Just sent this to the 11,000 followers of the online petition: The residents of Fenton and Stoke-on-Trent recently took direct action to protect Fentons Minton tiled memorial to the First World War. Residents reclaimed their town hall from the Ministry of Justice by refusing to leave the hall after a Remembrance Sunday service, presenting an 11,000 signature petition and invoking Article 61 of the Magna Carta 1215, which states that it is every citizens duty to stand up against government when it acts in a way contrary to our traditionally held values based on decency and fairness which have formed the bedrock of British communities through time. Between December 2012 and November 2014 the UK governments Ministry of Justice have desecrated Fentons war dead as it looks to sell off the communitys unlisted Victorian town hall to the private sector. Fentons community has reclaimed its town hall in order to redres this for its ancestors who are remembered on the towns memorials and for the people who have so much to gain from a hall transformed back in to a vibrant and exciting community venue. The government are willing to sell off one of Stoke-on-Trents most priceless pieces of heritage into private hands without offering any meaningful reassurances whilst spending £50m+ on First World War commemorations around the country. They are making an unequivocal statement through their actions that the sacrifices made by Fenton men on the fields of Flanders, Mesopotamia and other areas of conflict were LESS VALUABLE, their commemoration LESS WORTHY of protection. The people of Fenton and many round the world most resolutely disagree. For many it is a transgression of the most fundamental common value held dear in our society - that of justice and fairness for all, where all men and women are treated equally in the eyes of common law. As things stand on the 13th November 2014, because the ministry have spent £300,000 keeping the building closed, IF they can sell the building for £500,000 (which is debatable), the value of each Fenton mans sacrifice in WW1 is £401.60p. And though the cold hearted could argue that the dead cease to have rights, brave heroic souls though they may have been, surely their descendants should be facilitated the SAME RIGHTS AS OTHERS around the UK in being guaranteed appropriate and reasonable access to their ancestors memorials. Yet, no proof has been has been provided that this access or protection will be guaranteed in private hands. No details concerning a covenant have been forthcoming. However, the mere fact that the Ministry are prepared to place a covenant on the WW1 memorial (which CANNOT BE MOVED) and accept offers from the private sector, is an acknowledgement that they accept that there is a risk to the memorial but that they are PREPARED TO ACCEPT SUCH A RISK, as covenants can only only reduce not eliminate the likelihood of damage / destruction. Again the acceptance of this risk not only belittles the contribution made by men from Fenton in WW1 but could lead to the DESTRUCTION of a unique piece of the areas heritage and could cause irreparable damage to the community. Fenton Town Hall was GIFTED to the people of Fenton in 1888 by the local philanthropist, William Meath Baker. It functioned as a popular community venue, drawing the community together, for decades until becoming a dedicated Magistrates in 1968. It was sequestrated back to central government (via the Courts Act of 2005) in 2008 before the sell off in January 2013. As its original intended use was for the community the people believe the Ministry should act honourably and magnanimously in upholding the rights of the community which believes the building should be returned to it and not sold off AGAINST ITS WILL. The community believes it should, for example, give primary consideration to submitted plans from the community, especially those which look to regenerate, bringing JOBS AND GROWTH to one of the 100 most deprived wards in the UK. The community invoked Magna Carta Article 61 because the community HAS INDEED submitted robust business proposals to the Ministry of Justice which could transform the hall into a vibrant and exciting multifunctional venue for the area, completely INCLUSIVE TO ALL sections of the community and which WOULD NOT necessitate the removal of any of the memorials or place any at risk. However, irresponsibly such proposals have been ignored. Moreover, the Ministry thus far have recklessly paid around £300,000 keeping the building closed in their mission to achieve best value for the taxpayer. Of course, the community and millions of right minded individuals who would find the Ministry of Justices wastefully incompetent stance abhorrent would be quick to point out that they too are TAXPAYERS. SUMMARY The Ministry of Justice has increasingly acted OUT OF CONTROL in its dealings over Fenton Town Hall. The people of Fenton, with the support of an 11,000 signatured international petition and celebrity support have, after the failure of ALL traditional attempts at creating meaningful dialogue, invoked Article 61 of the Magna Carta and have taken back what is rightfully theirs in order to protect their First World War memorial.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 16:31:07 +0000
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