Call for Welsh-language 'heartlands' to become 'areas of linguistic significance'

  • ITV Wales' Megan Boot reports.

A considerable overhaul is needed to secure the future of the Welsh language, according to an independent report into the Welsh Government's strategy.

The number of people speaking Welsh in so-called "heartland" communities is declining and there is a real concern in some quarters about the language disappearing as a widely-spoken community language.

The Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities has suggested 57 recommendations to strengthen the Welsh language in what is known as "heartland" communities: those places where a significant number of people speak Welsh.

One of the most striking recommendations is for those communities to become "areas of higher density linguistic significance".

This would allow them to introduce policies which specifically address the particular needs of those communities, and in doing so help make the language more sustainable.

Dr Simon Brooks, chair of the commission, said of language decline: "We know that this has happened in other countries - Scottish gaelic for example - we don’t want Welsh to follow the same route."

Some of the examples suggested include:

  • Greater emphasis on extra-curricular and the social use of Welsh within school

  • Emphasising the importance of the family farm

  • Housing developments based on local needs and community-led housing initiatives

The Welsh Government will now look at the recommendations before responding to the report, but First Minister Eluned Morgan has said: "Strengthening the foundations of Welsh as a thriving social language is essential for maintaining and increasing its use in all aspects of life. This is central to the vision of Cymraeg 2050: A million Welsh speakers."

The Welsh Conservatives say it is concerning that the number of Welsh speakers has decreased in the past two decades and that the target for a million Welsh speakers by 2050 is “going nowhere”. They say it’s essential this decline is reversed.

Even if the government does follow the report’s recommendations, some require a need for primary legislation, so change isn’t expected to be instantaneous.

However, there is more work for the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities, who will now turn their attention to the use of Welsh in all areas of Wales and beyond. That final report will be published in summer 2026.

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