Cornish National Minority Working Group Agenda
Date: Tuesday 09 February 2021 Time: 14.00-16:00 hrs Location: Virtual meeting Chair: Cllr Dick Cole Membership: Cllr Stephen Barnes, Cllr Bert Biscoe, Cllr Malcom Brown, Cllr Dick Cole, Cllr Martin Eddy, Cllr Jesse Foot, Cllr Julian German, Cllr John Pollard, Cllr Jordan Rowse, Mary-Ann Bloomfield, Will Coleman, Ian Saltern In attendance: Matt Barton, Rebecca Cohen, Jane Cox, Paula Ruskin, Mark Trevethan
1. Welcome and apologies (Cllr Cole) 14:00
2. Minutes and matters arising from previous meeting – 08 December 2020 14:05 (Cllr Cole) 3. Census 2021 Engagement (Rebecca Cohen/Matt Barton) 14:10
4. Data audit/evidence base update (Jane Cox) 14:35
5. Empowering Cornwall: Devolution Prospectus (Matt Barton) 14:50
6. MHCLG joint working relationship (Matt Barton) 15:00
7. G7 Summit (Dick Cole) 15:10 8. ECRML: Manx language (Cllr Cole/ Mark Trevethan) 15:25 9. Public Service Broadcaster Update (Mark Trevethan) 15:35 10. Any other Business 15:45
Date of next meeting: 06 April 2021
For further information on this agenda please contact: Paula Ruskin [email protected]
Page 1 AGENDA ITEM 2 Cornish National Minority Working Group Minutes
Date: Tuesday, 08 December 2020 Time: 14.00-16:00 hrs Location: Virtual meeting Present: Cllr Dick Cole (Chair), Cllr Bert Biscoe, Cllr Malcom Brown, Cllr Julian German, Cllr John Pollard, Will Coleman, Ian Saltern. Officers: Matt Barton, Jane Cox, Kate Evan-Hughes, Paula Ruskin, Mark Trevethan. Rebecca Cohen, John Floyd, Heidi Clemo (for agenda item 3: Census 2021). Apologies: Cllr Stephen Barnes, Cllr Martin Eddy, Cllr Jesse Foot, Cllr Jordan Rowse, Mary-Ann Bloomfield.
1. Welcome and apologies
Councillor Cole welcomed everyone to the meeting. Apologies were noted as recorded above. 2. Minutes of previous meeting and matters arising
2.1 The minutes of the meeting of the Working Group held on 21 October 2020 were agreed as a true and accurate record. Matters arising and actions carried forward:
2.1.1 Public Service Broadcaster AGREED that the Cornish National Minority Working Group: (i) send a letter of support for the Cornish public service media concept to all Mark Trevethan key partners; (ii) endorse the next steps for progressing the concept (as set out in appendix A of the previously circulated report), and that Mark Trevethan develop this Mark Trevethan into a report to Economic Growth SLT; (iii) in collaboration with Mark Trevethan, develop a ‘project principles’ briefing paper to be sent to the new Director General of the BBC, copied to June Sarpong (Diversity Champion) and Helen Thomas, to include a covering letter Mark Trevethan from the Leader of the Council, endorsed by cross-party support.
2.1.2 Street Signage AGREED that Mark Trevethan liaise with Planning/Street Management/Signage Panel to refresh the ‘Developers Guide’ on street naming. Mark confirmed that this Mark Trevethan was in progress and would be available January 2021.
2.1.3 Devolution Members were thanked for their contributions to the Heritage Chapter of the Devolution Prospectus and it was NOTED that the draft document would be Matt Barton circulated to the Working Group by 11 December 2020 for comment before Christmas.
2.1.4 Fifth Cycle Report to the Council of Europe NOTED that a meeting had been convened to take place on 11 January 2021 with MHCLG officials to discuss reporting timeframes on the fifth cycle report and additional issues relating to funding and future support.
Page 2 3. Census 2021 Engagement
Rebecca Cohen provided a detailed update on the position in relation to the Census 2021.
Census Engagement Managers John Floyd (Cornwall West and Isles of Scilly) and Heidi Clemo (Cornwall North and Cornwall East) were welcomed to the meeting.
It was noted that the CEMs had been contracted until May 2021 and a key aspect of their role was to support the delivery of the Census 2021 engagement campaign to ensure that the population were made aware of their right to self- identify as Cornish – both written and online
It was reported that a meeting had taken place on 27 November 2020 in respect of the development of the Cornish campaign to run alongside the ONS campaign. It was noted that the Cornish campaign would be based on key objectives including increasing resident completions from people who identify as Cornish and building upon the pride of people who identify as Cornish.
The Cornish campaign would broadly follow the format of the campaign carried out in 2011, but would be refreshed to include newer media, for example, videos with key influencers in Cornwall/Cornish communities. It was noted that portrait photography would be used to bring stories to life, and would be used alongside bus shelter advertising, social media posts and newsletters. Radio advertising was also being considered. The campaign would focus on key population groups who had been identified as potentially facing barriers to completion, these were – Eastern European, older people, those without online access, those on low income, homeless/rough sleepers, Cornish National Minority. Consideration was also being given to extending the reach beyond Cornwall, to encourage people living outside Cornwall to type in Cornish.
It was noted that a follow up meeting was to take place with ONS representatives before Christmas, and a more detailed preview of the engagement campaign would be available in January 2021.
Discussion took place in respect of funding and it was noted that the Cornish campaign had been costed at £17K (£10K from the Cornish Cultural Fund) with a request that the ONS make up the £7K shortfall.
A request was made that, in addition to engagement on the Cornish identity question, the Cornish engagement campaign also take account of the Language question, due to data on the number of Cornish speakers being the figure used to determine future language funding, and our future use of Census data as a baseline for identifying the impact in growth of the language work.
It was AGREED that: (i) a preliminary list of key influencers/organisations to engage with going forwards be circulated to the Working Group, and that members send Rebecca Cohen/ ideas for any additional key contacts to Rebecca Cohen. Working Group (ii) a detailed communications plan be reported to the next meeting of the Rebecca Cohen Working Group.
Rebecca, Heidi and John were thanked for their informative update.
4. Education Project Update
Page 3 Kate Evan-Hughes invited members to note the contents of the previously circulated report and draft position statement, providing a detailed update on progress in relation to the development of a Cornish curriculum for schools.
It was noted that the position statement had been developed to help schools plan and implement a school curriculum in Cornwall that recognises the unique elements of Cornish culture and language, and would be further developed through good practice in the form of case studies.
Discussion ensued in respect of links between the school curriculum and the Council’s Creative Manifesto in respect of creating opportunities for local people to deliver content. It was reported that a planning tool was also in development for people who wanted to provide resources to schools in order to support the curriculum.
Concern was raised in respect of quality assurance of learning materials, and whether Ofsted would be supportive of the proposal. It was reported that robust quality assurance would be carried out by the Education Reference Group, and peer group appraisal. It was noted, however, that the Education Department would welcome peer reviewers from the Cornish National Minority Working Group membership if anyone with an interest would wish to become involved. It was also reported that an expectation of Ofsted was that the national curriculum should be localised to take into account the specific requirements and cultural heritage of the region in which it is being presented. It was noted that the Education Department would be working closely with Wales to understand how the Welsh curriculum had been developed in collaboration with Ofsted.
It was noted that the conversation around the framework for the Cornish curriculum would be launched in schools during March 2021, giving teachers an insight into how they might develop their curriculum, with the expectation that it would evolve and grow over time. Future school monitoring assessments would be looking for evidence of Cornish curriculum development during subsequent monitoring visits, and schools would be supported
It was AGREED that: (i) Working Group members be invited to provide additional feedback on the previously circulated Position Statement to Kate Evan-Hughes by email; Working Group (ii) Kate Evan-Hughes be invited to the meeting of the Working Group on the 8th February 2021 to provide a further update. Paula Ruskin
Kate was thanked for her informative update.
5. Draft Cornish National Minority Working Group Action Plan
Paula Ruskin invited members to comment on the contents of the previously circulated draft Action Plan. Initial comments were as follows: • the plan was easier to read than the previous action plan, but needs to communicate more clearly what the FCPNM can do for the Cornish in engaging, Plain English terms; • a specific comment was made in relation to Outcome 3 – 3.1 should refer to a ‘Cornish Curriculum framework’; • need to include timescales etc (what, why, how, when);
Page 4 • it is our work plan – do we need to develop something to sit alongside it that is front facing?
Officers emphasised that the Action Plan had been developed to provide a focus to the work of the Group drawing together all the different strands of work and taking into account the recommendations of the Fourth Cycle Opinion of the Council of Europe. It includes actions that could be taken by Cornwall Council and its partners to support the implementation of the principles of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional Minority Languages.
It was noted that Outcome 4: ‘Develop a Co-ordinated approach to Communication and Engagement’ included a specific action at 4.4 to ‘Support the development of a Communications Strategy to raise awareness of the FCPNM and ECML with Council staff, members and the public’. It was proposed that this Communications strategy would provide the detail to demonstrate how the Working Group would communicate its message to the wider community and beyond. Working Group
It was AGREED that members of the Working Group provide further additional feedback on the previously circulated Action Plan to Paula Ruskin by email.
6. Data audit / evidence base
Jane Cox summarised progress in relation to data collection by the Council relating to staff and service users, and also more widely with public sector colleagues and other organisations, seeking evidence of the data that was being collected.
Cornwall Council: An Equality Monitoring campaign is underway to encourage Council staff to supply their equality information – workforce data will be available in early 2021 detailing the numbers self-identifying as Cornish. A further study is underway to ascertain which Council services are collecting data in respect of their service users, and how this relates to customer satisfaction. The Council has clear guidance on information that should be collected (both in short/long-term format).
Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust: Currently in contact with the Information Governance Team to release NHS workforce data; discussions are ongoing regarding release of patient data.
Devon and Cornwall Police: Cornish data is not currently collected due to data categories for the force being set by the Home Office. Further follow up is ongoing regarding collection of data in relation to Hate Crime.
Citizens Advice Cornwall: The CAB system allows the capture of ethnicity data against pre-defined census codes, which do not currently include Cornish.
University of Exeter (Cornwall Campus): No data collected with regards to staff, however, the University recognised the importance of such data collection.
Diocese of Truro: Are keen to improve their equality information, acknowledging the importance that the Diocese of Truro is aware of its own distinctive Cornish identity and heritage. In contact with their HR Director to take discussions forward. Jane was thanked for her informative update and will discuss necessary follow-up with the Chair.
Page 5 7. Cornish National Minority Engagement Forum
Cllr Cole reported that the first Cornish National Minority Engagement Forum had taken place on 18 November 2020. It had been launched as part of the Council’s ‘The Cornwall We Want’ campaign which had so far heard back from over 4000 residents about their views and ideas.
It was reported that the initial focus group had been a useful event for listening to the views of representatives from the Cornish National Minority, and that that this focus group would be the first of a regular series of meetings for organisations and individuals to feed their views, particularly about the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. The next meeting is planned for early in the New Year. 8. Strengthening ties between Cornwall and Wales
Cllr German reported upon plans that were underway in respect of strengthening the relationship between Cornwall and Wales as a potential route for further devolution, building upon the success of the Cornwall deal.
It was noted that the Leader had been in correspondence with Mark Drakeford, First Minister for Wales, and Mike Hedges MS to discuss potential opportunities for joint working and how Cornwall could learn from Wales on the path to devolution. It was reported that the use of secondary legislation had been particularly important in helping Wales to expand their powers, and that Cornwall was currently exploring environmental devolution asks around tackling climate change. Welsh in discussions about further devolution at the moment – we can learn from that.
Discussion took place in respect of how this course of action may be perceived by Westminster. It was however, acknowledged that the UK Government had failed to honour its commitments to Cornwall under the Framework Convention and therefore strengthening our ties with Wales could only be a benefit to us.
It was also noted that the Leader would be meeting with the President of Brittany on 09 December 2020 to ensure that Cornwall’s relationship with Brittany continued post-Brexit. 9. Any other business
There were no items of additional business. 12. Date of next meeting
Tuesday, 09 February 2021 at 2:00pm (MS Teams meeting). The meeting closed at 3:45pm.
Page 6 AGENDA ITEM 8 United Kingdom & Germany Extend Protection of Minority Languages
“The United Kingdom and Germany have extended the protection they accord to minority languages under the Council of Europe’s Language Charter (ECRML). This is the first time since 2008 that State Parties have accepted additional undertakings under this treaty.
“On 23 December 2020, the United Kingdom notified the Council of Europe that it would significantly strengthen the protection and promotion of the Manx Gaelic language in respect of the territory of the Isle of Man. With the new decision, the Isle of Man authorities will implement 37 specific promotional measures covering, for example, pre-school education in Manx Gaelic and the possibility to submit documents and applications in the language to authorities. In addition, Manx Gaelic shall be used in broadcasts, the press, cultural activities, economic and social life, and cross-border cooperation.
“The extension of the protection under the Charter to Manx Gaelic reflects the successful revival of this Celtic language, which was extinct in the 1970s” the Secretariat of the Language Charter stressed.
“On 6 January 2021, Germany notified the Council of Europe that it has accepted additional undertakings under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages regarding Danish, North Frisian and Low German in the Land Schleswig-Holstein. The additional commitments cover administrative documents, place names and cultural activities. The Council of Europe encourages States Parties to regularly review their level of commitment under the Charter so as to reflect improvements in the situation of their regional or minority languages.”
From: BERT BISCOE
Hi All,
Seems to me that the investments being acceded to in Man offer an interesting comparison. Man is a self-governing British Crown Dependency. Whilst Kernow is not self-governing (more's the pity) it does hold a delegation for the UK Government to lead on developing and protecting Kernewek. Although not an island it has many characteristics of such, including the survival of a native language - survival which I think has been significantly contributed by Kernow's discrete geography and the resulting culture, settlement pattern, external engagements - its peripherality.
Whilst the governance arrangements are different, Mannin falls under the British Crown and it would be reasonable to expect that measures provided to support and protect a language there should be equalled in Cornwall (or indeed in any other minority language region under the aegis of the Crown).
I wonder if this may not be a matter to be taken up with the officials who are heading towards Julian - in comparison, and looking at measures which I think are now in hand in N Ireland, Kerewnek is beginning to look like a lagging language!
Best wishes B
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