and use its services through the medium of Welsh in future. We have a Welsh Unit based in the Chief Executive’s department which helps the Council implement its language scheme by providing translations and advice on good practice. The Council’s Welsh Language Officer is a member of the Unit and he can be contacted if you would like a copy of the scheme or if you have any comments and queries about it.

The scheme can be provided in a variety of formats – please contact the Welsh Language Officer for further details.

Martin Nosworthy

Head of Policy and Performance and Senior Implementing Officer of the scheme
01597 826393

Craig Duggan
Welsh Language Officer
01597 826467
craigd@powys.gov.uk

Menna Davies / Bedwyr Fychan
Welsh Unit Managers
01597 826126