Cantref, or Tai Cantref, is a housing association based in Castell Newydd Emlyn (Newcastle Emlyn) on the border of Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. It ran into trouble last year and is now in the process of being handed over to a Cardiff housing association run by a Labour Party member. This after an ‘independent’ investigation by an English management consultancy run by a Labour supporter.
Many of you will know that I’ve written about Cantref’s woes before, so listed below you’ll find the posts in which Cantref has figured. They will help you understand how we arrived at a situation where a housing association using the Welsh language in its day-to-day operations seems to have been handed over to an English housing association based in Cardiff with no concern for the Welsh language at all.
This handover was facilitated by a ‘Welsh’ Government ‘committed’ to the Welsh language that, only last week at the National Eisteddfod, expressed the ambition of having a million Welsh speakers by 2050.
Housing Associations, Time To End The Madness, 3 July 2014
To Those That Have Shall Be Given – Housing Benefit! 4 May 2015
Boors & Crooks; Cowards, Spooks & Idiots 29 September 2015
Social Housing Back to Council Control? 11 April 2016
Tai Cantref: Favoured Suitor Named 21 April 2016
Housing Associations – All Change? 25 April 2016
Tai Cantref: Fate Decided by Labour Cronyism 29 April 2016
MELTDOWN
Let’s start by conceding that Cantref being up Shit Creek is in large part due to poor business decisions and less than inspiring management. Indicated in this comment to one of my earlier posts.
Even so, a change of management and the injection of a little moolah could have steadied the ship and saved it from being taken over by pirates. So what do we know of these ‘pirates’?
WALES AND WEST
Wales and West is no cuddly housing association but a ruthless and acquisitive business. ‘Association’ was dropped from the name in 2012, which should give you a clue as to how W&W likes to see itself and be perceived by others.
Something else I’ve previously remarked on is the ‘Englishness’ or non-Welshness of Wales and West, and I’m not just referring to language (when compared with Cantref), I’m talking about those who run it. Look through the Board of Management and the Directors’ Team. There seems to be minimal Welsh involvement at the top of this ‘Welsh’ housing group. (Maybe lower down as well.)
Nationality aside, the important figure to note is the chief executive, Labour Party member Anne Hinchey. She’s married to Cardiff councillor Graham Hinchey. Mrs Hinchey you may recall had her staff going around Cardiff during May’s Assembly election campaign making sure none of her tenants had the temerity to display non-Labour posters or placards, and removing any that were found.
Knowing how ‘Welsh’ Labour likes to conflate Plaid Cymru with the Welsh language, and hate both, the thought of this woman taking over Cantref should make anyone concerned for the Welsh language, political pluralism, or just fair play, shudder. But then, as I’ve been telling you for years, this is how ‘Welsh’ Labour operates – when presented with the opportunity it will always encourage nepotism and cronyism to further its political ends.
Mrs Hinchey attends the Vine Christian Centre in Bridgend. Knowing how the devout enjoy each other’s company I couldn’t help but wonder if any of those listed in the Board of Management or Directors’ Team at Wales and West share Mrs Hinchey’s faith? Just a thought.
FOLLOW THE MONEY
Like all housing bodies Wales and West survives and prospers due to our generosity, in the form of funding from the ‘Welsh’ Government. The main funding comes from the Social Housing Grant. Between 2008 and November 2015 Wales and West was given £65m in SHG alone.
Part of this figure is broken down (I assume) in the Wales and West entry on the Transparent Wales website, which shows a total of almost £45m between 28.04.2011 and the end of the financial year on 31.03.2016. Though one thing puzzles me.
Payments made up to 28.11.2012 are listed as “Capital Grants to Private Sector”, and after that date as “Capital Grants to Voluntary Organisations”. Yet the changes implemented in 2012 by W&W were if anything in the opposite direction, from voluntary to private.
Perhaps even curiouser is why Wales and West should have received funding from the UK Government which is – given that social housing is devolved (so we are told) – in this context the English government. Yet that’s what happened in 2014. So why did the ‘English’ government give money to a Welsh housing association?
CANTREF LATEST
The latest communication I’ve received from within besieged Cantref paints a worrying picture of intimidation, but one that also offers some hope. Read it carefully and digest what it says.
Clearly, Wales and West has absolutely no sympathy for the Welsh language. In other aspects, the information above ties up with what I’m told by another contact appeared in the Carmarthenshire Herald last week.
So it might be that things are not yet cut and dried. Because if Wales and West needs 75% approval from stakeholders, and this group includes bodies opposed to the Wales and West takeover, indeed, in the case of Carmarthenshire County Council, a body that itself wanted to take over Cantref, then there might still be hope.
Another of the leading players in this drama remains something of a mystery. I’m referring now to the interim chair at Cantref, Kevin Taylor. (There is currently no chief executive.) It is he presumably referred to above, in the note smuggled out of Cantref, as “Cantref’s english acting chairman”.
According to his Linkedin profile Taylor was employed by Forte Hotels 1977 – 1987 then, from 1987 to 2013, he worked in Bermuda. How did this complete stranger turn up at such a critical juncture in the history of Cantref, just in time to recommend the takeover by Wales and West? Or to put it another way, who parachuted him in?
CONCLUSION
Note the reference in the message I was sent to it “all being stitched up in a Labour meeting in Cardiff last year”, for it’s easy to see the advantages for Labour in this takeover.
The bulk of Cantref’s properties are in Ceredigion, where Labour got 9.7% of the vote in the 2015 UK general election and 6.5% in May’s Assembly election. And where there is just a single Labour member on the local authority (and he’s in a university town). Consequently, ‘Welsh’ Labour controlling Cantref would give the party influence in an area where it is consistently and comprehensively rejected at the ballot box.
The suggestion that opponents of the takeover are being refused access to shareholders is worrying, as is the allegation there is also a refusal to accept new shareholders. Unfitting behaviour I would have thought for the Christian CEO of Wales and West. But not surprising, for we’re dealing here with ‘Welsh’ Labour, and that’s how they operate.
(I’m also beginning to suspect that in the wider picture ‘shareholders’ might be a way for a clique or political party to maintain control of a housing association, by encouraging ‘their people’ to become shareholders, and then be eligible to join the board of management, while turning away those who are likely to disagree with them.)
The Wales and West takeover of Cantref is less a business deal and more a political manoeuvre, and an assault on the Welsh language. An agenda that would meet with the approval of most members of ‘Welsh’ Labour, despite the pie-in-the-sky promises from the party’s local leadership.
I therefore suggest that if Carwyn Jones wants to be believed when he talks of his party’s commitment to the Welsh language he should step in and call off the Wales and West takeover of Cantref. If he doesn’t, then it’s just further proof of what I’ve been saying for years about ‘Welsh’ Labour.
P. S. A Special General Meeting is to be held on Tuesday August 9th, presumably at the Cantref offices. Why not try to get details and go along there, make your feelings known?
~~~~~~~~~~ END ~~~~~~~~~~
Update 10.08.2016: The worst happened at the Special General Meeting last night, and Cantref is to be taken over by Labour-run Wales and West. Comments to this blog and information received by another route paint a worrying picture of how this was achieved.
First, Wales and West decided not to accept new shareholders – who would have had voting rights – after May 26. If this sounds familiar, it’s because it smacks of how Blairite Labour tried to stop any more Corbyn supporters joining. And Wales and West is run by ‘Welsh’ Labour which, above NCO level, tends to be Blairite.
The other comments made in the anonymous message I received to the ‘Contact Me’ box on my sidebar explain themselves. Plaid Cymru does not emerge from this saga with any credit. Penri James being a local Plaid luminary.
Note also the comment from ‘Simon’, another indictment of those left in charge of Cantref after the dismissals. I urge you to read ‘Simon’s comment carefully because it tells us what a shamble our housing associations are in.
Our old friend ‘Cneifiwr’, in another comment, tells us that those present last night, “were given assurances about local jobs and the use of Welsh”. Does anyone really believe that? I don’t. (Nor, I suspect, does ‘Cneifiwr’.)
Wynne Jones – who knows of these things – reminds us that a business case must be presented to the ‘Welsh’ Government by W&W and approved by the WG before the takeover can be completed. Those are the rules. But given that W&W and the WG are both Labour, I can’t see this being an obstacle.
‘Llyr’ questions Plaid Cymru’s role, wonders why they weren’t more active. They were – but on the side of the ‘enemy’!
Let me end by returning to ‘Anon’, who writes “Hillary jones sold us out to wales and west and the welsh government gave them the wink as they want only five or six rsls in wales”. Hilary Jones of the Bro Myrddin Housing Association was shipped in as Interim Strategic Director, and over a year ago rumours were circulating that she wanted Wales and West to take over Cantref but leave her in charge.
I have argued more than once that we need many fewer Registered Social Landlords. But if we are to have mergers then let them be local, with other housing associations that understand the realities of working in a bilingual rural area. Another consideration is that RSLs need a working relationship with their local authorities.
As a match, Cantref with Wales and West can be compared with Dianne Abbott shacking up with Nigel Farage. It’s so bizarre as to be unthinkable, and certainly unworkable. Or if we are to stick with matters connubial, then perhaps the best analogy is with an arranged marriage, with all that that conjures up.
Walesand west the crooks that get big cash grants and euro loans totalling 65 million in two years who do they bank with were do they pay off there labour councillors am s and developers don’t think Anne Hinchey is the brains behind this con they bought three new houses in ruabon high street by deception stating to the crown estates that the high grade mews houses built by private developers were eyesores derelict abandoned and need demolition to put social housing on the Williams mews development high st ruabon this scam has hit the legal power of English law the million pounds grant walesandwest obtained to carry out this act of evil trying to pay 21000 pounds for theee quality mews houses mothballed by the owners presentvalue 650000 pounds what a scam does wales and west think thee fine 2006 built homes are derelict its another lie by labour stalwarts hiding behind social housing for immigrants to be rented at top rents payed for by Teresa may god forbid wales and west have not got to pay compensation to the owners for there scam using crown solicitors as idiots in the so called non profit making business wales n west we’re do they place dodgy cash payments to councillors ma s and consultants investigations are well underway Anne Hinchey is a fraud
Harry, I’d appreciate any more information, or links, you can provide, because as you know, I have a special interest in Wales & West
If the take over of Cantref takes effect then surely a business case should be presented to, and approved by, Welsh Government in accordance with circular RSL 05/08 Group Structures, effective from 1 October 2008. If Welsh Government decline to provide a copy of the business case {albeit redacted} under FOI Act 2000, in my view a complaint could be made to the Information Commissioner. It may all take time but disclosure of information is in the public interest.
Wynne You and 1 or 2 others seem to be well versed in many of the procedural aspects of this and other similar situations in the rented housing sector. I am amazed that politicians of all colours have generally failed to reach your level of competence, in which case they should be highly amenable to taking advice and guidance from you and people like you. There may be an odd few members of the Plaid leadership community, and from other parties, out there reading this – FFS get off your thick arses and get on the case , your communities need you to earn your corn, urgently.
Thanks for your note Dafis. My correspondence to date has been with senior officials at Welsh Government rather than politicians. I am simply reminding them of the rules as set by government. They prefer not to be informed and have now advised they do not intend to respond to further enquiries from me. Jac is aware of my recent correspondence with Welsh Government and I believe he may be working on another post that could be published in the near future. I’m afraid “self-regulation” means exactly that: no oversight from anyone.
not surprised by the content of your response -they obviously dislike intensely some well researched character popping up and disturbing their casual approach to duties and responsibilities as required by various laws, regulations and sundry rules written from time to time but put back on the shelf to gather dust.
This matter of failing to behave in accordance with clear requirements of a “control framework” should agitate those assorted A.M’s whose constituencies contain parts of the Cantref estate, regardless of party. O.K, We know that Labour have a vested interest already demonstrated in these columns but surely other A.M’s with seats representing Carms, Pembs, Ceredigion and a segment of Powys should be delighted to take issue on matters where absence of procedural and possibly financial due diligence is a matter of some scale. Or are the Tories and UKIPpers in Wales already showing their indifference ? Plaid on the other hand appear to be showing their complicity.
Does anyone wish to prove me wrong ?
This is a clear cut example of “we know best” and how dare you suggest a knowledge beyond what we have, with our army of professional civil servants, advisers and experts. Initially they’d respond to Wynne thinking this chap’s done a bit of reading, smarter than the average bear, better mollify him and maybe he’ll bugger off. Then when they find that doesn’t shut him up and he actually knows more than they do, there’s a panic starts in-house, followed by what can we get on this bloke to cut him down to size. Nothing there so that’s followed it seems by what has now happened – let’s close up shop and ignore him. There’s a civil service manual on it somewhere. Keep chipping away, Wynne because clearly you’ve got them on the defensive.
A member of Welsh Government housing regulation team (ian Walters) was at the sgm. He was silent, even when the acting Chairman and cynnog Dafis blamed the housing regulation team for their cashflow problems when it was the boards incompetence and former directors and ceos fault. Ian walters also monitors wales and west board and the largest rsl in wales the pobl group. This whole disaster is either gross incompetence by a lazy labour government who failed to monitor welsh housing quality standard compliance or a conspiracy. Either way our tenants will now suffer with an eight year wait for their homes to be repaired and modernised even though wales and west have huge cash reserves. Why dont they use them? Or dont poor Welsh speaking tenants in west Wales count to them? Our tenants deserve better than this!
The bombshell of the whole night was that, on top of there being no written report to the shareholders to the Board on why they should vote yes, the Board of Cantref had not negotiated a rent guarantee for their tenant’s protection, and the Wales and West Chief executive stated they would not be able to bring the homes up to welsh housing quality standard until 2024 – four years after the Government’s revised target date, 12 years after the original target date set by Welsh Govt Minister, and 11 years after the 2013 date when Cantref Board declared that they had already met the standard!
Its time for all housing associations in Wales to be audited for compliance with the WHQS. Time for the truth to come out!
Shareholders voted in favour of the merger with Wales and West last night after they were given assurances about local jobs and the use of Welsh. There will of course be nobody to hold them to account on that.
I cannot believe that people are that stupid!
has happened repeatedly, that’s why our communities are in such deep shit. No doubt there were a few well crafted scare stories doing the rounds sufficient to drive stakeholders into making the “right” decision. Shame that the creative minds behind such activities are unable to apply themselves to running businesses better for the benefit of local communities and markets.
When you look at the individuals involved it becomes clear that Plaid Cymru fully supported this takeover.
aircraft belonging to colonial power shot down over Snowdonia – MAC is still out there ! now that’s a cracking headline, in my dreams !
Turning to real serious business – Biggest blow of the day – Ashley Williams allegedly on his way to Everton ! I thought such nonsense was ruled out when Martinez got the push but it seems that the Dutchman likes him too. Talismanic player for the Liberty crowd, he’ll find that Goodison mob much more fickle.
I agree, but £12m for a 32-year-old who cost next to nothing, Ayew going to West Ham for £20.5m after arriving last summer on a Bosman (free), and then signing two recognised strikers, one a world cup winner, for less than they got for Ayew, is good business, and brings in the type of players Swans have lacked since Bony went. At the end of the day that’s what Huw Jenkins does – business, not sentiment.
he’ll need to shape up and get a good 6 in to the club, or they’ll be shipping 6es in matches !
Enough digressing!
Golwg and Radio Cymru have now picked up on the story ahead of tonight’s meeting. Penri James, who is on the board, appeared to be a little rattled by the campaign being waged by Ble ti’n mynd i fyw. Earlier today he tweeted “I am one [i.e. a shareholder]. Who are you? Why should anyone respond to an anonymous statement? Raises a big question about who is doing this.”
Two individuals replied, pointing out that they were among 7 signatories to a letter containing the statement which they had asked Cantref to pass on to shareholders.
It would seem that either Penri James has not opened his post, or the letter has somehow gone astray…
I suppose there must be a third alternative.
Might it be possible that Cantref was subverted deliberately over a period of time thus enabling its eventual absorption by a bigger group more aligned with Welsh Government sentiments ? Does anyone have a bit of history, say 5-10 years , of comings and goings at exec/Board level ?. Ventures in new directions which have proved ill advised, poor internal project controls, downright avoidance to heeding warning signals, and more, these can all be symptoms of subversive input in a corporate setting.
I don’t think it was deliberately subverted, more a matter of bad business decisions.
Among them the money laid out for student accommodation in Aberystwyth at the very time the Uni’s reputation was tumbling and, as a consequence, student numbers were falling.
Then there were a number of smaller projects that failed to live up to expectations. Wynne Jones has kept us abreast of the development on Cardigan High Street (scroll down). My Cantref source last year said, ” . . . our new houses and flats in Felinfach are not attracting much interest either”.
What I do believe is that with better monitoring, the ‘Welsh’ Government could have protected its investment of our money by stepping in earlier and saving Cantref. Instead, the tragedy was allowed to run its course, and then, entirely coincidentally, we learn that there is a Labour-controlled housing association in Cardiff ready to pounce.
A key figure, on whom I want more information, is Cantref’s interim chair Kevin Taylor. As I wrote in the blog: “Another of the leading players in this drama remains something of a mystery. I’m referring now to the interim chair at Cantref, Kevin Taylor. (There is currently no chief executive.) It is he presumably referred to above, in the note smuggled out of Cantref, as “Cantref’s english acting chairman”.
According to his Linkedin profile Taylor was employed by Forte Hotels 1977 – 1987 then, from 1987 to 2013, he worked in Bermuda. How did this complete stranger turn up at such a critical juncture in the history of Cantref, just in time to recommend the takeover by Wales and West? Or to put it another way, who parachuted him in?”
There’s more to this than one housing association running into difficulties and another taking it over. This is deeply political. And dirty.
All those “bad business decisions” were implemented in an unmonitored fashion. – eyes completely off the ball, or too busy looking at the next fancy project to notice what’s happening, or not happening. All symptoms of defective leadership. Now who put those “leaders” in there ? who is supposed to have an overarching monitoring responsibility ? Some muppet, or several, at the lofty towers in Cardiff, and if they are planning a “development” to reduce Welshness and real community participation then there’s no better way than to allow a touch of incompetence to run out of control.
Cantref should have stuck to its original mandate and got its act together with a better understanding of community needs on its turf. Instead it swans off on a venture into student housing which is probably a smashing growth business in Cardiff with plenty of real needs to be met, but in Aber, well you know better than me that its Uni plummeted down the league tables on most performance indicators and is scratching around among borderline A level passers to fill courses.
Some schemer watching a native organisation rapidly imploding in this way would have rubbed his hands with glee as the opportunity evolves to absorb it into a bigger organisation that conforms closely with the centralist agenda.
Job done, almost
Hmm, the subject of student accommodation is a bit of a sore point in Cardiff too, as our much maligned capital city has it’s own housing woes. There seems to be a huge number of developments at the moment aimed at housing students. The big difference is thought that, as far as I’m aware, no housing association is involved in providing this student accommodation and it’s being built rather speculatively, as it’s widely believed that there is a ‘need’ for 15,000 places for students to live in Cardiff.
It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that developments aimed at students are a bit of a plague at the moment, and seem to be springing up like proverbial mushrooms. There are three such developments under construction on the relatively short walk from my home to the city centre.
Maybe I’m a cynic, but I’m just waiting for the bubble to burst, as, what with Brexit and fewer students coming from outside of the UK, and students from the UK becoming ever more hard up and not wanting to be saddled with increased debt, those companies will end up with a lot of white elephants.
There’s a tower going up in Swansea, too, but at least it seems to be a private development.
Though I’m surprised it’s up by the station at the top end of town, because Swansea Uni’s new campus and Trinity St David Innovation Quarter are both down on the waterfront.
No doubt the situation in Swansea and Cardiff is brighter as far as students are concerned, with a greater chance of finding other tenants should the supply of students falter. Because I was also told that in Aber’ a number of prominent locals – and farming families – had sunk money into buying large houses in the town for housing students.
The worry is that landlords in seaside towns can always link up with agencies blessed with a never-ending supply of ‘clients’. But these are usually the people other towns want to get rid off.
You say it seems to be a private development. There is also reference to “support from Swansea Council”. I wonder if that means financial support thus also introducing public funds into the project.
It might be worth investigating the nature of this ‘support’.
Aber could become a destination of choice for “persons no longer welcome in their own communities” especially where a 3rd sector organisation sees business opportunity in “specialising” in such relocations. Even the empties in places like Felinfach could be exploited by such enterprising and innovative thinkers !
Which is what already happens.
Following on from Sibrydionmawr’s insightful comments, it seems pretty clear that Cantref, presumably under orders from Wales and West, is less than keen to encourage shareholders to attend the meeting tomorrow. There is no mention at all on Cantref’s website of the meeting, and the most recent “news” about the association’s future was published back on 21 April. The most recent tenants’ newsletter was published back at Easter, and notes in a brief statement the departure of chief executive Lynne Sacale, who is thanked for her hard work…..
Given everything that has happened in the last few months, the near complete lack of information shows an utter contempt for tenants, staff and, crucially, suppliers.
‘Ble ti’n mynd i fyw’ have highlighted the refusal without explanation by Cantref’s board of applications by tenants and members of the public to become members, or shareholders. Members are entitled to vote at AGMs and EGMs, and this is what the association’s website says:
“We want our business to represent the people we house and the communities where we have homes. Becoming a member means you can attend and vote at our Annual General Meeting (AGM), receive our Annual Report and stand for election to the Board – meaning you can have a real say in our work.
Interested? Then you’ll need to apply. We welcome applications from tenants, other individuals, community groups and local organisations. All applications are considered by the Board. Applications from tenants wishing to become shareholders are accepted automatically.”
If it is the case that applications by tenants have been rejected, the board has acted illegally.
Blocking people from becoming shareholders, and therefore voters against the takeover, is a very worrying possibility, though a predictable tactic seeing as we’re dealing with ‘Welsh’ Labour.
I don’t see how it could be proved unless a few applicants came forward to give us their evidence. And even then, I bet
‘Welsh’ LabourWales and West would have some excuse.That said, any evidence, or testimony, would be valuable.
I don’t understand why Plaid are so quiet od these disturbing happenings(especially an old war horse like Neil Mcevoy We as a nation really.need to do something urgently to wipe this stain of the face of our land
Perhaps even more worrying that Cymdeithas yr Iaith don’t seem to have taken note of this ‘development’.
As far as Neil McEvoy is concerned, is he aware of the impending take over of Cantref by W&W? Plaid should have waded in, but what is Plaid policy when it comes to housing associations?
As usual, they remain cravenly silent when it comes to really opposing Labour’s stranglehold on Wales.
I was thinking of mentioning Plaid Cymru’s silence on the issue, but held myself back.
As for Cymdeithas yr Iaith, it’s a shadow of its former self, obsessed with trivial bits of legislation and ‘visibility’, but afraid to tackle the real problems in the real world that are killing the language.
Issues like Cantref, or the problem of locals being denied work in towns like Porthmadog and Caernarfon by supermarkets employing English staff. Which is ironic, and hypocritical, because if CyIG wants people to be able to use Welsh in their everyday lives what is more everyday than a supermarket?
But then, there always was a bourgeois / parchus tinge to Cymdeithas. They only seem to kick up a fuss over jobs when it’s jobs their members would be interested in – and that don’t include the checkout at Tesco or Morrison’s.
Though in fairness, I am told by a reliable source that Cymdeithas locally is opposing the takeover, linking with a group called ‘Ble ti’n mynd i fyw?’ (Where are you going to live?) http://bletinmyndifyw.webs.com/ @Bletinmyndifyw
Plaid runs the Ceredigion and Sir Gar councils. Aren’t Plaid people are involved in most of these housing associations? They certainly are in Gwynedd.
Yes, Plaid people were involved and, as usual, they either crept into a corner to hide or they recommended the takeover.
Sure, but the point I’m getting at is that Plaid isn’t “cravenly silent” about housing associations- they are involved in it and in running the two councils!
Participation, not silence!
So Cynog was there on whose side, the one you agree with or the mergers?
The note from your contact within Cantref refers to “no help from Pembs Housing Association as their chief executive has announced his retirement”. Is this Mr Maggs, the subject of your previous posts and is he to receive a generous lump sum “golden goodbye” from the taxpayer. I am continuing to monitor Cantref’s multi-million pound development at High Street Cardigan. The shop unit is still empty. I could never understand how social housing grant could be used to refurbish commercial premises. When the dust has settled maybe I will ask the question again.
I noticed that. The problem is that I have no way of contacting my contact. I just have to wait until he or she gets in touch again. But I’m sure you’ll make enquiries!
I should have added before pressing ‘Post Comment’ that the proposed ‘merger’ of W&W and Cantref needs to be highlighted. The very fact that there are rumours of shenanigins surrounding shareholder votes, and alleged attempts to stifle debate and block shareholder applications, (presumably from tenants as well as others) is enough to cause grave concern.
It’s particularly worrying that W&W are in line to take over Cantref which operates internally entirely in Welsh, (they were pioneers of this policy, plus had very progressive policies towards learners who applied to them for employment – something I doubt W&W will want to maintain) and in some ways is a model that I believe all housing associations in Wales should emulate, (adopting policies such as using Welsh internally would go a long way to securing that million Welsh speakers by 2050).
Already huge, W&W is set to become a real monster, as with the 1691 properties that Cantref have, W&W is set to grow to have 11,000 properties under it’s control – far too big, and it remains to be seen if they can provide adequate support from their (presumably English only) 24 hour support centre in Cardiff.
Where is the local accountability and reflection of local needs? Hopefully it will be difficult to get the 75% majority they need to approve the merger, but who knows what pressure is being put on tenant shareholders, (I suspect they are being bombarded with pro W&W propaganda). As it happens, the application form to become a tenant shareholder is still on the Cantref website, and even though it’s alleged that new applicants are not being accepted, it could be worthwhile for tenants to attempt to become shareholders, and then ask questions loudly in the local press when applications are refused.
Jac, it’s not even Cymraeg on the website, more like Sgymraeg as it’s merely auto-translated by Google Translate, or something very similar. This is even more contemptuous than providing an English only website, as it demonstrates precisely Wales & West’s attitude towards Welsh speakers. Google Translate is only suitable for very rough translations, as I’m sure you know.
Imagine the howls of protest were a Welsh language organisation to rely on Google Translate for the English version of a website!
I have been using Google Translate lately to get an understanding of what Danish newspapers have been saying about the MP for Aberavon, and I know you have to be both very careful in what you say and quite imaginative in guessing what is really meant.
Hag Harris is a Labour County Councillor in Llambed and is a Ceredigion County Council cabinet member.