SIR,
Wales is a country where some towns and villages are known by their Welsh names, some by their English and others by both Welsh and English.
Views on this topic are very diverse; one I heard on the radio a month ago was that every place in Wales should be identified by its Welsh name only.
Furthermore, there are divergent views on actual spellings.
I would not wish to Anglicise Betws-y-Coed or Croesyceiliog.
This is where legislation and regulations come to the rescue.
In particular, I would mention The Local Government (Wales) Act 1994.
There is standard orthography.
We have the advantage of the Welsh Language Board's Place Names Standardisation Team.
It is also prudent to take advantage of what the Ordnance Survey authority has to say.
Trade and visitors are very important considerations, especially for us in Monmouthshire – this is why every request cannot be satisfied.
Roy Nicholas
(Monmouth)