<div dir="ltr"><div class="" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:13px;font-family:'PT Sans',sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;float:left;width:950px;color:rgb(89,77,77);line-height:18px"><h1 class="" itemprop="headline name" style="margin:0px 0px 0.25em;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:3.69230769em;font-family:'PT Sans Narrow',sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(17,17,17);line-height:1;letter-spacing:-0.03em">Gwynedd housing group urged to halt recruitment for top jobs after language row</h1></div><div class="" id="row1" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;float:left;width:630px"><div class="" id="row1" style="color:rgb(89,77,77);font-family:inherit;font-size:13px;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:18px;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;float:left;width:620px"><div class="" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:solid solid none;border-top-color:rgb(224,224,224);border-right-color:rgb(224,224,224);border-left-color:rgb(224,224,224);font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;clear:both"><div class="" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><ul class="" style="margin:0px 0px 1.07142857em;padding:0.35714286em 0.71428571em;border:0px;font-size:1.07692308em;vertical-align:baseline;list-style:none;clear:both;float:none;overflow:hidden;line-height:1.28571429em;background:rgb(238,238,238)"><li class="" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px 0px 0px;border-width:0px 1px 0px 0px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgb(224,224,224) rgb(215,215,215) rgb(224,224,224) rgb(224,224,224);font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;float:left;color:rgb(108,92,92)"><a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/by-date/23-12-2014" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(90,100,102);text-decoration:none;outline-style:none">Dec 23, 2014 07:00</a></li><li class="" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px 0px 0px;border:none;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(108,92,92);float:left">By <a class="" href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/authors/hywel-trewyn/" rel="author" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-weight:700;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-decoration:none;outline-style:none">Hywel Trewyn</a></li></ul></div><div class="" itemprop="alternativeHeadline description" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><h2 class="" style="margin:0px 0px 7px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-weight:100;font-size:1.30769231em;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(44,44,44);line-height:1.41176471em">Language commissioner to investigate decision not to insist on ability to speak Welsh</h2></div><div class="" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><ul class="" style="margin:0px 0px 1.61538462em;padding:0px;border:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;list-style:none;overflow:hidden;background:rgb(238,238,238)"><li class="" style="margin:0px 1.5em 0px 0px;padding:0px 0.75em;border:0px;font-size:1.53846154em;font-family:'PT Sans Narrow',sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;clear:none;line-height:2em;letter-spacing:0px;display:inline-block;float:left;width:auto;color:rgb(255,255,255);background:rgb(0,0,0)"><span class="" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">29</span> Shares</li><li class="" style="margin:0.05em 1em 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:1.53846154em;font-family:'PT Sans Narrow',sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;clear:none;line-height:1;letter-spacing:-0.03em;display:inline-block;float:left;width:auto;background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><a class="" title="Facebook" href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gwynedd-housing-group-urged-halt-8333563#" style="margin:0.15em 0px 0px;padding:0px 1em 0px 0px;border-width:0px 1px 0px 0px;border-right-style:solid;border-right-color:rgb(208,208,208);font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(115,115,115);text-decoration:none;outline-style:none;display:block"><i class="" style="display:inline-block;height:30px;vertical-align:middle;width:30px;background:url(http://s.dailypost.co.uk/skins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x;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:12px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(204,204,204);display:inline-block;background:rgba(0,0,0,0.6)">Robert Parry-Jones</span><img src="http://i3.dailypost.co.uk/incoming/article4309544.ece/alternates/s615/rj130613party-12.jpg" alt="Cllr Sian Gwenllian has resigned from the board of a housing association following a row over the Welsh Language" itemprop="image" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; float: left;"></div><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">Cllr Sian Gwenllian has resigned from the board of a housing association following a row over the Welsh Language</span><div class="" itemprop="articleBody" style="margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 0.76923077em;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><p style="color:rgb(73,73,73);font-family:inherit;font-size:1.30769231em;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.52941176em;margin:0px 0px 0.58823529em;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline">A language tsar has urged a housing group to halt recruitment for two jobs — where the ability to speak Welsh was deemed not essential — until she has carried out an investigation.</p><p style="color:rgb(73,73,73);font-family:inherit;font-size:1.30769231em;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.52941176em;margin:0px 0px 0.58823529em;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline">The closing date for the £82,000 per year jobs is January 9. However in a letter to Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd (CCG) chair Claire Russell Griffiths, Welsh Language Commissioner Meri Huws gives January 5 as a deadline for it to supply evidence about how it came to its controversial decision which <a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/cllr-sian-gwenllian-quits-housing-8291597" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(43,40,115);outline-style:none">led to board member Sian Gwenllian resigning in protest</a>.</p><p style="color:rgb(73,73,73);font-family:inherit;font-size:1.30769231em;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.52941176em;margin:0px 0px 0.58823529em;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline">Ms Huws said she had received “a number of comments and enquiries” from people and organisations about the validity of the decision.</p><p style="color:rgb(73,73,73);font-family:inherit;font-size:1.30769231em;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.52941176em;margin:0px 0px 0.58823529em;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline">CCG, based at Parc Menai, <a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/all-about/bangor" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(43,40,115);outline-style:none">Bangor</a>, took over as landlord of 6,300 homes from Gwynedd Council in 2010.</p><p style="color:rgb(73,73,73);font-family:inherit;font-size:1.30769231em;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.52941176em;margin:0px 0px 0.58823529em;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline">It previously insisted that Welsh was essential for its jobs.</p><p style="color:rgb(73,73,73);font-family:inherit;font-size:1.30769231em;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.52941176em;margin:0px 0px 0.58823529em;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline">However in September the board, whose boss is Ffrancon Williams, decided to ditch Welsh as a language requirement to try and “maximise” its chances of getting more candidates to apply for these two jobs and thus breaking its own Welsh language policy.</p><p style="color:rgb(73,73,73);font-family:inherit;font-size:1.30769231em;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.52941176em;margin:0px 0px 0.58823529em;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline">Cllr Gwenllian, a member of Y Felinheli and <a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/all-about/gwynedd" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(43,40,115);outline-style:none">Gwynedd</a> councils, said breaking the policy was “unacceptable”.</p><p style="color:rgb(73,73,73);font-family:inherit;font-size:1.30769231em;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.52941176em;margin:0px 0px 0.58823529em;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline">She said: “The whole situation needs to be looked at again, even if this means creating a new senior management structure which recognised the ability to speak English and Welsh as core skills for all the top jobs.”</p><p style="color:rgb(73,73,73);font-family:inherit;font-size:1.30769231em;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.52941176em;margin:0px 0px 0.58823529em;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline">Arfon AM Alun Ffred Jones said: “Recruitment is a problem in all industries irrespective of linguistic needs. There are precious few institutions and companies where the Welsh language is extensively used in the work setting and the Welsh Government’s policy is to encourage such use.</p><p style="color:rgb(73,73,73);font-family:inherit;font-size:1.30769231em;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.52941176em;margin:0px 0px 0.58823529em;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline">“Given the nature of CCG it would be logical for them to recruit senior staff that can communicate in both English and Welsh or failing that to at least ensure that staff are able to learn the language or improve their linguistic skills as soon as possible.”</p><p style="color:rgb(73,73,73);font-family:inherit;font-size:1.30769231em;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.52941176em;margin:0px 0px 0.58823529em;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline">A CCG spokeswoman said: “It is the Board’s responsibility to agree and approve any CCG policy, including our Welsh Language Scheme. In this case the Board agreed an exception for these two posts only. This is a route we could take with any policy in exceptional circumstances. We would not, however, deviate from this or any other policy without Board consent.”</p><p style="color:rgb(73,73,73);font-family:inherit;font-size:1.30769231em;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.52941176em;margin:0px 0px 0.58823529em;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline">Asked if CCG could change its mind, she replied: “This is a matter which has been raised by the Commissioner, and we are preparing our response.”</p><p style="color:rgb(73,73,73);font-family:inherit;font-size:1.30769231em;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.52941176em;margin:0px 0px 0.58823529em;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><br></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.58823529em;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><font color="#494949" face="PT Sans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:17px;line-height:26px"><a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gwynedd-housing-group-urged-halt-8333563">http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gwynedd-housing-group-urged-halt-8333563</a></span></font><br></p></div></div></div></div></div><div><br></div>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message.  A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well.  (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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