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CARDIFF is the top-rated council in south Wales for its support of the Welsh language, while Merthyr Tudful is the worst, according to a survey commissioned by language campaigners.
Earlier this year, the twelve local authorities in south Wales were asked a series of questions about their Welsh language policies such as standards of service, education, and staff language skills by members of the pressure group. Newport and Merthyr scored worst with only a 20% rating, while Cardiff was in front with a mark of 64%.
However, not a single one of the councils will meet standards expected under new legislation, according to Marc Phillips ,former Chair of the Welsh Language Board, who analysed the local authorities' answers on behalf of local members of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg.
Language expert Marc Phillips commented:
"It's fair to say that there's substantial variation from authority to authority, and although one shows a stronger performance that the others in a number of ways, not a single one offers a performance which is likely to satisfy the new standards which will eventually expected of them by the Government, through the [Welsh Language] Commissioner."
"Six of the councils sent specific answers to the questionnaire. The other six chose not to answer directly, but rather to send a copy of their Language Scheme monitoring reports, as had been sent to the Language Board. ... responding in that way means that some of Cymdeithas' questions have not been answered, and makes it very difficult to ensure a fair and consistent comparison between the different authorities in the same way as was possible with the other six."
Commenting on the local member-commissioned survey, Ceri Phillips, rights spokesperson for Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg said it showed councils need to up their game following the local elections:
"There needs to be significant improvement by all councils following the elections. The survey by our members highlights the very mixed standard of services provided by local councils in the south. Cardiff is the best and on the right track, but they still have a long way to go, while Merthyr is truly hopeless.
8/05/12
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