Northop Hall clerk hits back at ‘hateful’ North Korea comments over ‘Pig Holding’ name change
The clerk of Northop Hall Community Council has spoken out against “offensive and hateful” comments after a row broke out over the village’s proposed Welsh name, Pentre-moch.
Sharon Swift posted a statement on the Northop Hall News Link Facebook group, saying she would not tolerate any more abuse directed at her personally.
The row follows this week’s reports on a request from Northop Hall Community Council to formally adopt Pentre-moch, which translates as “pig holding,” as the village’s official Welsh name alongside Northop Hall.
“I will not tolerate any more offensive and hateful comments directed at me,” Ms Swift said.
“I am not paid enough money to put up with them and I am just doing my job.”
Ms Swift said the “final straw” was one resident comparing the council’s handling of the issue to North Korea.
“This implies a totalitarian community council with a dictatorship, censorship and no human rights,” she said.
“We do not rule the village, we seek views, we consult, we share information, we try to make the village a better place for residents.”
Ms Swift said she was “shocked” at the level of hostility the issue had generated, and said nothing was being forced on residents.
She has also apologised for a delay in telling residents about the recent decision-making process, after some said they first heard about it through national media.
Ms Swift said a notice should have gone out to residents on 29 June, when the community council was told by Flintshire County Council that a press release was going out on 2 July.
She said the delay was because of the Annual Accounts, which were due to be submitted to External Audit by Monday 7 July.
Some residents have questioned how much the consultation and process has cost, though no figure has been published.
Ms Swift said the costs involved were minimal and were largely absorbed within her existing salaried hours.
She said any future consultations may require photographic evidence or a signature to confirm receipt of flyers.
Northop Hall grew up around a farm called Pentre Moch, with newspaper articles from the 19th century referring to the settlement by that name.
The Welsh Language Commissioner‘s Place-names Standardisation Panel says Pentre-moch is the only Welsh name with a clear historical basis for the village, and the only one that has remained in current use.
Other names, including Neuadd Llaneurgain, were considered and rejected during the process.
The panel’s report acknowledges that some residents have sought a more “respectable” alternative over the years, but says the name is descriptive rather than derogatory.
Northop Hall Community Council consulted every household on the proposal in April 2025.
According to figures shared by the council, 142 households responded, a response rate of 18.6 per cent, with 238 individual residents submitting a response.
Of those, 186 residents voted in favour of Pentre-moch and 52 voted against.
The council said two responses were excluded because residency could not be verified, and a further five were excluded because the respondents did not live in the village.
Northop Hall Community Council says the process was reviewed by Flintshire County Council officers, who checked the results against the electoral roll and removed any instances of multiple voting.
Some residents have said they were never contacted about the consultation that led to the request.
Ms Swift has said every household received a flyer about the consultation.
The request was considered by Flintshire County Council’s Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Thursday, ahead of a decision by Cabinet.
In an earlier post explaining the background to the consultation, Ms Swift asked residents to accept the outcome either way.
“If Pentre-moch is approved, please either embrace this decision or respect it,” she wrote.
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