<div dir="ltr"><h1 class="" itemprop="headline name">Gwynedd housing group urged to provide 'assurances' over its Welsh language policy
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<a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/by-date/06-01-2015"> Jan 06, 2015 11:30</a>
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By <a class="" href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/authors/hywel-trewyn/" rel="author">Hywel Trewyn</a>
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Welsh Language Commissioner Meri Huws wants Bangor based CCG to clarify
whether it breached its own rules by deciding that Welsh is not
essential for top posts </h2>
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<img src="http://i4.dailypost.co.uk/incoming/article5586586.ece/alternates/s615/meri-huws.jpg" alt="Welsh Language Commissioner, Meri Huws" itemprop="image">
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<span>Welsh Language Commissioner, Meri Huws</span>
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<p>A language tsar has urged a housing group to provide “assurances” that it is complying with its own language policy.</p> <p>Welsh
Language Commissioner Meri Huws has once again urged Cartrefi Cymunedol
Gwynedd (CCG) in Bangor, which is landlord for 6,300 former council
homes, to delay advertising for two top jobs after it changed its policy
in September and deemed that the ability to speak Welsh wasn’t
essential.</p> <p>Ms Huws wants CCG to delay the recruitment process
while she carried out an investigation. The board, and its chief
executive Ffrancon Williams, said it decided to ditch Welsh as a
language requirement for two out of three top jobs - paying £82,000 - to
“maximise” its chances of getting more applications.</p> <p>Ms Huws had
given CCG a January 5 deadline to supply evidence about how it came to
its decision. The closing date for applications is January 9.</p> <p><a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gwynedd-housing-group-carry-recruiting-8344831">But a defiant Mr Williams, said they had responded to a previous letter from the Commissioner</a> and confirmed that they would “not be delaying the process of recruiting” the new directors.</p> <p>Today
Ms Huws said she had received a response from the CCG chair Claire
Russell Griffiths which “raised numerous issues on which the
Commissioner is seeking further assurance from the organisation”.</p> <p>She said she “maintains her position that the recruitment process should be paused until such assurances are received”.</p> <p>Ms
Huws added: “When an institution adopts a Welsh language scheme, they
are expected to keep to it. Clarity is needed as to how CCG’s actions
are compliant with their own language scheme. I have yet to receive that
detailed explanation.”</p> <p>CCG chief Ffrancon Williams said; “I can
confirm we have received an email from the Language Commissioner’s
office acknowledging they have received our response and that they are
reviewing our reply.”</p><p>
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<img src="http://i3.dailypost.co.uk/incoming/article5761898.ece/alternates/s615b/2555930CCG3.jpg" alt="CCG chief executive Ffrancon Williams" class="" title="CCG chief executive Ffrancon Williams" height="889" width="615">
CCG chief executive Ffrancon Williams
<p><a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gwynedd-housing-group-urged-halt-8333563">The row over the jobs has created a storm of criticism</a> and was denounced by politicians including Arfon AM Alun Ffred Jones.</p> <p>CCG board member Cllr Sian Gwenllian felt so strongly about the issue that she resigned.</p> <p>Before
the latest exchange of letters with Ms Huws, Mr Williams had said:
“These three jobs are crucial to our ability to provide those services,
and to the future of CCG.</p> <p>It is possible that delaying the recruitment process could be damaging to the business.</p> <p>“We
will of course continue to work as closely as possible with the
Commissioner and if non-Welsh speakers are appointed to these two posts
we will do all we can to support them to learn the language.</p> <p>“With
over 95% of our staff and a high percentage of our customers Welsh
speakers we will continue to lead the way in terms of providing a fully
bilingual service.”</p>
<a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gwynedd-housing-group-urged-provide-8390223">http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gwynedd-housing-group-urged-provide-8390223</a><br></div></div></div></div></div><br clear="all"><br>-- <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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