Downing Street has stepped into a growing row over a decision to ditch the English name of the Brecon Beacons in favour of the old Welsh one, Bannau Brycheiniog.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said he was sure people would continue to use the national park’s English name and questioned the move to drop a symbol of a flaming beacon from the park’s logo.
Park leaders have said the decision to move away from the English name was partly to show support for the Welsh language and because a fiery greenhouse gas-emitting beacon did not fit well with its ethos of creating a more sustainable, nature-rich area.
They also said there was no evidence of burning beacons ever existing on its summits and that it was a “very English description of something that probably never happened”.
There was some political backing in Wales for the change, with Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for the Welsh language, Heledd Fychan, saying: “This decision by the national park is a positive step in normalising the use of Welsh.”
The Welsh Liberal Democrat leader, Jane Dodds, said: “Other countries like New Zealand see the use of their indigenous languages such as Māori as not only key to protecting their history and culture, but also as a key marketing tool. There is no reason we shouldn’t be doing so in Wales.”
But the Brecon and Radnorshire Tory MP, Fay Jones, questioned the cost and impact of the rebrand. “I am worried that this is symbolic,” she said. “This is about looking trendy and jumping on a sustainability bandwagon for PR purposes.”
Andrew RT Davies, the Welsh Tory leader, said: “The Beacons are as recognisable outside of Wales as they are here. Why undermine that?”
The Welsh Conservative shadow minister for mid-Wales, James Evans, said: “I am concerned that the whole rebranding exercise by the national park is not a priority for the people and the businesses who live in the park. Many of the residents will also be wondering how much the rebranding exercise is going to cost.”
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “The public, I’m sure, will continue to … use both the English and the Welsh names.”
Asked if other places called “beacon” should be renamed, the spokesperson said: “I think on the specific issue of climate change, I think it’s tangible action that’s important, rather than nomenclature.”
Ffred Ffransis, a prominent Welsh language campaigner, criticised the reaction of the Conservatives to the move.
“I am certain that the people of her constituency are more aware of their cultural and physical heritage than is Ms Fay Jones,” he said. “Admittedly no one could accuse the Tories of being ‘trendy’ in that their whole identity is stuck in a colonial past.”
Bannau is the plural of “ban”, which means peak in Welsh, while Brycheiniog refers to the kingdom of the fifth-century king Brychan, so the name translates into English as the Peaks of Brychan’s Kingdom.
The new logo is more muted and features nods to a king’s crown and the starry skies, hills and watercourses of the park.
