The Welsh Language Commissioner, a body which promotes and protects the Welsh language, conducted an investigation into whether Wrexham Council was favouring the English language on signs in the area. 

Welsh Language Commissioner Meri Huws began the investigation following a series of complaints regarding Wrexham Council and some signage that did not display the Welsh text first, or at all.

In her report, Huws says: “It appears that English-only signs and signs that treat the Welsh language less favourably than the English language continue to be erected by different departments of the council, and that this is happening when erecting both permanent and temporary signs.”

It appears that English-only signs and signs that treat the Welsh language less favourably than the English language continue to be erected ”

The council has a duty to comply with Welsh language standards, which the report concluded it had failed to do so. Standard 61 of the Welsh Language Measure 2011 states that any text appearing on a sign must be displayed in Welsh and if the same text is displayed in both languages, the Welsh language should not be treated less favourably than the English text.

Standard 62 outlines that the Welsh language text should be positioned so it is read first, and Standard 63 says that the Welsh text should be accurate in terms of meaning and expression.

Wrexham Council failed to comply with all three standards for its English-only signs on the doors of the People’s Market, and on a sign where the Welsh text was displayed under the English on a Christmas Tree in 2016.

Pay and display signs in Wrexham were criticised by locals because of translation errors. A member of the public highlighted the errors with a marker pen and 'ofnadwy' was written on the sign – Welsh for ‘awful’. Wrexham Council said it would replace the signs with the correct translation. 

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