KIRKBY RESIDENTS ACTION GROUP
OPENING STATEMENT
My name is Tony Barton and I have lived in Kirkby for over forty years. I am a family man, a homeowner and a Knowsley Council tax payer.
I have two children, one in full time education in Kirkby and the other, having finished her education in Kirkby is in university
I have worked in the Community and Voluntary sector for over ten years.
In this time I have worked on hundreds of community projects with thousands of local people. I have seen first hand, as a Resident and Community worker, the change and growth of Community spirit in Kirkby and the great strides people who live and work here have made.
It is not perfect by any means, but it is a far better place to live than many parts of Merseyside and I daresay the rest of the country.
I’ve been asked to come here today to make the opening speech on behalf of the KRAG coalition.
I’m very honoured to be given the opportunity of addressing this Inquiry and pleased that the Residents and Traders have finally got a chance to express our views and objections publicly regarding this controversial scheme.
The people who make up the KRAG coalition are as follows:
Kirkby Residents Action Group
Women for Kirkby’s Future
1st 4 Kirkby
The Grange Residents
Spicer Grove/Eagle’s Court alliance
There are links and relationships between these groups, not only because we all agree that this scheme is so questionable and so wrong for Kirkby, but also because we care passionately what happens to our Town. We have never had, and still do not have a hidden agenda and are purely made up of the original Kirkby Residents who are in support of progress. But not at any price.
We all feel that the regeneration should be appropriate to the needs of Kirkby people and not for the benefit of a multi- million and multi- billion pound business. We have always been open and honest and always behaved in a respectful and polite manner, which hasn’t always been easy, especially with the animosity and threatening behaviour which has sometimes been shown by some of those claiming to support the proposed development. However this has merely strengthened our resolve and made us stronger, and actually added to the passion of the people against the reinvention of Kirkby. Because that’s what this is all about: The reinvention of Kirkby under the guise of “Regeneration”.
The scheme has been called “the Redevelopment of the Town Centre”, when it is not, as anyone can see, the town centre they want to build on at all, but land and homes to the south of the Town Centre.
That land includes Green open spaces enjoyed by the community, used for recreation and healthy activities, and 70 plus homes lived in by ordinary families of all ages, many with children and grandchildren, wishing to be left alone and live their lives in peace. I would suggest that is not too much to ask?
Many of these people, who have had the threat of losing their homes through CPOs hang over them for over 18 months, are actually part of the coalition and regularly attend KRAG meetings in order to find out any information or simply discuss their concerns with someone who will listen, shows understanding and is sympathetic to the terrifying and stressful situation they have found themselves in.
These people, alongside the Residents in the 70 plus homes on the other side of the green open space who will be directly affected by this monstrosity due to their houses being situated right in the firing line so to speak, have made it perfectly clear to those concerned that they will not go down without a fight, and it is up to myself and others in this coalition to make sure that we do our best in this Inquiry to bring to light what has actually been going on for the last 18 months regarding this unpopular and flawed proposal. But it is not just these people we are concerned with.
This development will have a detrimental impact on every man, woman, child, cat and dog in Kirkby should it be passed.
Simply put
We are here to represent the vocal and visible majority.
2. What we’ve done (past)
In January 2007, after a meeting with a senior council officer who told us “no Everton, no tesco, no tesco, no regeneration” myself and the other attendees spoke of our disquiet and discomfort with what had just been said to us. We were also told at that same meeting that we, as a community would be able to say no to the development if we did not agree with the proposals.
How hollow that promise was.
As a result of that meeting, myself and some other community and voluntary sector workers decided to do some fact finding and in April 2007set up four consultations in the Kirkby area. This was to gauge public opinion about the potential proposed development and give a chance to those who did not know anything about it some information regarding what had been discussed.
We were staggered by the response. Hundreds turned up, including some disgruntled and agitated local councillors who kept repeating that we were scaremongering and giving out false information. Oh the irony!
The results of our consultation were clear: 96% of the people who responded felt that this development would absolutely have an adverse effect on their lives. We then decided to hold a public meeting and invited all the Residents and Traders. The local Councillors and our MP were also invited to speak. Unfortunately none of them decided to show up.
It was after this well-attended meeting that Kirkby Residents Action Group was formed in order to campaign o behalf of the residents who felt they were not being represented by their councillors. KRAG campaigned for residents to have a vote on such an important life affecting issue. The shorthand for this was for the council to actually really listen to the residents.
We were told in no uncertain terms that a referendum would not take place and anyhow the issues were too complex for us to understand.
The bad feeling and concerns regarding the proposal were made clear again during the councils own “consultation” exercise in the Kirkby Suite in June 2007, where people were asked by KRAG to fill in an exit poll as they came out of the presentation. The poll simply asked “Do you want a football stadium in your town”? The results again speak for themselves. ¾ of the people who participated said NO. There were continuing concerns voiced that the consultation exercise carried out by the council did not even mention a football stadium.
After this KRAG went into overdrive, holding public meetings which were well attended, one by over 500 people one wintery night last year.
Petition after petition was signed by hundreds upon hundreds of concerned and angry residents. Thousands of leaflets were posted time and again to all the houses in Kirkby stating that all views, for and against the development were welcome and that KRAG was inclusive, not exclusive and was absolutely resident led. From day one Councillors and council officers were invited to speak at any meeting. Some councillors did eventually turn up to a couple of meetings and were treated with respect and courtesy. As was George Howarth, our MP, who, although frustrating residents with his claim of being impartial, then coming down squarely in favour of the scheme, could, and some say should have been mistreated and abused. This however did not happen as KRAG has always maintained a responsible civil approach to such a highly contentious issue. From KRAG, the KTA and the Women for Kirkby’s future was born and of course the political party 1st 4 Kirkby who narrowly missed out on a seat on the council by 16 votes. Such was the anger and frustration at the behaviour of the local councillors.
All of the endless work people have done of behalf of KRAG, and indeed all the members of the coalition, has been done on a voluntary basis completely without pay. Fund raising events to get money for ongoing costs were attended and people from different backgrounds and of different ages gave what they could. Such is the passion and belief that this development is absolutely wrong for Kirkby. I myself, if only had been paid a pound an hour, would have had enough money to go on a nice holiday.
The thought that this development was wrong for Kirkby on so many levels has often been expressed in a more private way in discreet, yet honest conversations by the council’s own planning officers who, for obvious reasons cannot state their opposition of the scheme for fear of them losing their jobs. During this time of uncertainty and disillusionment due to the scheme it is interesting to see that two of the major players in this development are no longer in post: Helen France, once a senior regeneration officer of Knowsley council and Keith Wyness the former CEO of Everton. If we add on to these two the 50 plus staff from the Cherryfield Nursing Home and the 20 plus staff from the Dickie Lewises pub, both of which were bought by tesco and are now tinned up and derelict, it shows us the impact the proposed development is having on jobs.
Though not in creating them.
Yet another blow for the “Desperation Kirkby” team who seem to add another 1,000 jobs every time the scheme is under pressure!
3. The future?
So after 18 months of uncertainty, fear and frustration we’re finally here in the Public Inquiry, and though you and your team are most welcome in our Town (I hope you are enjoying your stay) I can’t help feeling that I wish we hadn’t met. I do not wish to cause offence with that statement, but simply mean that if this wretched and contentious idea would not have gone this far then you would not have had to come here and be listening to the whole sorry saga.
And here we are left with a whole load of “If onlys” I’m afraid.
If only George Howarth and Peter Kilfoyle, the MPs for Knowsley and Walton had not met up with representatives from LCC and KMBC in January 06 when the idea of EFC moving out of Walton and up to Knowsley was put forward
If only Tesco wouldn’t have been asked to become a partner, or even declined the offer to get involved
If only KMBC would have listened when Residents said loudly and clearly: “we want regeneration without a 50,000 seater football stadium and all the problems it brings
If only, if only…
On and on the list goes, missed opportunities and wasted chances. The opportunity to get behind true regeneration with real benefits for future generations. The chance to build on the community spirit already existing and make Kirkby a destination, not for thousands of drunken football fans or millions of out of town shoppers, but for people who want to make a life for themselves, to bring a family up in a green, clean and proud town.
A place with history and heritage. A place which boasted home grown sporting champions and legends.
A place which was once a centre of sporting excellence with a spot on the world map, never mind the region.
Instead we’re stuck with one of the most objected to pieces of planning ever seen in this country, passed by a council which has consistently refused to listen to reason.
This is not an anti-council rant by the way. Or anti-tesco, or anti Everton for that matter. Our council has done many good things for the community.
This just happens to be a mistake that they must eventually admit, if only to themselves. In the meantime the residents of Knowsley are still paying for this mistake, to the tune of £632,000 so far and according to recent council cabinet reports, another 3 million and 75 thousand pounds in the next year. That over 3 million 700 thousand pounds overall to be spent on this fiasco.
I say fiasco because what else would we call something that has had so much time, energy and money spent on it only for it to be called in and scrutinised because of the sheer weight of objections and vast number of contraventions it has to local, regional and national planning policy, the Regional spatial strategy, even our own UDP! The most scandalous and unforgivable part is that the applicants knew that the plan was fatally flawed from the very beginning but in their arrogance and sheer obstinacy chose to push on, disregarding any and every reasonable objection. The money I and all the other council taxpayers of Knowsley are paying for these learned and privileged people facing, to fight the residents is in itself outrageous and obscene. I and many, many others believe it has brought shame on Kirkby which has been highlighted in the local and national media.
Kirkby has been called, amongst other things, a dump, a ghost-town and even a ghetto in the media. All of which the people who live and work here would refute outright.
If only our Councillors and MP would have done the same as other politicians do for their residents and fought for the people.
If only…
Instead Kirkby has been allowed to be ridiculed and pilloried in the media to the point that outsiders were reluctant or even terrified to come here.
This inaction or condoning of these attacks by those in public office has led to our biggest enemy in the whole of this sorry story:
Apathy.
The residents of Kirkby, long used to neglect and hardship, and of decisions being made without their consent, have grown used to the idea that they were not important, or clever enough to be involved in the decision making process.
This has led to the dreaded “done deal” scenario where people are led to believe there is no point in protesting, becoming so frustrated and downtrodden that they are disinclined and unwilling to get involved.
This, rather than the actual development, has been the biggest obstacle we as campaigners have had to overcome.
But now thanks to your presence mam, people will see that it is worthwhile getting involved. I myself have thanked George Howarth personally for waking me from my ignorant slumber. I and many thousands have woken up to the fact that this defective, unsound plan is ill-conceived, ill-advised, and only been created due to three things:
The incompetence of Evertons board
The greed of tesco and
The ignorance of Knowsley council
This whole disastrous idea will be shown up publicly, through this inquiry, to be unviable, undeliverable and unachievable.
This situation we sadly find ourselves in has been dubbed David and Goliath. It is easy to see why.
We don’t have the unlimited resources and vast amounts of money of these organisations.
Or the manpower and the time that they have at their fingertips.
Or the power to manipulate the local media, to make sure the message of “once in a lifetime opportunity” is drummed into the public constantly, ceaselessly, remorselessly.
All we have, are ourselves, and our belief that the system works.
We put our faith in your impartiality and sense of what’s right.
And you mam, it is hoped, will prove that it wasn’t a “done deal” all along, by taking the overwhelming information and your recommendation back to the secretary of state, who will then do what should have been done with this, pie in the sky, jam tomorrow, hair-brained, magic-wand waving, flight of fancy in the first place.
And throw the damn thing in the bin where it belongs.
Then we can get on with the thing we all want:
The real, true, 100% appropriate regeneration of this place we call home.
After all, it’s Our Kirkby and Our future
