Dear Councillor / Member of Parliament / OneVoice Wales,
I am writing to raise a concern about the cost, accessibility, and wider impact of Welsh Government domain names (GOV.WALES and LLYW.CYMRU) when compared with GOV.UK domains, and to ask for action to address what has become a significant barrier for Welsh public bodies.
At present, GOV.UK domains, administered under contract by Nominet, cost £10 per year. Because this cost is so low, some service providers are able to fully absorb it within their contracts, meaning town and community councils can adopt GOV.UK domains with little or no direct financial impact.
By contrast, GOV.WALES and LLYW.CYMRU domains, currently administered by JISC, cost £100 per year. This ten-fold cost differential has several negative consequences:
Suppliers cannot reasonably underwrite the cost, making Welsh domains more expensive for councils in practice.
Community and Town Councils are forced to make a poor economic choice, spending significantly more public money for a domain that serves the same technical purpose.
Adoption of Welsh Government domains is actively suppressed, not only among Community Councils but increasingly across higher-tier local authorities as well.
In addition to the cost issue, there is a significant operational disadvantage. While GOV.UK domains can typically be registered and live within a matter of days, GOV.WALES and LLYW.CYMRU domains often take many weeks to complete. This delay creates real problems during council transitions, elections, website launches, and service changes, and further discourages their use.
Taken together, these factors are damaging to Welsh digital identity. The Welsh Government’s own branded domains should be the natural and preferred choice for public bodies in Wales. Instead, the current pricing and process structure incentivises councils to default to GOV.UK domains, undermining the visibility and everyday use of Welsh-specific digital infrastructure.
I would therefore ask that the Welsh Government considers one of the following actions:
Renegotiate the existing contract with JISC to achieve pricing more in line with GOV.UK domains, delivering better value for money for government and taxpayers;
Appoint an alternative supplier capable of delivering Welsh Government domains at a competitive cost and with faster turnaround times; or
Provide direct funding to offset the additional cost, exactly £90 per council per year, so that Welsh Community and Town Councils are not financially penalised for choosing a Welsh Government domain.
This is a relatively small financial issue in absolute terms, but one with outsized consequences for digital take-up, operational efficiency, and Welsh identity. Addressing it would remove a clear and unnecessary barrier and send a strong signal of support for Welsh-branded public services.
I would welcome your support in raising this issue with the Welsh Government and relevant stakeholders, and I would be grateful to hear what steps might be taken to progress this.
Yours sincerely,
{YOUR COMMUNITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE}