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Council making progress to increase use of Welsh

Published: 18/06/2026

Flintshire County Council is continuing to strengthen the use of Welsh across its services and workforce, members have heard.

The Welsh Language Standards Annual Monitoring Report, endorsed by Cabinet this week, sets out how the Council has promoted Cymraeg during the last year and met the requirements of the Welsh Language Standards.

It also details a range of initiatives aimed at increasing opportunities for residents and Council employees to use and develop their Welsh skills.

A major milestone highlighted in the report is the opening of Ysgol Gymraeg Croes Atti in November 2025 – the first new Welsh-medium school built by the Council since its inception in 1996.

The school provides education for up to 240 pupils, including an immersion programme for pupils transferring from English-medium education, as well as early years childcare and community space.

Primary schools across the county continue to engage positively with the Siarter Iaith and Cymraeg Campus programmes, aimed at increasing social use of Welsh.

Children and families are also supported by the Council’s Play Development Team, including work with refugee families and those who have recently relocated to the area.

Use of Welsh has also become a feature of both Saltney and Connah’s Quay youth clubs, with packs to help promote Cymraeg shared with other groups.

Meanwhile the Council has continued to expand opportunities for staff members to develop their Welsh language skills, with the proportion of employees reporting that they have no Welsh skills falling from 33.1% to 28.7% in-year. There is ongoing support for Welsh learners through training and workplace initiatives.

For residents, the report emphasises that language preferences are captured at their first contact with council services. Visits to the Council’s Welsh-language web pages increased significantly during the year, with more than 128,000 page views recorded compared to 80,000 in 2024/25.

The report also highlights the Council’s participation in Welsh language events, including the National Eisteddfod, St David’s Day celebrations and Diwrnod Shw’mae/Sumae.

The Council received three Welsh language-related complaints during the year. In each case, action was taken to address the issues raised and improve future service delivery.

Priorities for 2026/27 include developing a new Welsh language hub on the staff intranet, identifying more opportunities to introduce Welsh place names in the county, and further developing employees’ confidence using their Welsh.

Councillor Mared Eastwood, Cabinet Member for Education, Welsh Language, Culture and Leisure, said: “Promoting and embracing the Welsh language is a key priority for the Council. This report demonstrates the positive progress we are making to ensure residents can access services in Welsh and that opportunities to use the language continue to grow."