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Promotion of the Welsh language at Newport City Council has improved but “we will always be able to do better”, a cabinet member has said.
Cllr Jason Hughes said the council is in its tenth year of implementing Welsh language standards, and the differences in that time were tangible.
Addressing the council chamber in Welsh and English, Cllr Hughes said he hoped future councillors would be confident to take part in meetings in the language of their choice.
A new report notes “significant progress” in the council’s work to promote Welsh-medium education, as well as creating a “workplace where the Welsh language is visible, valued and used naturally” for the local authority’s own staff.
Participation in a Welsh language awareness course has increased dramatically in recent years, with 1,622 staff involved last year, compared with 99 staff in 2022.
Cllr Hughes said it was “difficult” to just give a “yes or no” answer on whether the council provides a good service for Newport’s Welsh speakers.
“We will always be able to do better, but certainly in the ten years I’ve been in the council, we’ve done some remarkable work and long may that continue,” he said.
“From a personal experience, as a Welsh speaker in the city, I’m very proud of what the city’s achieved over the last ten years.
“Even in this building, I would have come here ten years ago and probably spoken Welsh once every two or three months. Now I come in here every week and speak Welsh – and that’s how we’re changing.”
Cllr David Fouweather said recent figures showed the council’s direct line for Welsh speakers received 34 calls between January and March, of which 17 calls were “abandoned or discontinued”.
Does that show we don’t have enough resources within that service… to be able to meet the requirements of Welsh speakers?” he asked.
Cllr Hughes said calls could fail for various reasons, and when he had himself phoned the council with a recent enquiry, “straight away I was offered that service in Welsh”.
“There will be issues why calls don’t get through, but I’m really confident that in the majority of cases, things are changing quite dramatically in Newport.
The cabinet member said staff were “training up to speak Welsh” and winning regional and national awards for their “commitment to the Welsh language”.
“I think it’s something we should be very, very proud of,” he added.