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A Welsh Government commission set up to look at ways of supporting Welsh as a community language, has published its preliminary findings.

The Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities was set up in August last year to strengthen public policy on the Welsh language in Welsh-speaking communities.

The commission’s chair, Dr Simon Brooks, met with Welsh Government education and Welsh language minister Jeremy Miles on June 1 to discuss its findings.

The report proposes to recognise ‘areas of higher density linguistic significance’ in parts of Wales where intervention might be needed to protect Welsh within Welsh-speaking areas.

The aim of this would be to allow public policy to be adapted to the needs of different parts of Wales.

Dr Brooks said: “The Commission has listened carefully to people’s views. Our preliminary finding is that further support is required to support Welsh as a community language, especially in socio-economic areas such as housing, planning, community development, as well as education.

“This could be achieved by allowing policies which impact on the social use of Welsh to be varied in different parts of Wales.

“To do this, the commission believes that ‘areas of higher density linguistic significance’ should be designated, and our position paper discusses how this might be achieved.”

Mr Miles welcomed the commission’s report and said: “It’s crucial that our communities are strong and protected so Cymraeg can thrive.

“The challenges facing Welsh-speaking communities have intensified in recent years, which we saw in the census results last year and is reflected in the commission’s paper.

“The paper acknowledges the importance of listening to the needs of our Welsh language communities directly, which why I have started a series of visits to hear from people about their lived experiences.”