Archive for January, 2008

Jan 23 2008

Residents vote overwhelmingly against National Trust plans

untitled_0026-006_0001.jpgCampaigners have won a vote against National Trust plans to build 223 houses on its Erddig estate in Wrexham by 385 to 209 in a turn out of 24% - a ratio of almost 2 to 1 against. The same referendum also passed a vote of no confidence in the Rhostyllen Community Council by 307 to 221.

Election proceedings were marred when the local council used taxpayers money to send council workers to remove posters publicising the referendum, in what has been described as ‘an obscene abuse of power’. However, local campaigners are delighted with their significant victory.

Rhostyllen.com campaigner Tara Green said ‘We are extremely happy with the results of the vote. The National Trust can no longer falsely claim that the majority of local people are in favour of the development. People have finally had their say and it is a resounding NO. The vote also applied to any other development in our community that is not based on local need. Local people do not want this development, so it is time for the Trust to scrap their plans and abide by the democratic process.’

The Rhostyllen Residents Committee have challenged the community council to step down in light of the no confidence vote against them. A spokesperson said ‘A clear majority have voted no confidence in this council, and it is therefore only right that they now accept this decision and resign.’

Carrie Harper from campaign group Cymuned said ‘Local people have made it clear that they are against the National Trust’s ‘new village’ development. The planning committee should now take this into account when deciding on the planning application and refuse it. Iwan Huws, Director of Wales for the National Trust, has stated publicly that the development would be decided by the democratic process. The only acceptable option now is for them to pull out. The campaign will continue and their own members will vote out those responsible for the decision at the Trust’s AGM later this year. Hundreds have already spoken to us and stated their willingness to do so.’

Jan 22 2008

This is what democracy looks like in Rhostyllen!

untitled_0026-001_0001.jpg

CAMPAIGNERS FURIOUS AT SYSTEMATIC REMOVAL OF ELECTION POSTERS

Campaigners in Rhostyllen have been appalled to see council vans following local residents putting up posters to publicise the referendum on the National Trust’s plans to build 223 houses in Rhostyllen. The referendum is being held from 4.00pm until 9.00pm this evening, and council workers have been removing every poster that concerned local residents have put up.

Under the 1972 Local Government Act, Wrexham council is not obliged to publicise the referendum in Rhostyllen at all, and the Act states clearly that the responsibility for drawing attention to the referendum lies with the people who requested it.

Due to complaints believed to have come from Rhostyllen councillor Mark Pritchard, currently campaigning in favour of the development despite have spoken against it regularly, council workers have been attempting to remove all posters promoting the election.

Campaigners want to know how much it is costing the tax-payers of Rhostyllen to have council workers attempting to make sure that the residents do not know about the referendum.

‘This is an obscene abuse of power,’ says Carrie Harper, local representative for the communities group Cymuned. ‘The council is spending our money to stop people in Rhostyllen from hearing that they have a chance to voice their feelings about the proposed over-development. It is bad enough when councils drag their feet on their obligations to consult the public - but to have the council actively trying to hush up this vital example of community democracy is an appalling example of their sneering disrespect for ordinary people.’

Jan 19 2008

COMMUNITY COUNCIL GETTING DESPERATE ?

Esclusham community council have posted leaflets across the ward telling residents to vote yes in the upcoming referendum over the Erddig plans.

In a statement to the Daily Post, they claim the referendum was organised by campaign group Cymuned and not local residents. Rhostyllen.com campaigner Tara Green said ” We find it absolutley absurd that the community council would make such a ridiculous accusation. The only way for this referendum to go ahead legally is if residents vote for it to do so. The electoral department are satisfied that it is indeed residents who have proposed the vote. As usual, the community council can provide no evidence to back up their nonsense”

 Carrie Harper of Cymuned said ” the council claim that Cymuned have tried to make the referendum personal by including a vote of no confidence in the community council. They fail to understand that it was residents of Rhostyllen who voted in a majority to include that question, it was not Cymuned’s decision. This has been pointed out to them but they refuse to accept it for some reason”

Campaigners have also stated concerns about accusations made in leaflets posted by the community council. Cymuned made the following statement today:

Cymuned note with grave concern the latest outburst of irresponsible and maliciously deceptive nonsense from the Eclusham Community Council. In leaflets distributed locally, they claim bizarrely and offensively that the Rhostyllen Residents Committee is not made up of local people, and they tell the ugly lie that Cymuned has policies against non-Welsh people. Our solicitors have advised us that this statement is libelous, and we are currently considering our legal options.

Cymuned’s policies are about strengthening local communities, and we have worked in close partnership with the Commission for Racial Equality and with local lobbying groups in England. In fact, Wrexham County Council, which is committed to maintaining Welsh heritage and identity in the planning process, has stronger policies about Welsh identity than does Cymuned.

The Eclusham Community Council has behaved in a thoroughly undemocratic way from the very beginning of this public discussion. They have barred residents of Rhostyllen from meeting in the community centre, they have barred residents of Rhostyllen from attending meetings with the Trust, and in a latest example of hostility to free speech, 17 posters calling on the people of Rhostyllen to Vote No on Tuesday have been taken down under cover of darkness.

Esclusham Community Council are even anti-democratic enough to call the legal process of requesting a community referendum a matter of ‘cloak and daggers’. The real cloak and daggers approach is the back-slapping, self-serving, refuse-to-release-the-minutes dirty politics that the Eclusham Community Council has shown consistently over the last year, and that is why they thoroughly deserve to face and lose a vote of no confidence.

Jan 10 2008

Esclusham Referendum

Rhostyllen.com campaigners have announced today that a referendum of the community of Esclusham will be taking place on Tuesday the 22nd January. Residents will get the chance to say whether or not they are against National Trust plans to build 223 houses opposite the village of Rhostyllen and also any other development within their community that is not based on local need.

The electoral department confirmed yesterday that the referendum will be open to all electors of the ward of Esclusham, which includes the villages of Rhostyllen, Bersham and Pentre Bychan. The vote will take place at the Parish Hall in Rhostyllen. Polling stations will be open from 4pm in the afternoon until 9.00pm in the evening.Campaigners will now be publicising a Vote No campaign.

Tara Green of the Rhostyllen Resident Committee said ‘We have fought hard to ensure the people of our community get a say about this development. This process has been made very difficult because of the behaviour of our community council; they have refused to allow public meetings and excluded us from meetings with the Trust. Because of their behaviour, residents voted in a majority to include a vote of no confidence in the council along with a vote about the Erddig development itself. The democratic process should be followed: neither the National Trust or community council can deny us our right to have our say.’

Carrie Harper, from the campaign group Cymuned, said ‘Residents have shown an amazing amount of commitment and determination to secure this referendum. We now challenge the National Trust and planning department to follow the democratic process and abide by the result of this vote.’ For more details, please contact Carrie Harper on 07745-701860, Aran Jones on 01758-612712 or Tara Green on 07852-108370.