Hyphengate: Ceredigion towns to get new spellings after row

Scores of towns and villages will get official name changes in an effort to "standardise" place names in Wales.

The Welsh Language Commissioner has advised Ceredigion council to change more than 100 place names, with many adding a hyphen.

Other names would see subtle changes, with "one standard form" replacing "variant spellings".

But some community councils have argued to keep their names as they are.

The council's language committee on Monday was warned of "inconsistency" in the council's official records for the names of towns and villages, with many signs differing from the officially recorded name.

The report, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, said: "The Welsh Language Commissioner has a responsibility to provide recommendations on the standard forms of Welsh place-names.

"The aim of the project is to ensure consistency and accuracy throughout Wales.

"There is an inconsistency in place names in Ceredigion - in many cases the names recorded on the Council Gazetteer [the official council record] are different from those on the current signs, and in some cases also differ from the community council."

While more than 100 place names will be changed from the currently used official spelling, scores more would stay as they are.

Bronant and Llanon will remain the same, despite the commissioner recommending Bronnant and Llan-non as the preferred form, after the community councils said they wanted to retain the names.

The recommendations will now go before the council's cabinet for final approval before the new names become official.