The Welsh language belongs to everyone in Carmarthenshire

Submitted by heddgwynfor on Mer, Meh 26th am 12:04 pm

Cymdeithas yr Iaith's message to Council Leader

For the first time since founding the Council in 1996 a meeting was held today (Wednesday 26th of June) between Carmarthenshire County Council leaders and members of Cymdeithas yr Iaith. The meeting was held following the release of Census results where Carmarthenshire saw the biggest fall in the number of Welsh speakers of all counties.

During the meeting, Cymdeithas presented “Siarter Sir Gâr”, a language charter of far-reaching recommendations, to Council leader Kevin Madge, deputy chief executive Chris Burns and Cllr Mair Stephens who holds responsibility for the language. The charter calls on the County Council to lead by example and to move towards working through the medium of Welsh and ensuring that service providers work in favour of the language.

Sioned Elin, Cymdeithas chair in the county said:

"We have put the emphasis on the fact that the language belongs to everyone in the county. Our charter therefore demands that no-one is deprived of the ability to communicate and work in Welsh, and that the right for everyone to live every part their lives in Welsh is developed. The charter also calls for radical policy changes to sustain Welsh communities in the county, which includes maintaining local services, reviewing the Council’s Local Development Plan in the face of the decline in the number of Welsh speakers, and to provide social and affordable housing for local people."

As a mother of four who lives in a Welsh-speaking community in the county Ms Elin added:

“The time has come for the Council to put policies in place that will ensure families can live their lives through the medium of Welsh.”

The story in the local press -

Carmarthen Journal 3/07/13 - Language Campaign Group calls for action