News archive

Please
find attached (below) NCFG’s Stage 2 complaint

As stated in my email below Mr
Carter’s response to NCFG’s Stage 1 complaint simply does not address the
points that were raised.

One of our main points is that
communication and dialogue with the Council has been very difficult (at best)
and as Mr Carter has made himself the focal point for all correspondence we
were very disappointed, but not surprised, that it was Mr Carter who responded
to the Stage 1 complaint. It was NCFG’s hope that an independent person
from WBC would review the complaint.

To be clear the way that Mr Carter has
handled the Council’s interaction with NCFG over the football ground and the
fact that all decisions on this matter still continue to be made behind
closed doors, without any justification / evidence or dialogue with the
users and / or wider community goes to the heart of our complaint. As such can
you please confirm ASAP who, from West Berkshire Council, will be handling this
Stage 2 complaint.

In our Stage 1 complaint we listed the
7 principles of public life (see below). It is our view that WBC’s handing
of the Faraday Road football ground falls short on many of these key principles
and we hope that our Stage 2 complaint is reviewed fairly and independently
with these principles used as the benchmark.

The 7
principles of public life

Published
31 May 1995

1. Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

2. Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

3. Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

4. Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

5. Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

6. Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

7. Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Paul Morgan

Chair of Newbury Community Football Group

Tel: 07767 817208

Newbury Reporting’s article from 23/06/18 on Charlie Austin’s support for NCFG here

Reply from Richard Benyon MP to NCFG Chair Paul Morgan 17/07/18

Dear Paul

I have forwarded your e-mail to the CEO at West Berks Council. I will send you a copy of his reply when I receive it.

Yours sincerely

Richard

(The Rt Hon Richard Benyon – Member of Parliament for Newbury)

Reply from NCFG Chair Paul Morgan to Richard Benyon MP 09/07/18

Thank you for your response Richard.

As discussed at our meeting the key issue that we have is WBC are simply not entering into any meaningful dialogue with the football community of Newbury.

You say in your reply, which I appreciate is what you have been told by WBC, “The current plan is for WBC to manage the use of the ground and they are currently making the site suitable for local people to use”.

There is no evidence whatsoever that there is a need for what WBC propose and we have asked them to provide evidence of their decision making process – see the attached response that we sent to Newbury Weekly News. Two examples of our questions are:

• Please can you confirm who you consulted with respect to the proposed use as a multi-use games area with two five a side pitches marked up?

• Who in the Council proposed and agreed this new use for Faraday Road – did it go through any committee or any internal review? Please advise

Regrettably we are now firmly of the view that WBC have no intention whatsoever of honouring the site’s Asset of Community Value status and they will deliberately dumb down and run down this great facility to further their end goals, which as discussed has not had any public consultation nor has any associated outline planning applications. In short what they are doing is really bad for local health and well-being, local democracy and puts the local Conservative party in a really poor light.

Rest assured that NCFG will continue to challenge WBC at every step and if you can provide us with help and guidance with this quest it will be much appreciated.

Best regards

Paul Morgan – Chair of Newbury Community Football Group

Reply from Richard Benyon MP to NCFG Chair Paul Morgan following recent meeting 09/07/18

Dear Paul

Thank you for coming to see me with John Stewart.

I raised your concerns with the Chief Executive of WBC, Nick Carter, at my meting with him on Friday. I can confirm that the football ground will be available for community use within a few weeks. This will be a short to medium term arrangement dependant on the redevelopment of the London Road Industrial Estate. The current plan is for WBC to manage the use of the ground and they are currently making the site suitable for local people to use.

I know that you are looking for some long-term solution to provide the kind of ground a town like Newbury deserves. WBC will shortly be publishing its playing field strategy and it is very important that organisations like yours are contributing to the ideas this brings forward. I know that WBC want to build on the Newbury Town Plan and to tie in sporting facilities with policies on wellbeing, anti-obesity and community activity.

Please be assured of my continuing commitment to find a long-term solution for Newbury to be able to compete at the highest possible level in local and national leagues.

Yours sincerely

Richard

(The Rt Hon Richard Benyon – Member of Parliament for Newbury)

Inadequate pitches report from the BBC, worth a read here

News update 11/07/18

NCFG response to WBC press release

Read Newbury Today’s article here

News update 09/07/18

WBC reply to NCFG complaint letter

Dear Mr Morgan

Thank you for your email dated 21st June 2018.

With regard to bookings the position is that we are not taking bookings since the site is closed. As mentioned previously we will be setting out our plans for the temporary use of the site in September. As has been explained now for several years it is the Council’s intention to redevelop this site as part of the wider regeneration of the London Road Estate and I reflect further on that below. In terms of the questions you posed my response is set out below as per your numbering.

1. As landlord the Council wishes to determine the condition of the site before it is opened up for wider community use. This would be common practice following the expiry of a long term lease.

2. It would not have been feasible with the previous tenant and their equipment in place.

3. I do not agree. We need to determine the safety of the site for future use and that requires the site to be closed. We will explain the future of the site in September. Until then it will remain closed to public access.

4. We have not ignored the request but do not considerate appropriate. Council officers met with Duncan Crook and NCFG in April. I have already responded on this. As stated on several occasions the site is destined to be redeveloped. The Council needs to retain flexibility as to its operation up until then and has therefore chosen to manage the facility itself. We also want to ensure community use is maximised. Given the future redevelopment of the site there is little merit in considering long term investment as a football venue.

5. The previous tenant has removed its own equipment. It is too early to comment on whether any of its needs replacing.

6. The Council has made it clear over several years that the facility would close and we have spoken with the previous tenant on numerous occasions explaining that they needed to find a new venue. Plans outlining the regeneration of the London Road Industrial Estate were set out at the Newbury Vision Conference in 2014 and the matter was again raised in 2015 at the same conference when you were in attendance. There were ‘letter drops’ to residents of the Estate in 2014 and January 2015 in which our plans were clarified. In a meeting with the Football Club in 2015 the then Leader Councillor Roger Croft stated ‘if the club has not actively addressed the situation (the need to relocate) in a realistic way, closure of the club in August 2018 is a realistic possibility’. He went on to urge the Club to consider a ground share option.

7. The plan for the site has been made clear for many years and we made it clear in 2015 to the current tenant that their lease would expire in June 2018. There is a period of time now where the site needs to be managed prior to it being redeveloped and it is our intention to ensure that maximum community use is made of it.

I am not convinced that there is a need to meet to discuss further your concerns. We have had several meetings in the past at which our plans have been made clear. It is understood that you would like to see the site retained as a football ground. That is not our plan. If we are to meet then it would be helpful to know specifically what you wish to discuss. We are not yet in a position to explain exactly how the site will be used from September this year. We will inform the community of our intentions later in the summer.

Yours sincerely,

Nick Carter

News update 29/06/18

NCFG meets with Sport England & FA and later with local MP Richard Benyon for campaign status update.

News update 27/06/18

WBC turn down NCFG request to hold public consultation at Faraday Road regarding NCFG’s artificial pitch planning application.

And read Newbury FC’s captain’s comments on the Breeze website here