Subsequent to excellent support for the banned Woodvale Woodland Project (WWP) volunteers Cllr Haydn Preece was subjected to a number of confrontational emails from Woodvale & Ainsdale Community Centre (WACA’s) Director, Michael Brady. Mr Brady even suggested that Cllr Preece was indulging in, “political mischief”.
He also indicated that he expected an “apology” from Cllr Preece apparently for having the guts to openly counter the shameful, WACA/TORY – engineered, council ban on volunteers; honest local residents who had made the WWP what it was. Mr Brady was clearly very embarrassed by Cllr Preece’s Focus Lib Dem newsletter, which accurately highlighted the ongoing WWP row and how deficiently the charity had acted against its ‘own’ devoted volunteers. Sadly, however, for WACA this shabby effort at crushing freedom of speech failed miserably.
http://woodvalewp.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/more-political-attention-over-wwp-ban.html
It was quite obvious at this stage, March 2014, that Mr Brady, who was in fact missing from the regular WWP work parties with the group over the 9 months period had been willingly accepting Cllr Hartill’s prejudiced spin on events. He was clearly content to tow his colleague’s line and this was obvious when we consider the following erroneous claims. Brady had stated that…
The council “have investigated and found no case to answer”.
This claim was entirely flawed! The council had chosen to ‘ignore’ all compelling evidence freely given to them in the interests of safety by the banned WWP whistleblowers (docs, photos, videos, etc) regarding WWP misdirection, yet at the same time taken the ‘easy option’, via accepting Cllr Hartill’s unsubstantiated hearsay. Suspicion was that this council bias occurred because the council had come to realise that it was itself ‘also’ in error for irresponsibly allowing misdirection (under Hartill) to carry on for so long! After all, it was their land! Brady went on to ‘deny’ any risk to WWP volunteers and quoted WACA’s activity insurance (public liability up to £5,000,000). He then went on to claim that risk assessments were completed and in place for the WWP project.
The regular usage of dangerous power tools (chain saws, drills, mowing machinery, cultivators, mechanical diggers, etc) in the project was ‘unauthorised’ and put volunteers at risk. No one was trained or qualified with suitable insurance to use such power tools and appropriate protective gear was missing as well. This following WWP link widely discredited bogus claims made by Brady, Hartill and WACA.
http://woodvalewp.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/facts-not-fiction-over-misleading-waca.html
So was Brady just repeating the same old drivel that habitually came for Cllr Hartill’s oral cavity or was he as insufficiently – advised about the limitations of his so-called “activity insurance”? Brady also stated that – “No children were or are authorised to use power tools while engaged on this project.”
In reality, NO one was authorised for use of power tools on this council-owned land and that was why Sefton officers, later on, stepped in and haltedCllr Hartill’s reckless antics. Not only that but they insisted that WWP volunteers had to sign up to the council’s Park Force insurance; but even this only gave the team the authority to use hand tools, such as rakes and spades. Could Mr Brady really be so misguided over WACA’s limits and area of activity? Rather comically Mr Brady went on to allege that the only children “on-site” were the “2 Regan children”. This was one of this WACA director’s most ludicrous claims as many children (including ‘unsupervised’ Community Service youths) arrived over the months to join in and assist in the project. Does Brady’s remark display frustration and condescending bias against whistleblowers? Why did this WACA director single out one family like this?
Would WACA’s Mr Brady like to put his money where his mouth is and bet that the volunteers are wrong – in public, or will he do the honourable thing and apologise to all parties concerned? Of course, WACA’s director was relatively fast to demand unjustifiable apologises from others, who rightly stood up to prejudiced WACA decree, so does his demeanour work BOTH ways? Mr Brady went on to try and defend the use of One Vision funding (granted for the WWP) for Cllr Hartill’s (and his friend’s) ‘chippy dinners’. One Vision clearly stated in 2013 that, “Volunteer lunches were not to be paid for from the funding,” yet Brady and his WACA colleagues seemed to dismiss that out of hand. Volunteers only discovered that the One Vision funding was being incorrectly used to nourish Cllr Hartill and his associate later on, by chance, and workers had conveniently ‘not’ been told about it by Hartill or his friend the WACA manager’s husband. No apologies were ever given about this matter and like many other concerns it ALL simply got brushed under the carpet!
GOOD COUNCILLORS WHO SUPPORTED VOLUNTEERS TREATED LIKE DIRT BY WACA & THEIR TORY MASTERS
Volunteers have also mentioned before that Cllr Preece was not alone in his mission to support his Ainsdale residents.
Cllr Tony Crabtree (a Tory councillor at the time) also offered significant support for the excluded WWP team, after the council irrationally accepted Ted Hartill’s widely disproven spin on events. It must have been remarkably difficult for Cllr Crabtree to challenge not only his colleague Cllr Hartill but also their group leader, Cllr Terry Jones. Terry Jones (who had previously pinned his colours to the WACA flagstaff) had been sensibly asked by the WWP whistleblowers to arbitrate. Nevertheless, after a succession of empty excuses Jones roundly backed his political colleague Hartill ‘against’ the group of residents. Therefore Cllr Crabtree was then placed in an impossible position. Therefore, was Cllr Crabtree simply expected to tow the Jones/Hartill line ‘against’ the victimised residents or was he to stand by his principles? What happened ‘next’ appeared to show that Tony Crabtree had taken quite enough alienation and disdain from his party members so he made a hard choice and ultimately defected to the Labour Party. A man may only bear side-lining, pressure and nastiness at meetings etc for so long of course ‘before’ he bites back! Some people know the facts as having been recorded but have chosen to remain silent. Perhaps it is high time to recall the old saying: ‘evil prevails when good men (and women) do nothing.’
‘DAMAGE LIMITATION’ BY WACA’S CONSERVATIVE GAFFERS
OTS News has recently reported how ‘defensive’ Jones and Hartill have become, by means of their ill-considered addition of spurious (damage limitation) Tory literature that they are currently delivering to trusting Ainsdale residents. They have alleged that others have used the WACA community centre as a “political football” but this is precisely what they have been doing all along.
https://www.otsnews.co.uk/so-who-is-really-using-waca-as-a-political-football-now/
One characteristic example was Cllr Hartill’s self-admitted use of WWP to promote his own political agenda. Ted Hartill previously stated.
“I need to promote this as a good councillor Ted job. The other conservatives either don’t do anything or don’t tell anyone. As you know the lib dems tell everyone everything. Its why they are so popular in Southport.”
Ted Hartill had previously made it VERY clear how he wanted to utilise WACA with such foolish political admissions. Therefore, what right has he (and Jones) now got to accuse others of doing the same thing? COUNCILLORS PREECE AND CRABTREE IN FACT HAVE HELPED TO EXPOSE THE APPALLING MISUSE OF POWER AT WACA, yet the Ainsdale Tories are seeking to recreate reality. How can anyone support such a loaded political regime as this? So will WACA’s outspoken Michael Brady now do the honourable thing and apologise over this atrocious matter to Cllr Preece, Cllr Crabtree, the banned WWP team and Ainsdale’s residents as he is clearly (and provably) in error?
What is happening at WACA today is NOT old news it is an ‘ongoing’ debacle that concerns ALL responsible Southport residents today! Some movers, with vested interests, naturally wish to bury this vital matter deep – but the truth will not be extinguished!
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