REBEL councillor Kevin Bennett has revealed the likely location of a “secret” travellers site as being on land off Birchwood Way, close to residential homes at Padgate, Warrington.
Kevin Bennett
The former Labour councillor, who now represents the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), says a secret vote took place last December, identifying the area of land and is now demanding information Under the Freedom of Information Act, asking to identify those who voted on the site.
The council has set aside £2m in the budget to provide an official transit site in the town.
Cllr Bennett said: “I am disgusted that this vote took place eight months ago, but the site that has been ‘earmarked’ has been kept ‘secret’ from the people of Warrington and other Members of this Council.
“Yet again this Labour administration is ignoring their pledge to be ‘open and transparent’.
He claims the task group has voted to recommend a site off Birchwood Way and Blackbrook Avenue across the road from ‘Bennetts Rec’.
Cllr Bennett said: “This site is in the Poulton South Ward but is also very close to Poulton North and Birchwood. I believe that the people of Warrington have a right to know where this Council is planning to put the travellers site. It is disgraceful that this administration is keeping the site hidden from hard the working taxpayers of Warrington.
He added: “I hope Cllr. Maureen McLaughlin will be able to explain to the people of the town why this site has been chosen and why the travellers task group has decided to put a transit site so close to all the houses in Padgate.
“It is obvious that house prices in this area will fall as people will not want to live close to a traveller site. The people of Birchwood will also suffer with this site on their ‘doorstep’ . This will be a blight on people’s lives in three communities of Warrington.
“I also challenge the Members for Poulton North, Birchwood & Poulton South to tell other members whether they were aware of these secret plans and whether they are in favour of a transit site in their Ward or next to their Ward and what their residents will think of it.”
He said TUSC would be opposing Labour’s “secret plan” for a travellers site off Birchwood Way and Blackbrook Avenue.
“The Labour Administration should find a more suitable place in the Town away from peoples houses,” he added.
No one was available to comment from the Labour group.
When asked for a comment on the proposed transit site a council spokesperson said: “£2 million has been earmarked in the capital programme for the future development of a transit site.
“That funding has been earmarked in the capital programme for some time.
“The Planning for Travellers Task Group will be reconvening in September. That group will be re-evaluating all potential sites in Warrington, including ones owned by the council and land
currently owned by the private sector”.
Since the statement was issued warrington-worldwide has learned that the meeting will take place on September 1.
4 Comments
Warrington clearly needs to have a site – but discussions on issues like this need to be open and transparent!
Just typical of a labour once again…. the uproar will quash this one fairly quickly, the public outcry will be heard across the town, £2 million ?? use that to reduce council tax instead of increasing it. Many better uses for such money.
I don’t know which is worse the fact that the council are happy to put aside a whopping £2million to pay for it or that they think land off Blackbrook Avenue is a suitable place. What about all the residents who live around there…do they not count for anything ? Clearly NOT !!
Travellers camp we have wasted thousands of pounds cleaning up after them in various areas of the town. No travellers site they do not contribute to this town only destroy.