Welsh language Standards Annual Report 2024-25

Policy Making Standards

• The Council has a responsibility, when formulating a new policy or reviewing/revising an existing policy, to consider the effect that a policy decision has on the opportunities for persons to use the Welsh language.

 

Consultation and Engagement

• The new consultation system/processes went live from mid July 2024. Residents continue to be able to respond to public consultations in English or Welsh. The change in consultation system highlighted the need for additional information to support staff involved in consultations. A Consultation Protocol has been produced for staff to provide practical advice to plan, prepare and run an effective consultation exercise which includes guidance on the requirements for the Welsh language.
• The new internal process has been integrated with My Account (online customer account) to automate the delivery of consultation notifications in English or Welsh, depending on customer choice, via the corporate email notification system Notify. Notifications are currently sent to over 4,700 users, to promote open consultations.
• We have reviewed the demographic questions we ask which are pre-populated in the Microsoft Forms template ensuring they are consistently used, monitored, and can be compared with national and local statistics e.g. 2021 Census. This includes the Welsh language questions that we ask. Respondents are asked the following question regarding Welsh language as part of a public consultation in line with guidance:
• “What effects do you feel the proposals would have on opportunities for persons to use the Welsh language and treating the Welsh language no less favourably than the English language? Please consider if the proposal can be changed so as to have positive effects (or more positive effects), and to avoid or reduce negative effects, on:
• (i) people's opportunities to use Welsh
• (ii) the need to treat the Welsh Language no less favourably than English
• If yes - How?  If no - Why not?”
• Whilst we receive many informative and varied responses to this question, a number of respondents report that they do not understand what is being asked. We will continue to monitor the responses received in relation to the Welsh language.
• Ongoing review and monitoring of the new system will continue through 2025/26 and beyond to ensure it meets the needs of services and participants. A full appraisal of the new system during 2024-25 is currently underway which will include reference to Welsh language considerations.

 

Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA)

• The Councils Integrated Impact Assessment process has been reviewed during 2024 to strengthen and support decision-making processes by making the IIA process more straightforward, easier to follow and by expanding the range of legislation/policy commitments covered.
• Areas reviewed included the Welsh language impact assessment (Section 6) where staff are asked to describe the impact a proposal will have on opportunities to use and promote the Welsh language, and to ensure that the Welsh language is treated no less favourably than English. Staff are asked to describe and explain whether the proposal will have positive, negative or no impact on the Welsh language, what will be done to minimise or mitigate any negative impacts identified and to outline any specific source of data or evidence to support the information. The new template and guidance were agreed by the Senior Leadership Team and discussed with the Extended Management Team. A pilot of the new process is underway to ensure that the framework is robust.
• This review was in response to a number of factors including guidance published on the Welsh Language Commissioner’s website in relation to the findings of a tribunal involving the Welsh language policy making standards. Additionally, internal reviews in 2022-23 and 2023-24 of formal decisions taken by Council, Cabinet, and independent cabinet members in respect of Welsh Language Standards identified some lapses due to assessments not being undertaken, being undertaken too late in the project cycle or assessments including limited information. We will continue to monitor IIAs to determine if the new template and guidance is having a positive impact.