Welsh Language Commissioner to Investigate Impact Assesment

Carmarthen Region of Cymdeithas yr Iaith have announced that the Welsh Language Commissioner has decided to hold an investigation into Cymdeithas' complaint about Carmarthenshire County Council's proposal to close Ysgol Llansteffan, and the lack of consideration which was given to the effect of the proposal on the Welsh Language. The Society's complaint (Attachment 1) stated "that the Council had not performed its statutory duty to prepare an Assessment sufficiently detailed to show the impact of closure on the Welsh language, as the Council had selectively chosen data so as to strengthen its proposal rather than looking at all available data and coming to an objective conclusion."

Our complaint was on two grounds, that the Council in proposing to close the school after the summer term this year, had not fully considered -

1) "There is not sufficient alternative capacity in alternative places for pupils in the coming years from the Llansteffan area in Welsh-medium education and that, practically, many will be forced into English-medium education, and that the data given does not show this fully."

On behalf of local Cymdeithas members, Ffred Ffransis said:

"There will not be places for all the Llansteffan children, nor for the children of the new housing estates, in other Welsh-medium schools in the area. The most cost-effective way of providing sufficient place locally in Welsh-medium education is by keeping open Ysgol Llansteffan, and making better use of the buildings both to offer environmental education and to raise extra funds as outlined in the Governors' proposals."

2) “There was not in the language impact Assessment any meaningful study of the effect on the community of closing the school. There was merely a count of what activities were currently held in the school rather than discussing the potential for courses and raising extra income by involving the community more in Welsh-language activities.”

In response to the Cymdeithas complaint, the Language Commissioner said in a letter to Mr Ffransis:

"We have considered the complaint and the response of the Council and have decided to hold an investigation under Section 71 of the Welsh-Language Measure. The investigation will decide if the Council has complied with the Welsh-language standards, and empower us to take further strengthen us if necessary."

In response Ffred Ffransis explained the significance of the decision:

"The investigation could last up to 3 months and stall the timetable for the implementation of the Council's proposal. Even if the Council now decided to make a full and meaningful assessment of the effect of closure on the Welsh language, we take t that there would have now to be a fresh consultation  on a proposal which was taken by the Cabinet on a possibly faulty basis, and that the Council should then have a fresh chance to re-consider. Any such new process would have now to be under the full system of statutory consultation as the register of pupils has now risen to be above the figure which enabled accelerated closure in 2025."

Mr Ffransis added:

"There are similar weaknesses ion the Language Assessments of the Council's other proposals to close both Ysgol Y Fro and Ysgol Meidrim - which are both in the middle of statutory consultation. It would surely be better if the Council itself now announced that it was halting the whole process until June, both to enable the Language Commissioner's investigation(s) to run their course, and to allow a meaningful discussion between the Council and Governors who have their own plans, which in turn could lead to new proposals. The added bonus is that the Council would be able to judge in June if further support for village schools would be forthcoming from the new government in Cardiff Bay."