CARMARTHENSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL failed to properly assess the Welsh-language impact of plans to close Ysgol Llansteffan before moving to publish a statutory closure notice, the Welsh Language Commissioner has found.

The adjudication follows a complaint by Cymdeithas yr Iaith over the council’s handling of the future of the Welsh-medium school, which is due to close formally on August 31, 2026.

In correspondence with Cymdeithas yr Iaith, the Commissioner said the council had accepted that its original Welsh Language Impact Assessment was insufficient.

The Commissioner did not uphold every part of the complaint. Cymdeithas had argued that there was insufficient capacity in other Welsh-medium schools in the Carmarthen town area, and that some pupils could be pushed out of Welsh-medium education. However, the Commissioner said it was not within her powers to investigate school-place data in that way.

But she did find that the council’s original assessment failed to deal “conscientiously” with the effect that closing the school would have on the community of Llansteffan.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith had argued that it was unreasonable for the council to describe the language impact of closing what it called the most important Welsh-medium institution in the village as “neutral”. The group said the decision ran counter to efforts to strengthen rural Welsh-speaking communities.

The Commissioner found that Carmarthenshire County Council had failed to comply with Welsh Language Standards 88, 89 and 90, which require public bodies to assess the impact of policy decisions on the Welsh language.

Her adjudication says the council later revised its Language Impact Assessment during the course of the investigation. However, the Commissioner made clear that such consideration should have formed part of the decision-making process from the outset.

The Commissioner said: “To comply with the standards, it is essential that consideration of Welsh language effects forms an integral part of the policy-making process from the outset, rather than being separate from the decision itself or addressed at the end of the process.”

She added that the council’s process flow chart should include a clear requirement for the Welsh-language effect of a proposed school closure to be considered from the very start.

The Commissioner does not have the statutory power to overturn the school closure decision itself. Her role is to determine whether the council complied with the Welsh Language Standards and to require future compliance.

Speaking on behalf of Cymdeithas yr Iaith in Carmarthenshire, Ffred Ffransis said the decision confirmed that the council’s process had been flawed.

He said: “The simple truth of the matter is that the Cabinet of Carmarthenshire County Council in November 2025 took the decision to issue a Statutory Closure Notice for Ysgol Llansteffan based on a defective Language Impact Assessment.

“The fact that they took later steps to amend and mitigate does not compensate for the harm done by this injustice to the pupils and the local community.

“We have already been informed that one young family has put their house on the market to move to an area which has a school.

“We shall be drawing the attention of the Chief Executive Officer, Wendy Walters, to the lack of a strategic approach across departments.

“There is an application to build affordable homes in the village, but attempts to revive the community by attracting young families are being undermined by the closure of the school by another council department.”

The council’s Cabinet decided on November 17, 2025, to issue a closure notice for Ysgol Llansteffan using the shortened process available for schools with fewer than ten pupils. Cymdeithas says the number of pupils had risen from eight to 17 during the process.

The full council later agreed to close the school after considering the objections report at the beginning of March 2026. Cymdeithas says councillors were not told at that meeting that a complaint had been made about the original Language Impact Assessment.

Parents have already had to register their children at other schools for the next academic year.

A legal challenge to the closure decision is understood to be due to be heard in August, shortly before the school’s formal closure date.

POLICE are investigating after a car was abandoned following a crash in Milford Haven on Saturday evening.

Dyfed-Powys Police said officers were called to Lower Priory Road at around 8.30pm on Saturday, July 4, following reports of a single-vehicle collision.

When emergency services arrived, nobody was found with the vehicle.

The road was closed while the incident was dealt with and the car was recovered at around 10pm. Lower Priory Road was then reopened.

The circumstances of the crash remain under investigation.

Police are asking anyone who witnessed the collision, or who saw anything suspicious in the area at around the time of the incident, to come forward.

Swansea Crown Court hears dramatic opening of trial over February stabbing

A 15-YEAR-OLD boy from Milford Haven has gone on trial accused of attempting to murder a teacher in what prosecutors described as a “planned and murderous attack” inside a classroom.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is alleged to have stabbed teacher Vicki Williams in the head with a large kitchen knife during an incident at Milford Haven Comprehensive School on Wednesday, February 5, 2026.

Opening the case at Swansea Crown Court on Monday (July 6), Christopher Rees KC told the jury the defendant had brought the weapon into school in his bag before targeting the teacher.

“The prosecution say the defendant planned and launched a murderous attack,” he said. “He deliberately stabbed Vicki Williams in the head.”

Struggle in the classroom

The court heard the incident unfolded at around 3:10pm when the boy allegedly followed Miss Williams into an empty classroom.

During a struggle, he is said to have pushed her into a chair as she attempted to seize the knife. The court was told she sustained a penetrating wound to the head, along with defensive injuries to her hands and additional scratches and grazes.

When Miss Williams shouted for help, the defendant fled the scene.

Emergency services attended and the teacher was taken to hospital but discharged later the same evening.

Charges denied

The defendant denies attempted murder, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, and unlawful wounding. He has previously admitted possessing a bladed article.

A jury of 12, along with an alternate juror, was sworn in before Judge Paul Thomas KC. The trial is expected to last up to three weeks.

Matthew Roberts KC is representing the defence.

Community impact

The incident sent shockwaves through the Milford Haven community and prompted a temporary lockdown at the school on the day.

At the time, parents raised concerns about knife awareness, pupil wellbeing, and staff safety in secondary schools.

Dyfed-Powys Police previously confirmed the arrest of a 15-year-old boy on suspicion of attempted murder following the incident.

Pembrokeshire County Council and school leaders have said the welfare of pupils and staff remains a priority, but fuller details of any internal review have not been disclosed while criminal proceedings are ongoing.

The trial continues.