© 2008 Save Yeovil Rec
The Western Gazette have reported on the latest changes to the proposed Sports Zone by SSDC which are:
* Building will increase in size by around a third
* Estimated cost has now risen by £7M to above £28M
* Equivalent of three football pitches saved, (on land condemned by the F. A. as unsuitable for league football previously)
* College Link is now acknowledged for the first time
* Synthetic pitch moved to College Campus
* Dedicated areas for Yeovil College only
* No access now via Combe Street Lane
* The Multi Use Games Area re sited towards College (MUGA)
Western Gazette. Details ......
It was not widely known by the public or SYR in 2007 that Cllr Seal the main portfolio holder for the Sports Zone had become a Governor at Yeovil College in July 2007. This appointment could be perceived as a “Conflict of Interest” because Yeovil College may directly benefit from the building of the Sports Zone. Especially, the planning restrictions held on the Campus site by SSDC planners.
SSDC Cllr Seal & Roundell Greene did eventually declare their interest at SSDC meeting in Feb 2008 and at the Yeovil College Governors meeting in March 2008
(With a provision that they would have no further involvement with the proposed Sports Zone matters at future Yeovil College Governors Meetings)
SYR have since become aware, via the college web site, of Cllr Seals’s resignation as a Governor, citing pressure from SYR members as the reason for this.
SYR will leave members of the public to form their own opinion of these events. Under the Freedom of Information Act, we are currently seeking copies of all communications between SSDC and Yeovil College regarding the Sports Zone. So that SYR and the public can investigate how its council conducts its affairs!!!
MEETING ABANDON DUE TO PUBLIC PRESSURE!!
Councillor Fife goes Bananas with SYR and the public who attended the meeting
A Full council meeting held on, bitterly cold, Thursday 11th December, 2008 to discuss Yeovil Sports Zone Proposal was ABANDONED due to over 100 members of public attending. After standing outside for some time, council employees told members of the public that they could not enter the council chambers because there were too many of them! But people were not swayed and went into the chambers anyway until security guards STOPPED people from entering.
Phil Dolan, Chief Executive, SSDC stood up and told the Chamber at 19.10 that only 30 members of public would be allowed to remain. That the public needed to decide who was going to stay and who was going to leave! After a lot of muttering, the public chose to stay. Over 70 members of public remained in chambers and another 50 continued to wait outside the chambers because they were not allowed in by security previously.
At 19.30 Cllr Ian Martin, chairman of council, stood up and told the chamber that the meeting would be abandoned and we all had to leave and leave now! Members of the public asked if he could tell us when the next meeting would be and if it would be held in a bigger venue. Cllr Martin TOTALY IGNORED the public and said in a loud voice that the public had to leave and leave NOW! Many members of the public were astounded by this contemptible and dismissive manner. Unfortunately SYR members were not surprised as on many occasions at the Full Council Meetings they have been on the end of outbursts like this. As the public left Cllr Fife became very aggressive towards the public whilst also waving his finger at them, threatening to get the police, saying that entry for the public should be by invitation only, two female members of the public complained about his outburst towards them to Cllr Tim Carroll the leader of the Council.
Cllr Tim Carroll then, come over to the public area and did tell them when the next meeting will be.
(So check out the SSDC website events section)
Although he did subsequently wrongly accuse SYR of disrupting Council business, members of the public were
there of their own free will, nothing to do with SYR. The only connection was that both the public and SYR want to SAVE YEOVIL REC!!
Overall the meeting was a success in SYR eyes, not because the meeting was postponed, but as so many members of the public turned up to show their strength of feeling about Yeovil Rec. This precious open, green recreational ground is so well acknowledged by the people of Yeovil.
SYR say THANK YOU for your support and keep it coming!!
To all of those it concerns -
