The Welsh Language Board was established to promote and facilitate the use of Welsh; it seeks to encourage the increasing numbers of Welsh speakers to use the language in their everyday lives. The need for the Board is set against a substantial decline in the percentage of Welsh speakers between the end of the 19th century and the third quarter of the 20th century.

Although the Welsh Courts Act 1942 and the Welsh Language Act 1967 made some provision for use of the language in the courts and the public sector more generally, and despite the existence of an increasingly popular Welsh medium education system, the 1980s saw increasing political pressure for further measures to safeguard Welsh.

In 1985, specific proposals for legislation to promote the language were submitted to the Welsh Office by a working party chaired by Lord Gwilym Prys-Davies and, separately, legislative proposals were presented to the House of Commons as a 10-minute rule Bill by Dafydd Wigley MP. Although the Government of the day rejected these proposals, it recognised a general desire to safeguard the future of Welsh.

As a result, Peter Walker, the then Secretary of State for Wales, established an advisory group under the chairmanship of Wyn Roberts, Minister of State at the Welsh Office, to advise what action, if any, was required. Its main recommendation was that a non-statutory, advisory Welsh Language Board be created, to begin the task of promoting the use of Welsh. 

This proposal was accepted, and in July 1988, the advisory Welsh Language Board was established, with John Elfed Jones as its Chairman and John Walter Jones as its Director. A further four members of staff were seconded to the Board from the Welsh Office. The Board’s duties included advising the Government on matters that required administrative or legislative action and promoting the use of Welsh in the public sector, in the private sector and amongst voluntary sector bodies.

In 1989, the Board also published The Welsh Language: a Strategy for the Future, which, for the first time ever, set out detailed proposals for the promotion and increased use of Welsh (see the 'publications' section on the rights hand side of this page). This was followed by the publication of two sets of voluntary guidelines for the use of Welsh in the private and public sectors in Wales.

At all times, the advisory Board sought to keep sight of that which was practicable and achievable. It saw real purpose in recommending measures that had a reasonable prospect of becoming law and of making a real and substantial contribution towards the protection of the language and of enhancing its use. To this end, the advisory Board convened numerous working groups, including a legislation working group. Papers from the Statutory Board's meetings are available on the right hand side of this page.

It was the work of this group, chaired by Winston Roddick QC, that led the Board to recommend, in 1991, that the Government introduce a new Welsh Language Act which would enshrine the principle that Welsh and English were equally valid—and that individuals had a right to services in the public sector in Welsh and English.

The Government eventually accepted the argument for legislation, and introduced a Welsh Language Act, which came into force in December 1993. The Act created a statutory Welsh Language Board. Lord Elis-Thomas of Nant Conwy was appointed as its first Chair, and John Walter Jones as its Chief Executive.

The Board has statutory powers to require public bodies to prepare Language Schemes, detailing how they will treat the Welsh and English languages on a basis of equality in providing services to the public. To this end, guidelines entitled Welsh Language Schemes: their preparation and approval in accordance with the Welsh Language Act were prepared by the Board and approved by Parliament (these are also available on the right hand side of this page).

By December 2002, over 200 statutory schemes had received the Board’s approval. The Board also has the power to request that local education authorities prepare Welsh Language Education Schemes, which set out how Welsh medium education will be provided within their areas. For the most recent register of language schemes, see the right hand side of this page.

The Board promotes a practical partnership approach to its work, seeking to encourage a desire to use Welsh. As Good as Our Words, guidelines for the use of Welsh in the voluntary sector, published jointly by the Board and the Wales Council for Voluntary Action and The Use of Welsh in Business are but two examples to date of the Board’s approach to providing creative information to potential partners (available under 'publications').

Rhodri Williams began as a Board member on December 21, 1996. He was appointed as Chairman on January 21, 1999, and his final day with the Board was on August 31, 2004. Meri Huws is his successor, she began her work at the Board in August 2004 and is currently Head of the Lifelong Learning Department at the University of Wales, Bangor. 

Apart from its specific statutory function, the Board has a general duty to promote the use of Welsh. This led to the publication of a Strategy for the Welsh Language in 1996, which set an agenda for holistic language planning, whilst building on the Board’s partnership approach. The Strategy reflects the fact that not all challenges facing a language are linguistic. Language is influenced by political, economic, social and psychological elements, amongst others. Linguistic responsibility, therefore, must be cross-functional—and other organisations, whose main remit extends beyond the promotion of the language, must also take responsibility for its future.

This Strategy sets out four main challenges in terms of language promotion:

• Increasing the number of people who are able to speak Welsh
• Providing opportunities to use the language
• Changing the habits of language use, and encouraging people to take advantage of the opportunities provided
• Strengthening Welsh as a community language

The crosscutting theme of holistic language planning has been emphasised in all the Board's activities, as has the need to include the Welsh language in the equal opportunities agenda. In addition, one of the Board’s main objectives has been to depoliticise the language, and to encourage mature debate about its promotion. Its strategies and activities have received cross-party support, and the approval of an independent Assembly-commissioned review of its activities in 2001.

 John Walter Jones retired at the end of March 2004. His deputy, Meirion Prys Jones, was appointed as his successor,  and took up his new post at the start of April 2004.

 In August 2005, the Board published The Future of Welsh: A Strategic Plan.