A challenge to the council - purplecurly (26th Oct 2007 - 09:27:27)
A challenge to the council
TELL US WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO THE PASSFIELD MONEY
We all know that the two developers [Squires Bridge Homes & Elsmore Construction] had to give money to the council as a pre-requisite to getting permission to build.
We were told that this was to build a traffic island and make safe pedestrian access to the new road ‘The Warren’ (currently used as the bus stop).
This money has been sitting in the council’s bank account earning a tidy some of interest during the subsequent years, yet – none of the promised improvements have arrived. (I am not counting the TOTALLY useless bit of red paint at the end of Hollywater Road – which is clearly never going to address the speed of traffic along the Passfield straight and the dangerous nature of the junction).
When asked directly about it, the Parish Council directed me to the National Trust – to lobby them to give their permission – however, in the light of the truth – THAT NO APPLICATIONS TO BUILD SAID SAFETY ISLAND OR LAY PAVEMENT has ever been received by the National Trust…
I would like to know what has really happened to this money.
We as residents of Passfield have been completely hoodwinked.
We were promised this ‘sweetener’ to make the bitter pill of new development easier to swallow. We have swallowed the new development – GIVE US WHAT YOU PROMISED US.
WHERE IS THE MONEY?
This is a matter of public interest and these discussions should be held in a public forum – not behind closed doors.
Who is to blame for this shameful inaction and subsequent cover up?
PC
Re: A challenge to the council - Sue (26th Oct 2007 - 12:47:58)
PC
Do you not have a local resident newly placed on the Parish Council, who if I recall did an excellent job on the playground. Have you approached her (Nikki) on this subject? I am sure to have someone within the closed doors could be very helpful in this case.
Sue
Re: A challenge to the council - Janet (26th Oct 2007 - 22:40:18)
Could we not invoke the Freedom of Information Act and demand the information from the council? How does one go about doing this? By letter?
The government's own DirectGov website says
"The FOI gives you the right to ask any public body for all the information they have on any subject you choose. Also, unless there’s a good reason, the organisation must provide the information within a month".
