Council Cabinet Meeting outcome - long post!

[Ian]

Below are the main points and topics of discussion from the Cabinet Meeting on 10th September. I didn't go with the intention of taking notes but just jotted a few points down so hope to get the salient points across. If anyone else at the meeting can correct anything, feel free!

 

The meeting was chaired by Rob Anderson, Leader of the Council. He invited Chris Spencer, Director of Leartning & Cultural Services to outline the proposals. He referred to the regeneration and specifically the potential of a site in Kennedy Park (KP) for Slough Town FC. He then handed over to Christine Howe, Project Manager for the 'Britwell Scheme' to add further detail.

 

Christine stated almost immediately that the regeneration of the Britwell area could take place much earlier than planned due to this opportunity, effectively referring to the football club. She also went to great lengths to explain that nothing had been agreed and that any specific plans would only be included if there was "added value for Britwell".

 

Rob said that of the initial response they have had, 60% of residents are in favour stating that better transport links, recreational areas and social facilities were high on people's agenda's. He then invited questions which is where the fun started! Cllr George Davidson (Labour Chalvey) asked how much of the work had already been done and a sense of how much impact on traffic etc. Jon Davies, Head of Leisure stated that "definitely no deal had been done" but they want to take it forward. Christine stated that questions re traffic etc. would form part of public consultation process.

 

James Swindlehurst (Labour Cippenham) commented that the STFC involvement levered the regeneration forward but asked how the council's financial interests would be protected as a private individual (Martyn Deaner) was funding feasibility study. Chris Spencer responded saying that "robust legal agreements" would be in place regarding the feasibility study. George Davidson asked whether "we can all benefit" to which Christine responded saying that there is a requirement that community usage of facilities is embedded in the proposal. Jon Davies added that this could included, for example, a gymnasium attached to the football site that would be accessible by all.

 

Rob Anderson asked how much of KP would potentially be allocated to the football club and it's commercial venture to which the answer was 13 of the 33 acres that KP and the adjoining wasteland currently covers. Jon Davies went to great lengths to stress "let's get this into context, we're not building another Wembley here". He also added that it was potentially planned to use the wasteland for the football club and the remainder of KP for the recreational purposes.

 

Pat Shine (Independent Britwellian) then handed out a two page document which he started to read which listed all the things he wanted to see as part of the development. Rob Anderson stopped him very quickly stating that this type of information should form part of the consultation process and the meeting was not the right forum to go through a wish list. He then commented that if the development included retail outlets it would cause the shops on Wentworth to close which is effectively "the heart of Britwell". Rob stressed that we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves as we are only currently talking about a feasibility study and nothing had been agreed. He also commented that the Wentworth area was the one in most need of regeneration that this project could then support. Pat Shine responded with a flippant comment suggesting that if he was getting ahead that Rob "should try and keep up". This brought a cheer from the Britwell residents in the Public Gallery although I felt it made Shine look very immature and unprofessional.

 

Cllr Rajinder Sandhu (Labour Bayliss) commented that he was disappointed that the outline proposals were being met with such a negative response saying that it was "the heart of Britwell" which was most in need to regeneration. Pat Shine asked why money could not be allocated to Britwell for regeneration without the football club. Cheryl Coppell, SBC Chief Executive, responded with a very detailed answer explaining the complex process by which you can get Government funds for such a scheme. She commented that of the 119 wards highlighted as deprived (not sure what area that covered) Britwell was not included in those in the Slough area. Stoke and Chalvey were the highest priorities in that respect. Rob Anderson then commented that it is exactly this type of innovative scheme that would potentially get funding rather than just "mending a street light and filling in a couple of pot holes". Without being able to recall the specific dialogue that took place Pat Shine then continued to argue what should and shouldn't be included and Rob, again, stressed that they hadn't even agreed a feasibility stage yet and that was the purpose of the meeting. James Swindlehurst then pointed out that earlier this year Shine had produced a similar list for Britwell which included floodlit sports facilities, precisely the thing he was now complaining about!

 

Paul Janik (Independent Britwellian) then held up a Labour leaflet asking why this had been the first he had heard of plans to regenerate the area and commented that the Britwellians were being deliberatley excluded. It was pointed out that upto now it has been a Council Cabinet Committee process and that Britwellians were notified at the same time as everyone else who was not part of the Cabinet. George Anderson pointed out that Janik had failed to attend the first meeting so would have seen the leaflets which were posted afterwards as they had taken the time to talk to people regarding their views on the subject. Janik then suggested it was unfair process as "there are 19 of you and only 6 of us" so any proposal would be just pushed through. He also questioned why this potential development was not being offered to anyone other than Deaner. Rob Anderson commented that having financially supported the club for the past five years it was only fair that he was given first refusal. He then bemused everyone by asking "Can you tell me what football club Martyn Deaner has financially supported for the last five years". Rob gave a perplexed look and replied, "err, Slough Town Football Club"! He then started to talk about hotels and specifics of what would be included to which Rob replied, "have I been talking Swahili for the last hour?"! "Nothing has been agreed, we are here to agree whether to conduct a feasibility study".

 

Tony Haines took his turn (having arrived late) then asking why the club could not develop Wexham Park. Rob commented that this had previously been explored and he (Haines) had been instrumental in blocking it! Eventually, it was agreed by the Cabinet that a feasibility study would be undertaken.

 

What was very clear is that the Britwellian candidates refuse to accept that there are any positives to this scheme if it involves the football club yet they are totally blind to the fact that it is the only way they will get regeneration on anything approaching this scale. What is also clear is who is pro the football club and this proposal and who is not.

 

James Swindleshurst, George Davidson, Rob Anderson, Rajinder Sandhu and Cheryl Coppell were all very pro. Pat Shine, Paul Janik and Tony Haines were all anti and not prepared to accept any argument to the contrary. Jean Stockton (Liberal Haymill), Sean Wright (Independent Britwellian) and David Monkley (Liberal Haymill) I felt were all anti but at least willing to listen and follow the process in the correct fashion.

[BFR]

Thanks Ian for the detailed post.

[Guest]

Yes a good job Ian i bet we don't get as well writen report from the Observer.

[GarySTFC]

Having read through the Observer this morning, and a quite informative but anti-football letter from Britwell Councillor Paul Janik who seems more upset at not having been notified earlier (His own fault for not attending meetings??) than against the football club, I think it gives a fair and balanced view of the event without being too biased to one side.

 

Mind you, they don't go into detail about how the councillors strongly opposing the club and regeneration were made to look foolish by Rob Anderson. Good work Rob! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

[Guest]

I never said ""there are 19 of you and only 6 of us""

 

How much of your report is objective and accurate?

 

(no follow-up from me)

[GarySTFC]

How much of the above is "true" in your eyes Paul? Had you missed previous meetings? Is it only one point from the above which didn't appear to happen from your recollection or are there more?

 

Do tell....

[Guest]

Quote:

.... but anti-football letter from Britwell Councillor Paul Janik

My letter was pro-Kennedy Park and truncated by the newspaper. The full text will appear below.

Quote:

.... who seems more upset at not having been notified earlier (His own fault for not attending meetings??)

I received a last minute notification by council staff of a meeting without an agenda or any details. I had already booked another appointment.

Quote:

Mind you, they don't go into detail about how the councillors strongly opposing the club and regeneration were made to look foolish by Rob Anderson. Good work Rob! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

No councillor opposed regeneration. All councillors want regeration. One of many questions is why should Britwell's Kennedy Park be covered in concrete and tarmac for the financial benefit of 400 regular football supporters. Effectively STFC wants to steal a public asset and deprive future generations of residents of an officially declared public open space.

Its time you lot sorted out the problems between Deaner and Thorn and went back to Wexham. Don't dump your failures and problems on Britwell. We have enough problems clearing up Labour's mess.

Labour are in a mess and have thrown a few crumbs at Britwell.

Pat Shine keenly supports football. Perhaps Ian needs to clean-out his ears when attending council meetings?

[Guest]

My letter to the Observer

---------------------------

 

 

 

 

Labour's election agent knew about plans to build on Kennedy Park weeks ago but Slough Borough Council kept me, a Britwell borough councillor, in the dark.

 

Kennedy Park belongs to the people of Britwell. It is one of our most treasured public assets. We have a moral duty to save and protect Britwell's rapidly declining grassy spaces for future generations of children. When Britwell wanted a swimming pool Labour said no. Now we know why - Labour wanted to sell Kennedy Park.

 

Labour have controlled the Town Hall for the last 20 years. During that time vast amounts of public green spaces have been covered in concrete. Labour's principal objective is to eradicate every single green place where our children can play. Not even public parks have escaped Labour's ruthless building program. Instead of building houses and modern first-class flats in the town centre Labour have encouraged empty office blocks. A hotel was going to be built in Bath Road but Labour changed it into another empty office block. Now Labour wants to build that hotel on Kennedy Park.

 

Labour leader Cllr Anderson was born on Britwell and now lives in Britwell's most secluded and desirable road isolated from Kennedy Park and the rest of council neglected Britwell. Despite his Britwell roots Cllr Anderson is happy to destroy Britwell's Kennedy Park. We lost our Play Centre because Cllr Anderson said such facilities were unsuitable for children. Now the public is going to lose Kennedy Park.

 

Who wants a 6,000 capacity football stadium, up to 300 houses, a 200 beds hotel, 1,000 parking spaces, shops and offices built outside their front door? What next? A casino on Kennedy Park? Britwell's roads can't handle thousands of extra cars.

 

Why is Cllr Anderson and his bunch of Labour councillors so keen to destroy Britwell when in Wexham there is a good stadium, 2,000 parking spaces and a ground the football supporters want to use? This is not really about football but about selling-off Kennedy Park to make Martyn Deaner rich at Britwell's expense.

 

Before May I could ask many questions at council meetings. Then Labour changed council rules to gag me. Here are some questions I can no longer ask Cllr Anderson at council meetings.

 

(1) Mr Deaner is alleged to be a regular contributor to the Labour Party. Is this true and has Mr Deaner been given favourable treatment by this Labour-controlled council?

 

(2) Mr Deaner has been meeting council officials for more than a year but no records are available of those discussions. Why has this been going on in secret? If the records suddenly appear may I, as an elected councillor, see them please?

 

(3) According to information on the Internet Mr Deaner appears to have connections with bankruptcy, business debts of £22,500 and £80,000, the failures of Newbury Football Club and Oxford Football Club and a government investigation into murky off-shore financial dealings. Why does Mr Deaner's past associations make him the council's preferred bidder for the Kennedy Park sell-off?

 

(4) Is it true Mr Deaner wanted to build a 6,000 capacity football stadium, casino, offices, 200 bed hotel etc. in another part of Slough. He was associated with similar plans in Oxford which failed. Mr Deaner is quoted on page 80 of the Slough Observer dated 5 September 2003 as saying the Kennedy Park project is far bigger than he wanted to get involved in. Why has Slough Borough Council told Mr Deaner he can plan to do whatever he likes on Britwell? (SBC briefing to me)

 

(5) Slough Borough Council is preventing me, a Britwell ward councillor, attending meetings of the council's top secret Britwell Regeneration Group. I can't even see the reports or the minutes. What are you Labour councillors trying to cover-up?

 

(6) Over the years this Labour council has made hundreds of thousands of pounds profit from dumping toxic waste in Kennedy Park. None of this profit has been spent in Britwell. In two or three years time new government laws will force Slough Borough Council to remove the deadly toxic waste buried beneath Kennedy Park. Is the removal of contaminated land part of the council's secretive deal with Mr Deaner?

 

(7) The current land value of Kennedy Park is over £25 million. You will remember, with acute embarrassment I hope, how Labour sold-off the Fulcrum for £550,000 and one year later the private owner re-sold it for £9 million. You know the council has a duty to spend public money on Britwell but because of bad management by the Labour group our Town Hall faces another financial crisis. Why should Britwell's last remaining public park be sold off to commercial developers?

 

(8) There are 400 regular football supporters, over 10,000 Britwell residents and one Martyn Deaner who wants to get rich. Whose interests should come first?

 

 

 

[Dominic]

Quote:

Perhaps Ian needs to clean-out his ears when attending council meetings?

 

Perhaps you need to turn up on time to the council meetings. I believe Ian was present for the duration of the meeting,unlike some.

[Paul]

I e-mailed Mr Janik asking for an interview for RebelsOnline and got a pretty short and curt response from him saying no.

 

I wrote back to him asking him to reconsider and making some points which, in his position, it would be common courtesy to respond to.

 

His response was "no thanks"

 

I find his opposition to the scheme unfathomable.

 

Logic says "We can't have the regeneration without the football ground as we won't get a government grant. In which case, it's better to have the football ground and, with it, the regeneration, despite my reservations on the football ground"

 

Janik says "I don't care about the knock-on effects, I want to dig my heels in and be obstructive"

 

Yes, maybe it would be better for STFC to return to Wexham Park - I'm sure it's what everyone on here wants. However, with the Thornes having already been obstructive in the past, there's a fair likelihood they'll continue being obstructive in the future. Surely it's better for STFC to have a permanent home in Slough?

 

As for Kennedy Park - It's something of an unloved wasteground at the moment - There's enough room there to create a large sports complex with a hotel and other services and still leave a large open space which could then be better utilised. It's not as if there's not another park on the other side of the road and plenty of other open space nearby, is it?

 

Of the 10,000 Britwell residents you mention (I seem to remember there being severe questions about whether you actually live in Britwell or if you, in fact, live in Iver Heath), I wonder how many would rather you didn't block the regeneration scheme to thwart the Football Club you so dearly hate? One would imagine that most would want the regeneration to go ahead. One would also imagine that most would be pretty angry if you and your cronies managed to block the regeneration scheme because of your petty dislike for Deaner.

[Guest]

Quote:

Ambassador Dom said:

Quote:

Perhaps Ian needs to clean-out his ears when attending council meetings?

I believe Ian was present for the duration of the meeting,unlike some.

[color:"blue"] You are obviously too embarrassed to confirm that Pat Shine is indeed a devoted supporter of fotball and has been for tens of years [/color]

[Guest]

Who does he support then?

[Guest]

[color:"green"]Rebel Paul wrote:[/color]

 

[color:"red"]I e-mailed Mr Janik asking for an interview for RebelsOnline and got a pretty short and curt response from him saying no.[/color]

 

[color:"green"]Here is what I actually sent to Rebel Paul ...........

 

[color:"blue"]Thank you for your email dated Thu, 11 Sep 2003 20:50:01 +0100.

 

> I read in the Slough Express today that you are opposed to Slough Town

> moving to Britwell.

 

I haven't seen the Express.

 

> I was wondering if you would be prepared to allow us to interview you

> (via e-mail).

 

No thanks. I will make statements to the press and will gladly forward copies to you.

 

> I am co-publisher of RebelsOnline, a new Slough Town Unofficial Website.

 

I regard this matter as not being exclusively about football. There is information deliberately kept secret from the public including myself. Slough Borough Council has given me several different versions and I don't know who to believe.

 

I would like STFC to play at Wexham indefinitely. I support the creation of a high powered working group to sort-out the dispute between Thorn and Deaner.[/color]

 

[color:"red"]I wrote back to him asking him to reconsider and making some points which, in his position, it would be common courtesy to respond to. His response was "no thanks".

 

[color:"green"]Rebel Paul was most upset so he wrote a third time to me. Still unhappy that anyone has the right to decline an interview with him, Rebel Paul now posts on this site the following statement

 

[color:"red"]Janik says "I don't care about the knock-on effects, I want to dig my heels in and be obstructive"[/color]

 

[color:"blue"]I never said or wrote that. If you genuinely think I did, then produce your proof.[/color]

 

[color:"green"]Rebel Paul then makes these startements[/color]

 

[color:"red"]"... the Football Club you so dearly hate?"

".... your petty dislike for Deaner."[/color]

 

[color:"blue"]Sorry to disappoint you Paul, I don't hate STFC and I don't dislike Deaner. I've never met the man.

 

Why not support my suggestion to set-up a high-powered working party to sort out the problem between Deaner and Thorn. STFC belongs in Wexham not in Britwell.[/color]

[Guest]

Quote:

Anonymous said:
Who does he support then?

[color:"blue"]Please ask Ian who was at the council meeting and made notes. [/color]

[Guest]

What is Jan on about....

 

I had to sit through his question time and even the residents that were in support of him behind me ! were of the opion that he lost the plot !

 

Feelings are high, but before we get into a slagging match ...

 

wait for the feasiblity study...to see....then comment....before you talk yourself out of real things that may just benifit all...

 

or you might end up with nothing...just like the Wexham Residents , who wanted the development there - instead of a new seik school and housing !

 

or is this going to be a independants versus Labour tangle ... without looking passed the trees and maybe something may just be to the benifit of the Britwell & Northborough Residents and just maybe Slough Town FC....

 

fingers crossed we have enough sensible heads and willing residents to just see what the plans may yeild...

 

cheers chris

 

 

[Matt]

'STFC belongs in Wexham, not Britwell'

 

Sorry Mr Janik, but Slough Town FC belongs in SLOUGH, not just Wexham. The vast majority of fans would welcome us staying in Wexham but for others, moving to Britwell would be beneficial not just as a focal point, but as a step forwards to integrating with the whole of Slough, not just an area on the South Bucks Border. As I have said, I would prefer to stay at Wexham Park, which I consider to be the club's real home, but if an opportunity comes for a development like this, I say we take it.

 

 

[Paul]

If you had a braincell Janik, you would be dangerous!

 

I do not appreciate confidential e-mails being published on a public forum.

 

I never said you actually said "I don't care about the knock-on effects, I want to dig my heels in and be obstructive" - I implied that it was your thoughts with the word "says" rather than "said". Also, by your reasoning, Logic is also able to speak.

 

For someone who claims not to dislike STFC or Deaner, you have a very odd way of showing it.

 

As for your suggestion of a working committee - Can you not read what others have said? The Thornes will not change and, should the Rebels ever manage to get back there, they would forever have that Sword of Damocles hanging over them.

 

What makes you say that STFC belong in Wexham rather than Britwell? Most people would say that Slough Town FC belong in Slough, Berkshire, rather than Bucks.

[BFR]

Slough Borough Councillors posting on the forum??? I would have hoped that public officials would find better uses of their time rather than resort to peurile re-election tactics at the expense one of the few groups proud to be associated with the town, i.e. the football club supporters.

 

I believe it is in the Code of Conduct of Councillors for members to 'treat others with respect and consideration.' Therefore I must ask you in future not to refer to Slough Town Football Club supporters as 'you lot'. I must also protest your mocking of Ian, who has presented an honest account of the meeting.

 

Rather than continue behaving as an incompetent, self-important, irreverent fool, perhaps now would be a good time to actually behave like a public official and serve the people of Slough.

 

 

 

 

[Roger Rebel]

I also notice he did not deny that he lives in Iver, is this true?

[Paul]

It was reported that he lives in Iver Heath - He seemed to find the allegations somewhat uncomfortable and never actually denied it!