Council apologises for mistranslated ‘immigrants’ comment

Dale Spridgeon Local Democracy Reporter

A councillor has received an apology after a mis-translation of his comments saw the word “immigrants” instead of “incomers” used in a report.

Peter Thomas, the Independent councillor for Llanllyfni, had been highlighting fears over the potential axing of a Gwynedd primary school, suggesting it could lead to an exodus of Welsh speaking-families from a village.

The report had recorded that Cllr Thomas had said that the closure of Ysgol Baladeulyn could result in “immigrants buying houses and making the village a foreign place”.

It was in response to news of statutory consultations over the future of Ysgol Baladeulyn, in Dyffryn Nantlle, and Ysgol Nebo, due on December 31, 2026.

It proposes Ysgol Nebo pupils moving to Ysgol Llanllyfni, and Ysgol Baladeulyn move to Ysgol Talysarn, both from January 1, 2027 onwards.

However, at the opening of Cyngor Gwynedd’s Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, November, 11, the council’s monitoring officer Iwan Evans called for a correction to the council report, and he called for a formal apology be given to Cllr Thomas.

He said concerning Ysgol Baladeulyn “in that report there was a translation of the comments made by the local member.

“Unfortunately, the translation was not entirely accurate, it was not the best translation.

“The Welsh words used by the local member was translated to say “that immigrants would move in and make it a foreign place.

“I have since spoke to a professional translation team and I am satisfied that that wasn’t a translation that accurately reflected the aims and the original words by the local member.

“The wording proposed by the professional translation team is that “incomers would move into the houses and make the village an unfamiliar place. I think that is a better reflection of what was originally intended by the local member.

“There are so many inappropriate connotations around the word ‘immigrant’.

“So, I am just asking that that correction can be included in the minutes, so there is a formal record of the correction to the translation of the local member’s original words”.

The Cabinet Member for Education Dewi Jones agreed, adding: “Throughout the process and involvement with the local member, he has behaved as a gentleman, and I think the translation of his words did not reflect his genuine feelings.

“I am very pleased to see the change, this is a much better reflection of the local member’s views”.

The council’s chief executive Dafydd Gibbard added his own apology saying: “For the purpose of the record, I would like to offer the local member an apology for the error, obviously it was a misrepresentation of his original statement, so I want a formal apology to be recorded on the minutes.”

Council Leader Cllr Nia Jeffreys added that she “fully endorsed” that, adding “I also apologise to Peter Thomas, who is doing excellent work representing his ward” and she thanked the monitoring officer for highlighting the issue”.

It was unanimously agreed to make the apology and to amend the record.