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Welsh language 'unessential' for Gwynedd housing jobs
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<a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/by-date/18-03-2015"> 15:11, 18 March 2015</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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<h2 class="">Some critics fear the move could 'weaken' the Welsh language</h2>
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<img src="http://i1.dailypost.co.uk/incoming/article5761898.ece/alternates/s615/2555930CCG3.jpg" alt="CCG chief executive Ffrancon Williams" itemprop="image">
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<span>CCG chief executive Ffrancon Williams triggered controversy over the move </span>
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<p>A housing group has taken on two new directors - earning £82,000 a
year each - after dropping the Welsh language as an essential skill.</p> <p>Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd’s (CCG) controversial decision sparked months of protests, <a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gwynedd-councillors-criticise-housing-group-8550821">including one at Caernarfon</a> in January attended by 250 people.</p> <p>The two new bosses will start work in June. </p> <p>CCG
decided to employ the two men without them having to speak Welsh as the
language was not deemed essential for the jobs to be performed. </p> <p>The matter <a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gwynedd-housing-group-urged-provide-8390223">prompted calls for housing chiefs</a> to give assurances over its language policy. </p> <p>Chief
executive Ffrancon Williams who defended the CCG’s board’s decision
said: “We have appointed two new directors following our recent
recruitment process.</p> <p>“CCG’s new resources director is Paul McGrady and the director of assets and infrastructure is Ian Atkinson.</p> <p>“Previously Paul was head of finance at <a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/all-about/denbighshire-council">Denbighshire Council </a>and is a Welsh learner, and Ian was director of assets at Monmouthshire Housing.</p> <p>“We look forward to welcoming them both to CCG.”</p> <p>While Mr McGrady, aged 47, is learning Welsh, Mr Atkinson, 50, was said “not to be a learner at present.”</p> <p>It is not clear whether or not CCG will stray from its policy again with future appointments.</p> <p><a href="http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/cllr-sian-gwenllian-quits-housing-8291597">Gwynedd Cllr Sian Gwenllian</a>, from Y Felinheli, resigned from CCG’s board following the decision to downgrade its language job requirements.</p> <p>Today
she said: “I hope that the two will receive every encouragement and
support to speak Welsh so that the internal language of administration
does not change because of them.</p> <p>“That is why there was so much opposition - the possibility that it could weaken the Welsh language.”</p> <p>The council was responsible for the housing stock before they transferred to CCG.</p> <p>Last
January members of Gwynedd council’s language committee voted
unanimously that CCG - landlord to 6,300 homes - had gone against its
own language policy which had lead to a reduction rather a promotion of
the use of Welsh by the company and its workforce.</p> <p>The committee
backed a proposal by Cllr Gwenllian that CCG’s decision could “open the
door” for other bodies to follow the same path.</p> <p>Councillors also asked for a meeting with CCG’s board of directors to discuss its decision.</p> <p>They
asked for a report to be prepared by its next meeting to look at the
“lessons to be learned” so that similar problems can be avoided in the
future.</p> <p>Welsh Language Commisioner Meri Huws said CCG had not
given sufficient reason for its decision not to make Welsh a condition
of employment.</p> <p>CCG previously said that “the decision to remove
the language requirement for these two posts was a very difficult one
for the board but one that was based on a set of circumstances and
experience which included our difficulty in recruiting to senior
management and technical posts in the past.”</p>
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