Issue - items at meetings - Petition to Save the Market Hall

Issue - meetings

Petition to Save the Market Hall

 

 

Meeting: 19/01/2010 - Joint Overview and Scrutiny Board (Item 18)

18 Petition - "Save the Market Hall" pdf icon PDF 69 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Board received a petition submitted by Mr. Fred Stanley entitled “Save the Market Hall”.  The petition contained over 1000 names and addresses.  The petition read as follows:

 

“We the undersigned feel the market hall should not be pulled down, as this town has had a market hall since the time of King Henry the 8th or even earlier than that.  The market hall should be put to another use rather than pulling it down.  We are looking for all the support we can get and need people to lobby the council and our local mp’s to save our market hall”. 

 

The Chairman reiterated the role and purpose of the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Board in considering petitions and explained the process for the petition for the benefit of members of the public that joined the meeting later.  He explained that he had agreed to put back consideration of the agenda item on this petition until 6.00 p.m. to allow time for members of the public with an interest in this item to attend. 

 

The Chairman outlined the process for the consideration of the petition as follows: 

  • Presentation of the petition by the Lead Petitioner, Mr. Fred Stanley, with Mr. Alan Mitchell speaking in substitute on his behalf, allowing up to 5 minutes, followed by questions from the Board, 
  • Presentation of the officer report by the Economic Development & Town Centre Manager,
  • Questions to the Cabinet Portfolio Holders and lead officer,
  • Questions to Ward Member, Councillor E. C. Tibby, if required,
  • Questions to nominated petition supporters - Councillors P. M. McDonald and E. J. Murray, if required. 

 

The Chairman pointed out that at least one fraudulent signature had been identified in the petition on the Market Hall and that the person concerned had confirmed that his signature had been falsified and that he had not in fact signed the petition.  The Chairman warned that fraudulent signatures undermined the credibility of petitions and that the Board would be likely to take a dim view of petitions presented to it which contained deliberately falsified signatures.

 

RESOLVED that the identified falsified signature entered on the petition “Save the Market Hall” be struck off from the petition. 

 

At this stage of the meeting there was some disturbance and interjections from the public gallery.  The Chairman asked members of the public and Councillors not on the Board not to interrupt the proceedings. 

 

The Chairman invited the lead petitioner to present the petition.  Mr. Alan Mitchell presented the petition on behalf of Mr. Fred Stanley.  Mr. Mitchell presented some key reasons why the petition to save the Market Hall had been organised and presented to the Board. 

 

Mr. Mitchell referred to comments allegedly made by the Leader of the Council that the people of Bromsgrove had agreed to the plans for the regeneration of the town centre, including the planned demolition of the Market Hall site. He said that the plans for the redevelopment of the site had not been made available for public inspection and that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18