A rally has taken place in Carmarthen with campaigners calling on the Welsh Government to take action to protect the Welsh language. The event was held in the centre of the town on Saturday afternoon.
It was organised by Cymdeithas Yr Iaith in response to concerns over the falling numbers of Welsh speakers throughout Carmarthenshire. Data published by the Office for National Statistics has revealed that the number of Welsh speakers in the county had fallen by nearly 25,000 in the 10 years between 2011 and 2021.
It represented a drop from 43.9% to 39.9% of those in the county who are Welsh speakers - the largest decline over the 10-year period in any part of Wales. You can keep up to date with the latest Carmarthenshire news by signing up to the local newsletter here.
Read more: ‘Speaking Welsh doesn’t make me better than you but attack the language and I will fight back’
Protesters including Dafydd Iwan marched in Carmarthen on Saturday afternoon, from the County Hall building, through the town and up to the Welsh Government office in Picton Terrace, where Cymdeithas Yr Iaith presented seven demands to the powers that be. One of those was a call for a Property Act for Wales, which the group says will prioritise local people and allow conditions on ownership of housing and land, thus making it easier for local people from Carmarthenshire to live and stay within the county.
Welsh folk singer Dafydd Iwan, whose popularity has sky-rocketed across Wales in recent months after Yma o Hyd became the nation's World Cup anthem in Qatar, spoke at the rally and said: “We must heed the warning of the census statistics, but we should never despair. There are clear signs that the campaigning over the last 60 years has created a revolution in Wales, and it is important that we celebrate that. The battle to win the minds and hearts of the Welsh, especially the young, continues, and in the battle lies hope. It will never end.”
Another person present was Cai Phillips, a 20-year-old student from Blaen-y-Coed. Earlier in the week he expressed concern that local Welsh speakers were not being given enough opportunities to live in Carmarthenshire. “Cymdeithas will continue to put pressure on local authorities to fully use their new powers to control the excess of second homes and holiday rentals, but the housing problem is far deeper here in Carmarthenshire,” he said.
Mr Phillips added: “I shall be looking myself in the near future for somewhere to live in the county, but there is no way the vast majority of local young people can compete on the open market with much richer people moving from outside to live here. We shall therefore be changing the emphasis of the campaign to pressing for a full Property Act for Wales which will prioritise local people, and allow conditions on ownership of housing and land. Otherwise young people will be forced out of their communities and there will be no future for Welsh-speaking communities.”
More images from the rally can be seen below:
Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s Sioned Elin said: “If we don’t succeed in turning the tide now, it is unlikely that there will be any natural Welsh speaking communities left in Carmarthenshire by the next Census. But it is certainly not a time to despair, it is a time to act. We will make seven demands on the Welsh Government as the basis for an Emergency Plan of active steps to revive our Welsh language and communities.”
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We believe that everybody has a right to a decent, affordable home to buy or to rent in their own communities so they can live and work locally. We are taking radical action using the planning, property and taxation systems to achieve this, with the increase in the maximum council tax premiums which councils can charge being just one part of a joined-up package of solutions.”
Earlier this week it was reported that the owners of second homes in Carmarthenshire could face a doubling of council tax under proposals approved by cabinet. The second home recommendation is for a 50% or a 100% council tax premium, subject to public consultation and approval by full council. Read more here.
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