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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
AGREED to accept the annual report as a record of Cered’s work during the period in question and to note its work in promoting and developing the use of the Welsh language in Ceredigion.
AGREED to note the information.
AGREED to accept the annual report as a record of Theatr Felinfach's work during the period in question and set out the theatre's work in promoting and developing well-being, skills development and the use of the Welsh language in Ceredigion.
AGREED to review the Ceredigion Language Profile 2025 annually to ensure up-to-date data and information.
AGREED to note the report and to note that if a new channel were to be created in the future, consideration could be given to which method is most appropriate for engaging with the residents of Ceredigion. However, changing the method on a well-established channel runs the risk of losing followers and that cannot be justified.
Councillor Bryan Davies, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Democratic Services, Policy, Performance and People and Organisation apologised for his inability to attend the meeting due to other Council commitments.
None.
There were no disclosures of personal/ prejudicial interests.
It was RESOLVED to confirm as a true record of the minutes of the meeting held on 20 May 2025. In the Welsh version of the minutes, it was noted there was a typo on page 3 and ‘Wald y Basg’ should be ‘Wlad y Basg’. Matters arising: In response to a query on the future of the ARFOR Programme Support Fund, it was noted that an update would be provided under item 11 (Any other matters).
Decision as recorded
AGREED to accept the annual report as a record of Cered’s work during the period in question and to note its work in promoting and developing the use of the Welsh language in Ceredigion.
The Cered Team Leader provided a presentation to the Committee outlining the following: · Cered’s Aim and Strategic Contribution · Budget, Staffing and Structure · Partners · 2024-25 Targets, Themes & Highlights · 2025-26 Summary The following main points were raised during discussions: · The service worked creatively with the funding available and had succeeded in many grant funding applications to date which had enabled two additional posts. The service would continue to apply for grant funding such as SPF and ARFOR to try and maintain both roles. It was noted that some language development enterprises had more staff and funding, although smaller geographically in comparison to Ceredigion. · In relation to a query on the number of people attending Welsh lessons and whether there had been a decline, Officers clarified they worked closely with Dysgu Cymraeg at Aberystwyth University but were uncertain of the numbers. There was wider access to lessons since the Covid-19 pandemic as more courses were held remotely. · Cered and the Language Policy Officer had worked closely to develop a digital pack named ‘Welcome to Ceredigion’ for newcomers. Officers agreed to share the welcome pack with Elected Members following the meeting. It was acknowledged that a digital copy was not suitable for all; therefore, Officers encouraged Members to contact them if a local resident required a paper copy. · Members congratulated Cered on their success and thanked all in the team for their work. It was AGREED to accept the annual report as a record of Cered’s work during the period in question and to note its work in promoting and developing the use of the Welsh language in Ceredigion.
Decision as recorded
AGREED to note the information.
The Language Policy Officer provided a presentation to the Committee outlining the following: · Ceredigion Bilingual Futures Forum (Membership, Agenda, Structure, Strategy Groups) · Welsh Language Promotion Strategy 2024-2029 (RAG rating Action Plans, Way Forward) · Welsh Working Group - Iaith ar Waith Language Pack · ‘Defnyddia dy Gymraeg’ campaign · Overview and evolution of the monthly e-newsletter #Gwena · Inspiration of the Month and the Welsh Language in Ceredigion · Promoting awareness of culture and Welshness in residential homes Committee Members thanked the Language Policy Officer for the update and congratulated her on providing a detailed summary of the work to promote confidence and facilitate the Welsh language and Welshness in the workplace. It was suggested that a copy of the presentation be circulated to all Elected Members. The Language Policy Officer added that another crucial element of her work was to deal with manage complaints, which were rare. The Chair thanked the Language Policy Officer for arranging the Ceredigion Bilingual Futures Forum, and for ensuring it included a range of representatives. It was AGREED to note the information.
Decision as recorded
AGREED to accept the annual report as a record of Theatr Felinfach's work during the period in question and set out the theatre's work in promoting and developing well-being, skills development and the use of the Welsh language in Ceredigion.
The Head of Theatr Felinfach and the Campus explained that the arts and participation were an integral part of Ceredigion's culture and Theatr Felinfach acted as a focal point for the energy and creative ambition that featured throughout the county's rural communities and areas. Theatr Felinfach was a welcoming, creative, Welsh and bilingual space and venue for individuals, groups and organisations, participants and audiences. An overview of the following as noted in the report was provided: · The values of Theatr Felinfach and contribution to wider Strategies · Funding, Structure and Staffing · Partners · Theatr Felinfach Activity - Key Business Objectives 2024-25 · Priorities for the next 6 months The Head of Theatr Felinfach and the Campus provided a presentation to the Committee on the following case studies: · Creativity and ALN (Partnership between Ceredigion ALN Centres, ALN Inclusion and Wellbeing Team and Theatr Felinfach) · Creative Producers 2025 · Partnerships The following main points were raised during discussions: · The Chair praised Theatr Felinfach’s staff for ensuring performers and technical teams’ experience at the facility was consistently enjoyable and effortless. She also highlighted the importance of the facility as the team worked closely with many of the Council’s Services. · In response to a query, it was noted that Theatr Felinfach was a part of the Schools, Lifelong Learning and Culture Service and worked closely with different teams within the service, but also with communities which was one of Theatr Felinfach’s Key Values. · Theatr Felinfach received a revenue grant worth a little under £60,000 from the Arts Council of Wales Arts Portfolio to support community work, and core funding from Ceredigion County Council. Officers consistently explored other grant funding opportunities to fund new or further develop a range of activities. It was AGREED to accept the annual report as a record of Theatr Felinfach's work during the period in question and set out the theatre's work in promoting and developing well-being, skills development and the use of the Welsh language in Ceredigion.
Decision as recorded
AGREED to review the Ceredigion Language Profile 2025 annually to ensure up-to-date data and information.
The Language Policy Officer presented the updated Ceredigion Language Profile, which was first published in 2016 and later revised in 2021. Following collaboration, the Research & Performance Team on behalf of Ceredigion County Council’s Schools, Lifelong Learning and Culture Service had prepared the 2025 Ceredigion Language Profile. The aim for the future was to review the profile annually. She explained that the report firstly outlined the national overview, drawing on census data to explore trends in Welsh language speakers, population mobility and factors influencing changes over time. As the next Census was not due until 2031, there would be no evidence on whether there had been a change in the number of Welsh speakers until the following year at the earliest. In the meantime, data from the National Survey for Wales and Annual Population Survey would be considered, although this data was not the most dependable as it was based on a smaller sample size. The report also considered Ceredigion specifically, offering a detailed local profile, including ward-level data, demographic shifts, Welsh language skills and employment. Acknowledging the importance of early language transmission, the report analysed household language transmission, the role of Mudiad Meithrin, and the availability of Welsh-medium childcare services. In addition, the Welsh-medium pathway from primary through to further education was explored. Beyond the role of education, the report considered the importance of the wider community of Welsh language among children, young people and adults including culture, arts and sport opportunities. As Aberystwyth had recently been named as Wales’ first UNESCO City of Literature, there would be opportunities to highlight literature and literary activity in Welsh and to promote the Language Profile in the future. The Corporate Manager: Culture highlighted the importance of remembering that the profile provided a snapshot of the situation in Ceredigion as opposed to a view or recommendation. She added that it would be beneficial for the profile to be reviewed yearly. The following main points were raised during discussions: · Members thanked Officers for reviewing the document that would be beneficial in forming policies and in various decision-making processes such as by the Development Management Committee. · Upon the Committee’s request, Officers agreed to circulate the document to all Elected Members. It was noted that the document would also be available on the Council’s website in due course. · As the questions based on Welsh language skills in the 2021 Census were not the most appropriate, Members hoped there would be a review of the questions ahead of the 2031 Census to ensure the information collected was more suitable. · There was uncertainty with the accuracy of the 2021 Census data in relation to Ceredigion’s population as it was undertaken during the Covid-19 pandemic, and therefore it was not possible to account for whether the student population were in the county or elsewhere. National Survey for Wales and Annual Population Survey were held yearly, but the data was based on a small sample and therefore may not be as dependable. · In relation to data in the profile, it was noted that although the number of Welsh speakers could have increased, the percentage could have decreased if the overall population of an area had increased. It was AGREED to review the Ceredigion Language Profile 2025 annually to ensure up-to-date data and information.
Decision as recorded
AGREED to note the report and to note that if a new channel were to be created in the future, consideration could be given to which method is most appropriate for engaging with the residents of Ceredigion. However, changing the method on a well-established channel runs the risk of losing followers and that cannot be justified.
The Corporate Manager: Democratic Services presented the report on the current arrangements, advantages and disadvantages of combining Welsh and English social websites as requested by Members. An overview of the current arrangements and the number of followers as presented in the report was provided: Channel Number of followers Facebook Cyngor Sir Ceredigion (Welsh) 2,922 Facebook Ceredigion County Council (English) 18,687 Instagram @CaruCeredigion 1,999 YouTube @csceredigioncc 183 LinkedIn Cyngor Sir Ceredigion County Council 2,871 Threads @caruceredigion 343 The Language Policy Officer noted that Democratic Services and Schools, Lifelong Learning and Culture had worked closely and researched into the practices of other local authorities and public institutions across Wales. The findings as outlined in appendix 1 of the report suggested there appeared to be various ways of working based on separate channels and joint channels. From Wales’ 22 local authorities, 19 offered separate Welsh and English Facebook pages and the remainder had a bilingual page, but from enquiries conducted, 1 of the 3 local authorities was currently exploring whether to change to separate pages. In August 2025, the Welsh Language Commissioner published a report named ‘Social Media Monitoring Surveys: Welsh Ministers, Local Authorities and National Parks (Welsh Language Standards Regulations No. 1)’. Within the report, there were five recommendations; however, none provide direction for local authorities on whether channels should be joint or separate. The Language Policy Officer added that she had no concerns with the Ceredigion County Council’s compliance with the Welsh Language Commissioner’s recommendations and Welsh Language Standards. The Corporate Manager: Democratic Services stated that Ceredigion County Council’s Communications Team consisted of 3 officers and monitored over 40 of the Council’s social websites and provided advice where required. She proceeded to provide an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of combining Welsh and English channels on Facebook as outlined in the report. It was noted that there were clear differences in the interests of the public on the Welsh and English Facebook pages. Recently, the posts of interest on the Welsh Facebook page related to the Culture: Opinion, Experience and Identity consultation, on a Mature Driving Course for over 65s and the recent Gŵyl Cerdd Dant Festival. On the English Facebook page, posts of interest related to Tackling Illegal Off-road Driving, Gritting to trip of the week. The following main points were raised during discussions: · Members acknowledged that a bilingual page would be preferred for ease ideally as a post would only need to be shared once rather than twice, however, they appreciated the advantages and disadvantages as outlined by Officers and the complexities of combining two pages. · Officers explained that regular messages were sent to remind followers that the Channels could be followed through the medium of Welsh or English. It was suggested that a sentence could be added to every post to explain that the information was available in Welsh and English or a link to the relevant post. Officers agreed to discuss options with the Communications Team. · It was noted that the Communications Team meet every six months to review each of the local authority’s social media accounts to ensure they complied with the required standards and to assess whether both languages were treated equally. In addition, the team reported to the Insights Board quarterly along with the Performance Board on the Council’s social media presence. · Members congratulated Ceredigion’s Communications Team on ensuring the public were kept informed in an impartial manner. · It was noted that when Ceredigion Training had to create a new Facebook page to reflect changes in the provision, it had led to the loss of all followers, and it had taken years to re-engage with the same number of followers. It was AGREED to note the report and to note that if a new channel were to be created in the future, consideration could be given to which method is most appropriate for engaging with the residents of Ceredigion. However, changing the method on a well-established channel runs the risk of losing followers and that cannot be justified.
The following items were suggested by Committee Members: · A report on the provision for Welsh learners across the county (representative from Aberystwyth University to be invited to attend the meeting).
In relation to the ARFOR Programme Support Fund, £500k had been earmarked for the area for the current financial year, which was significantly less than in previous programmes. The funding had yet to be received, and no further guidance was available. RT Hon Mark Drakeford MS, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language was yet to release a statement for next year.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
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