Ovington Park campaigners complain of “bullying” at Area Committee meeting

Ovington Park campaigners complain of “bullying” at Area Committee meeting

Park campaigners’ are demanding Sefton Council looks into how they were treated at last night’s Southport Area Committee after angry scenes at the meeting.

The Ovington Drive/Kew Woods playground campaigners say they were rounded upon and shouted at by councillors at the meeting including its Chair, Richard Hands. 

They say the problems began when their own ward councillor, Fred Weavers, responded to their question by repeatedly pointing his finger at them during his reply and escalated when he and several of his fellow Lib-Dem councillors began berating the campaigners including Councillor Hands.

Audience members at the meeting felt forced to interject and defend the park protestors demanding that the shouting stop and that the park campaigners be treated with respect. Councillor Hands later apologised to the women after initially claiming he simply had a sore throat.

Diane Thomas, one of the Key Woods Playground campaigners, said she felt “under attack” for asking a simple question regarding the playground which was on the agenda:

“Sefton has made a very generous offer to keep the playground open if the Kew Ward Councillors will contribute £20,000 of ward funds to the estimated £50,000 cost of replacing the park equipment. Kew’s councillors have years of unused funds sitting there. I simply asked will they release the funds and if so when but then came under attack for doing so.”

Her fellow campaigner Nat Glennon agreed,

“It was astonishing, one after another those councillors and their colleagues did not just disagree with Diane or attempt to explain, they went for her. The Chair of the meeting was shouting at her until others from the floor of the meeting told him to stop it, he then tried to claim he simply had a sore throat but later apologised claiming he hadn’t meant to do so, it was appalling to watch.”

Local mum Diane continued,

“It was very intimidating and I fluffed my supplementary question because I wasn’t expecting such an aggressive response. They tried to deny they had misled people during our campaign but we know they have done exactly that. After seeing them wholeheartedly endorsing a cycle path scheme and then treating us in that fashion I’m disgusted by the Kew Ward Councillors.”

A petition with 145 signatures for a proposed cycle path was also presented to the meeting by Sea Cadets. It was endorsed by Councillor Weavers and the idea fully supported by his colleagues despite there being no costings available and the land to be used not belonging to the council. 

The campaigners though point out that their playground already exists, has an estimate of cost and does belong to Sefton but they could receive no assurance that the ward funds required would be released. 

For Diane it was proof of what they had long suspected:

“We were worried that the Lib-Dem councillors were preferring their own cycle project, which doesn’t yet exist and just paying lip service to our campaign; after being subjected to what felt like bullying we are more convinced than ever.”

Councillor Weavers and his colleagues told the campaigners that they didn’t have details from Sefton Council regarding the matter and he insisted that “we’re doing a good job”. 

Of the 11 Southport councillors who responded to the park issues raised, only Norwood Councillors Bill and Marianne Welsh spoke in defence of the park campaigners concerns, while Dukes Ward Councillor David Barton offered his assistance as an intermediary.

Marianne Welsh told the meeting:

“Kew Councillors continually have a massive amount in their pot and they are not spending it in their community.Those children need that playground, they want it and they should have that money.” 

Kew estate resident. Jim Blackburne, felt the way the meeting was handled left a lot to be desired:

“I couldn’t believe that local residents would be treated like that, it was nothing short of a concerted attempt at browbeating two young mums who had the temerity to question why their campaign wasn’t getting the support they hoped it would from their ward councillors.”

For Nat and Diane, it was an experience never to be repeated:

“I’m glad it was just Diane asking the question and me there for support, I don’t think we’d go back, what’s the point if they treat you like that?” asked Nat Glennon. 

Diane Thomas agreed and confirmed a complaint will be made:

“Ironically, they were later discussing proposals to close the Southport Area Committee, after being subjected to that I’d say anything else would be preferable. That wasn’t local democracy, it felt like abuse of power and we will be complaining to Sefton Council about the way we were treated by our local councillors.”