CHC responds to Welsh Language Regulations consultation
With the Welsh Government consultation on extending the Welsh Language Standards to RSLs now closed, Hayley Macnamara highlights what applying these standards will mean for the sector
The Welsh language is a cornerstone of our culture, history and identity. Using the language regularly can offer deeper connections within communities and broaden understanding of Welsh life and culture.
The Welsh Language Standards, created by the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, gives official status to the Welsh language in Wales - creating rights for people to receive public services in Welsh.
The Welsh Government has recently consulted on extending these standards to registered social landlords.
As the voice of housing associations in Wales, we support the Welsh Government’s aspirations to nurture and grow the use of the Welsh language. RSLs already have a strong track record of supporting the Welsh language, with many providing bilingual services through their existing Welsh language schemes. The regulations would enhance this existing offer.
Our response calls for a proportionate and flexible implementation of the standards; taking RSLs’ operational capacity and tenant needs into account.
While welcoming the regulations and fully conscious of the importance of the Welsh language, the considerable financial pressures the standards place on the sector must be acknowledged.
The required investment in translation, digital infrastructure and IT systems - together with comprehensive reviews of service designs, procurement, and recruitment activities - will ultimately have to be met by tenants’ rent payments unless additional funding and support is available. The risk is that the standards divert investment from new and existing homes.
Our members, even those operating in predominantly Welsh-speaking communities, have expressed concerns about the cost and resource implications of applying the standards. Sector partners, including TPAS Cymru, raise similar concerns - urging that the regulations must be tenant-focused, proportionate, and adequately supported.
Engaging extensively with members, our response calls for a proportionate and flexible implementation of the standards; taking RSLs’ operational capacity and tenant needs into account.
Our response recommends improvements to the draft regulations to help ensure that, when applied by the Welsh Language Commissioner, the standards are responsive to the diverse needs of RSLs and their communities.
We also call for a supportive funding environment from the government to meet these standards, as well as a realistic implementation timeframe - with clear pathways for compliance.
Despite reservations on deliverability of these ambitions, we hope that this consultation will result in regulations which both strengthen the use of the Welsh language and enable RSLs to continue delivering positive outcomes for tenants across the full range of their functions and obligations.