Residents Accuse Council of Foul Play

Calls for investigation into Arcadia planning committee meeting

Residents are calling for an inquiry into the Council's handling of the controversial Arcadia planning committee meeting.

The accusations surround the seating arrangements at the public meeting, and what some are describing as a deliberate attempt to keep the public from voicing their opposition to the Glenkerrin plans.

On the EalingToday forum, one poster described the activity that some believe to have taken place at the December 17 meeting.

"It is being alleged that officers quietly issued tickets earlier to a crowd of students. It is further being said that the students received payments to induce them to fill the gallery because the Council and the developers wanted to keep local residents, believed to be opposed to the plans, out."

An Ealing Council spokesperson has vehemently denied the allegations: "The Council did not sell tickets nor did it pay anybody to sit in the public gallery at the Arcadia planning meeting.

“These inaccurate and outrageous claims are being reviewed by the Council’s legal department before a decision is made about what further action to take."

The issue causing most unease amongst public is on how the ticket process was communicated.

According to the Ealing Council spokesperson: “Tickets to the public gallery were issued to members of the public on a strictly first come first serve basis using the same successful allocation method used for the Dickens Yard planning committee."

"The last green ticket to the public gallery was issued at 6.35pm and additional seating was available in the Queen's Hall which had a live audio visual link to ensure everyone who wished to see and hear the proceedings could do so," she said.

Active member of the community, Arthur Breens, of the Kingsdown Residents Association was at the meeting.

"At about 2:30 pm as I passed the Town Hall I noticed a rope "handrail" and supports running down the steps with a small queue of about 12 people," he said. " (I) asked the first man in the queue," What's the queue for mate?" Answer, "For the Planning Committee." Who was in the queue? All under 35 and mainly black and white "office" dress not really suitable for such a cold day."

On the council papers explaining space allocation Mr Breens says, 'there was no mention of tickets'.

"I never saw a ticket and was not offered one by a tout," he said. "I phoned the committee section later to complain about being directed into the basement and was brushed aside by saying that "hindsight was fine thing" or something like that. From a councillor who was concerned about the basement debacle the same dept said to her that they had no way of checking where the people who took the seats in gallery came from."

The Council papers read: "The seats in the Council Chamber public gallery will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Members of the public wishing to attend this meeting must queue on Uxbridge Road by the main steps of the Town Hall. If you have a disability that would not permit you to climb the stairs to the public gallery, 4 spaces will be set-aside in the Council Chamber."

Ealing Council's spokesperson said: "The ticket allocation process was communicated verbally and in writing prior to the meeting as well as being set out in the meeting guidance notes available on the Council website."

“All council meetings follow strict protocols and the Council adheres to the highest standards to ensure that access to public meetings is protected.”

What they're saying on the forum

"I find it very, very disturbing. If the Planning Committee meeting was scheduled for 7pm, how on earth did the young people in suits know to queue for a place as early as 2.30pm on that cold afternoon? This sounds very unusual. If the people in the queue were all of a similar young age, office attire and stance on the planned development then this is most unusual too. Hardly a representative sample of Ealing's population in general, much less a representaive sample of those that typically attend Council/Planning meetings. It certainly smacks of an audience contrived to add weight to Glenkerrin's case. If this is the case it would appear that the Council's decision to release unadvertised tickets hours earlier served to faciliate it. This is indeed worrying!"

"I am shocked to think such could be done by any Local Authority, let alone a Tory one. As you say, it MUST be investigated, meantime Boris be informed the views of Ealing's public have not only been suppressed but grossly distorted. "

February 5, 2009