Save Cally Park campaign: Leak reveals councillors sabotage of public consultation into Cally Park visitor centre
Save Cally Park campaign: Leak reveals councillors sabotage of public consultation into Cally Park visitor centre
A draft document leaked from Islington Town Hall has revealed that councillors, and council officers, have for five months, hidden the results of a public survey into the Caledonian Park Visitor Centre, which went two-to-one against their scheme.
The 38 page document was leaked to Mike Power, a member of Save Cally Park campaign, and vice chair of Clocktower Resident’s Group. He says that the document exposes how 367 people responded to the public survey, of which 227 (nearly 62%) were hostile to the Council’s scheme. “Councillors, desperate to secure a £2.3million Heritage Lottery Fund grant, and the endorsement of Historic England to restore Caledonian Park clock tower, and build a visitor centre, have sabotaged their own public consultation, which opposed their scheme”, he claims.
The leaked document, is entitled “Caledonian Park Clocktower & Visitor Centre Project” and subtitled “July 2015 feedback summary”. It also reveals how councillors undermined the wishes and opinions of Islington’s people by secretly carrying out their own petition in support of their scheme. They did so at the same time as the Council’s public survey was in progress. They then argued that their petition had the same weight as the full public consultation, using this argument they intend to bulldoze ahead with building a visitor centre at the park’s Northern gate.
Mike Power said: “This was a blatant political stunt by our councillors. The councillors collected over 200 signatures, certainly from Labour Party members and supporters. It was done secretly with no publicity. There has been no public information about this so-called councillor-led petition, or about it being submitted to the Council. We haven’t seen the petition and haven’t been able to comment on it.”
Bridget Stark, who began the Save Cally Park campaign said: “Our petition was a public campaign, which ran for over four months. The campaign involved collections of signatures in the park and door-to-door. Shopkeepers in Brecknock Road and York Way put up posters and collected signatures, and many local people offered their active support. Posters and leaflets were distributed, also online and local press campaigns were carried out. This was a genuine community campaign, not some hole-in-the-corner political manoeuvre.”
Power said: “The councillors and council officers colluded in this sordid act because they were concerned at the successful impact of Save Cally Park’s public campaign. We gathered some 750 signatures of park users and local residents, to our petition calling on Islington Council to reconsider building the visitor centre at the park’s northern gate. And we asked for proper public dialogue. But we have been ignored for months”.
Sharon Jobe, Chair of the Clocktower Resident’s Group said: “The council are treating us like fools. We have not had a meaningful answer to a unanimous resolution passed by our Group on 9 November. We asked to see the survey results and for a proper dialogue. Instead the Council have all along been plotting how to railroad through their own scheme regardless of the views of our community.”
Power said: “Our councillors have engaged in a truly disingenuous and dishonest political act. Islington Labour Party’s political steamroller has been used to crush the aims and wishes of local residents and Cally Park users. They have deliberately kept local people in the dark for five months. They are now preparing to slip through an internal Town Hall planning application to build the visitor centre at the Northern gate. Councillors and council officers have now colluded to ride roughshod over the local community.
"Islington Council expected the July 2015 public survey to go against their scheme, and they now claim that this councillor-led petition reflects the real feelings of local people. They also have the temerity to claim that those who signed the councillor-led petition probably thought that they need not complete the official public survey. And that if they had signed the official survey they could be added to the ‘in favour’ total. So much for ‘Straight Talking and Honest Politics’.”
Further information from: Mike Power 07540 330 901, or 020 7700 5110
The leaked document, is entitled “Caledonian Park Clocktower & Visitor Centre Project” and subtitled “July 2015 feedback summary”. It also reveals how councillors undermined the wishes and opinions of Islington’s people by secretly carrying out their own petition in support of their scheme. They did so at the same time as the Council’s public survey was in progress. They then argued that their petition had the same weight as the full public consultation, using this argument they intend to bulldoze ahead with building a visitor centre at the park’s Northern gate.
Mike Power said: “This was a blatant political stunt by our councillors. The councillors collected over 200 signatures, certainly from Labour Party members and supporters. It was done secretly with no publicity. There has been no public information about this so-called councillor-led petition, or about it being submitted to the Council. We haven’t seen the petition and haven’t been able to comment on it.”
Bridget Stark, who began the Save Cally Park campaign said: “Our petition was a public campaign, which ran for over four months. The campaign involved collections of signatures in the park and door-to-door. Shopkeepers in Brecknock Road and York Way put up posters and collected signatures, and many local people offered their active support. Posters and leaflets were distributed, also online and local press campaigns were carried out. This was a genuine community campaign, not some hole-in-the-corner political manoeuvre.”
Power said: “The councillors and council officers colluded in this sordid act because they were concerned at the successful impact of Save Cally Park’s public campaign. We gathered some 750 signatures of park users and local residents, to our petition calling on Islington Council to reconsider building the visitor centre at the park’s northern gate. And we asked for proper public dialogue. But we have been ignored for months”.
Sharon Jobe, Chair of the Clocktower Resident’s Group said: “The council are treating us like fools. We have not had a meaningful answer to a unanimous resolution passed by our Group on 9 November. We asked to see the survey results and for a proper dialogue. Instead the Council have all along been plotting how to railroad through their own scheme regardless of the views of our community.”
Power said: “Our councillors have engaged in a truly disingenuous and dishonest political act. Islington Labour Party’s political steamroller has been used to crush the aims and wishes of local residents and Cally Park users. They have deliberately kept local people in the dark for five months. They are now preparing to slip through an internal Town Hall planning application to build the visitor centre at the Northern gate. Councillors and council officers have now colluded to ride roughshod over the local community.
"Islington Council expected the July 2015 public survey to go against their scheme, and they now claim that this councillor-led petition reflects the real feelings of local people. They also have the temerity to claim that those who signed the councillor-led petition probably thought that they need not complete the official public survey. And that if they had signed the official survey they could be added to the ‘in favour’ total. So much for ‘Straight Talking and Honest Politics’.”
Further information from: Mike Power 07540 330 901, or 020 7700 5110
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