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Pontins in human rights probe after ‘blacklisting 40 common surnames’ – see list

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The owner of Pontins, Britannia Jinky Jersey Limited, has been accused of using an “undesirable guests” list of names including Boylan, Corcoran, Doherty to stop Gypsies and Travellers attending

The equalities watchdog says it has concerns Pontins is still discriminating against Gypsies and Travellers

The equalities watchdog has launched a formal investigation into holiday park firm Pontins over “continued concerns” it is discriminating against Gypsy and Traveller guests.

In March last year, the owner of Pontins, Britannia Jinky Jersey Limited, entered into a 12-month legal agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to prevent racial discrimination.

It came after a whistleblower revealed it was using an “undesirable guests” list to exclude Gypsies and Travellers and was operating a discriminatory bookings policy.

An unnamed Pontins employee blew the whistle last year, prompting an EHRC investigation.

Have you had an experience at Pontins you’d like to share? Email [email protected]







The Pontins hoiiday camp in Prestatyn, North Wales
(

Image:

Daily Post Wales)

A message printed alongside the blacklist, first reported on by i News, told staff: “Please be aware that several guests are unwelcome at Pontins, however some of these will still try and book – especially during school holidays.

“We have been informed by our Operations Director that we do not want these guests on our parks.”

Among the 40 names included on the blacklist were Boylan, Corcoran, Doherty, McGuiness and O’Brian.

The EHRC verified the claims and said practices included a list of Irish surnames published on its intranet page, with staff required to block potential customers with those names from booking.

It said staff monitored calls and refused or cancelled bookings made by people with an Irish accent or surname, while Pontins’ commercial vehicle policy excluded Gypsies and Travellers from its holiday parks.

By declining to provide its services to guests of a certain race or ethnic group, Pontins was “directly discriminating on the basis of race” and breached the 2010 Equality Act, the EHRC said.

On Thursday, the watchdog said it ended the agreement in February after alerting Pontins to potential breaches of the agreement.

  1. Boylan
  2. Boyle
  3. Carney
  4. Carr
  5. Cash
  6. Connors
  7. Corcoran
  8. Delaney
  9. Doherty
  10. Dorran
  11. Gallagher
  12. Horan
  13. Keefe
  14. Kell
  15. Leahy
  16. Lee
  17. Maclaughlin
  18. McAlwick
  19. McCully
  20. McDonagh
  21. McGinley
  22. McGinn
  23. McGuiness
  24. McHarg
  25. McLaughan
  26. McMahon
  27. Millighan
  28. Mongans
  29. Murphy
  30. Nolan
  31. O’Brien
  32. O’Connell
  33. O’Donnell
  34. O’Donoghue
  35. O’Mahoney
  36. O’Reilly
  37. Sheriadan
  38. Stokes
  39. Walch
  40. Ward

It said it has opened a formal investigation, as it was “not satisfied that Pontins was taking the required steps to prevent unlawful discrimination from occurring”.

It is “still concerned” about how the “undesirable guests” list is used and the way services are provided to the Gypsy and Traveller community, the watchdog said.







The holiday park is being investigated Equality and Human Rights Commission
(

Image:

Daily Post Wales)

Investigators will look to make a formal finding on whether Pontins has committed unlawful acts under the Equality Act by discriminating against Gypsy and Traveller guests through its booking policies and record-keeping.

This includes looking at whether a booking policy requirement that prospective guests are on the electoral register directly or indirectly discriminates on the basis of race.

EHRC chief executive Marcial Boo said: “Any business that refuses to provide services to guests due to their race or ethnic group is likely to be breaking equality law.

“We signed a legally binding agreement with Pontins last year, which we expected to address our concerns about discriminatory behaviour.

“The company’s failure to comply has left us with no choice but to use stronger enforcement powers to investigate further.

“The EHRC will continue to use all legal powers at its disposal to ensure that no one experiences racism, whether at a holiday park or elsewhere, simply because of their name, ethnicity or the community they belong to.”

The investigation is expected to take months.

Britannia Jinky Jersey Limited has been approached for comment.

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The owner of Pontins, Britannia Jinky Jersey Limited, has been accused of using an "undesirable guests" list of names including Boylan, Corcoran, Doherty to stop Gypsies and Travellers attending

The equalities watchdog says it has concerns Pontins is still discriminating against Gypsies and Travellers
The equalities watchdog says it has concerns Pontins is still discriminating against Gypsies and Travellers

The equalities watchdog has launched a formal investigation into holiday park firm Pontins over "continued concerns" it is discriminating against Gypsy and Traveller guests.

In March last year, the owner of Pontins, Britannia Jinky Jersey Limited, entered into a 12-month legal agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to prevent racial discrimination.

It came after a whistleblower revealed it was using an "undesirable guests" list to exclude Gypsies and Travellers and was operating a discriminatory bookings policy.

An unnamed Pontins employee blew the whistle last year, prompting an EHRC investigation.

Have you had an experience at Pontins you'd like to share? Email [email protected]







The Pontins hoiiday camp in Prestatyn, North Wales
(

Image:

Daily Post Wales)

A message printed alongside the blacklist, first reported on by i News, told staff: "Please be aware that several guests are unwelcome at Pontins, however some of these will still try and book – especially during school holidays.

"We have been informed by our Operations Director that we do not want these guests on our parks."

Among the 40 names included on the blacklist were Boylan, Corcoran, Doherty, McGuiness and O'Brian.

The EHRC verified the claims and said practices included a list of Irish surnames published on its intranet page, with staff required to block potential customers with those names from booking.

It said staff monitored calls and refused or cancelled bookings made by people with an Irish accent or surname, while Pontins' commercial vehicle policy excluded Gypsies and Travellers from its holiday parks.

By declining to provide its services to guests of a certain race or ethnic group, Pontins was "directly discriminating on the basis of race" and breached the 2010 Equality Act, the EHRC said.

On Thursday, the watchdog said it ended the agreement in February after alerting Pontins to potential breaches of the agreement.

  1. Boylan
  2. Boyle
  3. Carney
  4. Carr
  5. Cash
  6. Connors
  7. Corcoran
  8. Delaney
  9. Doherty
  10. Dorran
  11. Gallagher
  12. Horan
  13. Keefe
  14. Kell
  15. Leahy
  16. Lee
  17. Maclaughlin
  18. McAlwick
  19. McCully
  20. McDonagh
  21. McGinley
  22. McGinn
  23. McGuiness
  24. McHarg
  25. McLaughan
  26. McMahon
  27. Millighan
  28. Mongans
  29. Murphy
  30. Nolan
  31. O'Brien
  32. O'Connell
  33. O'Donnell
  34. O'Donoghue
  35. O'Mahoney
  36. O'Reilly
  37. Sheriadan
  38. Stokes
  39. Walch
  40. Ward

It said it has opened a formal investigation, as it was "not satisfied that Pontins was taking the required steps to prevent unlawful discrimination from occurring".

It is "still concerned" about how the "undesirable guests" list is used and the way services are provided to the Gypsy and Traveller community, the watchdog said.







The holiday park is being investigated Equality and Human Rights Commission
(

Image:

Daily Post Wales)

Investigators will look to make a formal finding on whether Pontins has committed unlawful acts under the Equality Act by discriminating against Gypsy and Traveller guests through its booking policies and record-keeping.

This includes looking at whether a booking policy requirement that prospective guests are on the electoral register directly or indirectly discriminates on the basis of race.

EHRC chief executive Marcial Boo said: "Any business that refuses to provide services to guests due to their race or ethnic group is likely to be breaking equality law.

"We signed a legally binding agreement with Pontins last year, which we expected to address our concerns about discriminatory behaviour.

"The company's failure to comply has left us with no choice but to use stronger enforcement powers to investigate further.

"The EHRC will continue to use all legal powers at its disposal to ensure that no one experiences racism, whether at a holiday park or elsewhere, simply because of their name, ethnicity or the community they belong to."

The investigation is expected to take months.

Britannia Jinky Jersey Limited has been approached for comment.

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