“The council’s cabinet met two days later on 16 June with the WLIA among the documents appended to the officers’ report on the proposals. The report touched Approved Judgment R (RhAG) v. Neath Port Talbot CBC briefly on the “integrated impact assessment”, asserting that the proposals would have a positive impact on those with the protected characteristics of age and disability and a neutral impact on those with other protected characteristics. 48. The WESP and the Welsh language were mentioned: “[w]ith the implementation of mitigating actions the proposal should have at least a neutral impact on the Welsh language …”. Officers informed the cabinet that the appended WLIA “undertaken by an independent consultant … has concluded that the proposal will have a positive impact on people’s opportunities to use the Welsh language and a neutral impact on treating the Welsh and English languages equally”. 49. Officers recommended in the report that the council should publish a statutory notice under the 2013 Act, triggering the 28 day objection period. The cabinet decided to do so. The statutory notice was published the next day. Objectors were able to see the WLIA and frame their objections with knowledge of its contents, not available during the consultation phase. Of the 297 objectors who made written objections, 35 including the claimant expressed concerns about the impact on the Welsh language”
High Court 24/10/22