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Investors in People
Welsh Language Board working with Community Housing Cymru to safeguard Welsh as a community language  

23/07/2008 

The Royal Welsh Show was the setting for the signing of a protocol today, between Community Housing Cymru and the Welsh Language Board. The two organisations declared their commitment to working in partnership, to collaborate to safeguard and develop Welsh as a community language and to promote the provision of Welsh language services to housing association tenants.

 

The protocol was signed by Ian Williams, Chair of Community Housing Cymru and Meri Huws, Chair of the Welsh Language Board.

Community Housing Cymru and the Welsh Language Board are agreed that a shortage of housing available for rent and a shortage of affordable housing can be detrimental to Welsh speaking communities. As a result both organisations believe that the community housing sector has a key role to play in efforts to safeguard and develop Welsh speaking communities by facilitating opportunities for people to live and work in their local communities. 

Nick Bennett, Chief Executive of Community Housing Cymru said:

“We are delighted to be signing this protocol with the Welsh Language Board at a time of great change, both in housing and for Welsh language policy.  The landscape of social housing is changing with the stock transfer process, and over the next few months we will move from providing housing for 5% of Wales’ population to 9%. It’s important that as housing stock moves from the public to the not for profit sector that tenants’ rights to access services in Welsh remain unchanged.”

 

Ian Williams, Chair of Community Housing Cymru added:

“We look forward to working in partnership with the Board and also in fostering an even greater contribution towards the language from the not for profit housing sector in Wales” 

 

Meri Huws, Chair of the Welsh Language Board added:

“Affordable housing, to buy or to rent, is a matter that receives much attention these days, and addressing the shortage of affordable housing is one of the key commitments of One Wales. The provision of affordable housing could influence the nature of society, especially in communities where the Welsh language is prominent. We, therefore, welcome Community Housing Wales’s intention and readiness to work with us to safeguard and develop Welsh as a community language.”

In order to achieve the aims of the protocol both organisations have agreed to:

 

  • share information in order to ensure that the Welsh language receives appropriate consideration in government consultations and policies in the housing sector
  • lobby on areas of agreement where a joint message would be more effective
  • cooperate in order to share good practice in Welsh language services among housing associations
  • encourage cooperation between housing associations in order to promote Welsh language services
  • cooperate when contacting new housing associations
  • organise regular meetings to discuss new opportunities for joint working
  • the Welsh Language Board and Community Housing Cymru will review the implementation of this protocol within a year with the aim of assessing progress and identifying other areas for joint working.

 


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