Category Archives: Dyfodol

ANOTHER CASE OF ENGLISH-ONLY PARKING PENALTY

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Dyfodol i’r Iaith is extremely disappointed that a further case of a car parking company showing complete disrespect for the Welsh language.

Gwen Williams contacted us after failing to receive a Welsh medium parking penalty notice at the ‘Eagles’ hotel in Llanrwst in mid-December 2023. 6 weeks later she received an English-only parking penalty for £60 from Smart Parking Ltd.

Gwen Williams said,

“It is important to note that I explained throughout that I wanted to pay the fine if it was translated and I suggested how many people could do it for them but I lost the appeal.

Whether I decide to pay the fine or not, I will continue to campaign for bilingual penalty signs and notices by lobbying the authorities who have the power and opportunity to improve the law. The Welsh language Bill 2011 and the language standards do not go far enough to promote bilingualism in the private sector….”

[read the rest of the release here…]

CARMARTHENSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL HAVE FAILED PORTH-Y-RHYD

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Dyfodol i’r Iaith is extremely disappointed that Carmarthenshire County Council has approved an application to build 42 new homes in the village of Porthyrhyd on Thursday (25/4/24).

With the Porthyrhyd Defence Movement, Dyfodol i’r Iaith had presented solid evidence that allowing the development would surely lead to the anglicisation of a village where 68.5% speak Welsh. It is one of those increasingly rare wards where Welsh is part of the fabric of the community and the everyday language of the majority. In October 2023 68.5% of adults in the village were identified as speaking Welsh. This percentage of Welsh speakers belongs to the top 10% of Welsh communities in terms of percentage of speakers. The village, therefore, has special linguistic significance. With 68.5% Welsh speakers, the village can effectively maintain a Welsh-speaking community, with Welsh playing a prominent role in the life of the community. Only 73 electoral divisions throughout Wales have more than 60% speaking Welsh.

[read the rest of the release here…]

A FURTHER BLOW TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF WELSH LANGUAGE EDUCATION

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Dyfodol i’r Iaith is appalled that a postgraduate course to train teachers is coming to an end at Aberystwyth University.

Dylan Bryn Roberts, Chief Executive of Dyfodol i’r Iaith, said: “ending the teacher training course will undoubtedly negatively affect the number of students who wish to become teachers who can teach through the medium of Welsh. There is already a crisis of teacher shortages, and this announcement will surely make the situation increasingly worse.

“Wales is already losing more than half of its students to English Universities and beyond.  This is a further blow that will make it increasingly difficult to develop Welsh language education.

“It is clear to us that Aberystwyth University’s inability to run the course stems from the Welsh Government’s reluctance to prioritise education in Wales, while spending over half a billion pounds on funding Welsh students at Universities beyond Wales. Under Government policy, our students are encouraged to leave their country rather than take advantage of Welsh Universities. With more choosing to leave, our organisations will continue to see further decline.”

“We have written to Lynne Neagle, Education Secretary and Jeremy Miles, Welsh Language Secretary asking them to review the existing funding policy and start giving Welsh students the benefits of studying in their own country, as is the case in Scotland and Northern Ireland. That is also the most effective way to support our Universities which are facing unprecedented and long-term challenges unless we see a U-turn by our Government.

“As it stands, we will be hearing about many more cuts in academic provision and jobs. On the other hand, there is no cap on Welsh Government spending on higher education outside Wales which has risen by 60% over the last 5 years. Is this “a Wales full of hope, ambition and unity” that Vaughan Gething mentioned in his speech as the new First Minister of Wales recently?

(Full release here:)

Press Release: A further blow to the development of Welsh language education