A Porthmadog councillor who hit out at a lack of a ‘black and Welsh’ identity box to tick on the Census, is renewing her calls for this option, saying the equivalent is available for Scotland.

Cllr Nia Jeffreys had asked the Office for National Statistics to allow someone to identify as Welsh Black, Asian, Caribbean or African under specific sub-headings on the form.

Now she said she has discovered the option is available in Scotland, and is once again pressing for changes to the Welsh version.

She said: “I urge the ONS to change the questions on identity to how they appear on the Scottish census form.

“It is not a difficult change to make. All six local authorities as well as the health board in North Wales have made this change on the forms. There is no reason the ONS cannot make this change.”

Cllr Jeffries, who is responsible for equality at Gwynedd Council, added: “The form limits individuals’ ability to identify that they’re Welsh.

“I wrote to ONS in October to ask to make the change. There was a meeting in January to increase the pressure on them. We sent evidence from Gwynedd showing that it is possible to make the change.

“The overriding principle is to allow anyone to be able to have a box to tick to say they are Welsh, not just those who are white.”

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