THE PENARTH Town Council Christmas Festival brochure is set to be translated into Welsh after two complaints that the Summer Festival brochure wasn’t bilingual.

Councillors have agreed to spend £410 to translate the Christmas brochure into a digital format and print 50 copies of it.

The council will then study whether there is a demand for future brochures to be translated into Welsh in the future, and if so increase the number of brochures that are printed for both the summer and Christmas festivals.

The Welsh Language Act 1993, which the town council is subject to, states that organisations must prepare a Welsh language scheme that ensures both English and Welsh are treated equally in public services.

A report before the town council’s leisure and amenities committee meeting last Thursday, October 16, said: “There is nothing in the existing scheme that says the Town Council must publish bilingual versions of its publicity material but given that the office has received two complaints (one from an organisation called the Penarth Welsh Language Society), about the lack of bi-lingual festival brochures and there is a Welsh medium school in Penarth that provides for approximately 400 pupils the committee may wish to consider such requests can be accommodated.”

The report noted that both the summer and Christmas festival brochures were printed in association with the Penarth Times for a sum of £670, with 10,500 printed for distribution to local schools and local outlets, and 5,500 distributed through the weekly paper at a cost of 4p per copy.

The report stated that for 50 copies it would cost £250 and for 500 copies it would cost £750, with the translating costs of £160 increasing both to £410 and £910 respectively.

During the committee meeting Councillor Michael Cuddy, who represents the St Augustine’s ward, questioned whether there was a demand for Welsh language brochures to be printed and said that the issue should be explored.

Deputy town clerk Keri Hutchings said they had only had two requests, but they had been “repeated”.

He added that he had been trying to keep the costs down, and the Penarth Times had agreed that for the same price as 50 copies they could have a digital version.

Councillor Janice Birch, who represents the Stanwell ward, said that the council should investigate into whether volunteers would be willing to translate it in a bid to save costs. Councillor Anthony Ernest, who represents the Plymouth ward, also asked if it was possible to just have a digital version instead of the cost of printing.

But both were told that the town council would be unable to design the Welsh translation of the brochure and all they would have would be the Welsh language text. They were also told that the council would only be saving £160 in translation costs.

Councillor Neil Thomas, who represents the Cornerswell ward, warned that if they were printed and there wasn’t a demand “we would be taking up an awful lot of trees” and would be going against the council’s green guidelines. He said the council should print off 50 and see what the take up was.

Councillor Mark Wilson said the council should print off 50 copies and see whether they were taken up. He added: “There is a signification Welsh population in Penarth that speak Welsh and we should listen to them.”

Councillor Janice Birch added that they must monitor how many brochures were picked up, and be careful that someone doesn’t “sweep them all up of the first day”.

The leisure and amenities committee agreed to supply a Welsh version of 50 copies that would be kept in the town council offices and be advertised as available on request, as well as a digital version online, at a cost of £410.