A two thousand-strong petition calling for ten new Welsh-medium primary schools has been presented to the Leader of Cardiff Council today .  

News of the petition comes as the Welsh Government publishes its national language strategy which aims to reach a million Welsh speakers by 2050. The petition says: 

"The Welsh Government has pledged to create a million Welsh speakers, with the support of local authorities such as Cardiff Council. 

"We therefore call on Cardiff Council, in light of this commitment and the rising demand for Welsh-medium education, to open 10 new Welsh-medium primary schools across the city of Cardiff by 2022."  

Members of the Cardiff branch of Cymdeithas yr Iaith met Cllr Huw Thomas, Leader of Cardiff Council, today to discuss the petition. Owain Rhys Lewis, Chair of the local branch of Cymdeithas yr Iaith, who presented the petition, commented:  

"It's great that so many people have signed the petition. As our members have gone around the capital to collect signatures, they've received enormous support for our campaign, and from people of all types of backgrounds. It's the clear wish of the people of the city to hear Welsh on the tongues of every pupil. 

"Indeed, the growth of Welsh-medium education in the capital city is completely central to the Labour party's objective of creating a million Welsh speakers by the middle of the century. The capital, given it is so large and growing, is key to this ambition. There are several housing developments planned here, which means that many schools are going to open over the next few years. The question for the council is through the medium of which language the education will be?   

"It was concerning to read last week only one reference to the Welsh language in the council's vision document 'Capital Vision', and not a single word in the education section about the language. Is the Welsh language really a priority for the new leadership of the council?"