Council protest: More than 1,000 take to the streets (From Dorset Echo)
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Council protest: More than 1,000 take to the streets
11:30am Monday 4th April 2011 in Local News By Arron Hendy
The protest through Charles Street, Dorchester
MORE than 1,000 protesters took to the streets to rally against a new library and council offices for Dorchester amid claims it is being pushed through undemocratically.
The huge crowd brought the county town to a standstill on Saturday afternoon after setting off from county hall and heading through the town centre with a police escort to the proposed site of West Dorset District Council’s new offices on the Charles Street car park.
The protesters carried placards with the words ‘stop council offices now’, ‘people not premises’ and ‘restore democracy now’.
Council leader Robert Gould came under fire with one protest sign reading ‘Gouldafi Out’ with his face superimposed on a picture of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddaffi A tank was parked up at the car park as Stop Council Offices Now (SCON) member Alistair Chisholm began a series of speeches which whipped up fervour and shouts of ‘shame’ against the council from the mixed crowd of youngsters, families and pensioners.
In his opening speech in Charles Street Mr Chisholm said it was wrong for £15m to be spent on the development by the council at a time when ‘the public purse is shrinking’.
He said: “There are people throughout West Dorset who don’t know what is going on and feelings range from puzzlement to disbelief and extreme anger.”
Mr Chisholm complained that there had been ‘no public consultation’.
“It’s disingenuous for Robert Gould to claim the public could have attended the council meetings and that they amounted to public consultation,” he added.
Mr Chisholm also claimed in the course of the planning meetings ‘negotiations took place behind closed doors with no clear information reaching the public’. He added: “We deserve and demand to know more.
“West Dorset District Council has been turned into a self-serving despotic organisation that believes it can get away with the most undemocratic behaviour.”
Mr Chisholm’s speech was received with cheers and applause .
Michael Turner QC, one of the country’s leading criminal barristers who has a home in West Dorset, gave a speech slamming West Dorset District Council and its leadership.
Mike Chaney of the Ad Lib campaign group also gave a speech to call on the proposed new £5million library to be scrapped as other libraries need to be saved from closure.
He said: “Why when so much is being cut back is West Dorset District Council so out of step?” Mr Chaney criticised the plan to pay the money to build the library and then also spend £200,000 per year to use it. He added: “If it means closing half the other libraries I’m against it.”
Comments(31)
106dl
says...
12:22pm Mon 4 Apr 11
thebaglady2011
says...
12:37pm Mon 4 Apr 11
/news/uk-england-dor
set-12946237 reports only 200 attending (about 0.2% of West Dorset council tax payers).
The vast majority it would seem either support the development or are not bothered either way.
fishman68
says...
1:36pm Mon 4 Apr 11
106dl wrote:106dl, lyme regis. I completely agree with you. I find it simply unbelievable that the majority of Dorchester's population are civil servants in one form or another, what on earth do most of them actually do?? A job cull is certainly overdue all thanks to Liebour’s decade of stupid nanny state bureaucracy and pointless job creation. Its no wonder the country is bankrupt.
Unlike most of your sub-species, most real people were too busy just trying to get by. You lot are finished, admit it and stop whining.
nigefromdorchester
says...
1:59pm Mon 4 Apr 11
Terrasfan
says...
2:33pm Mon 4 Apr 11
nigefromdorchester wrote:Utter Rubbish, If 10% Turn out in Protest, that does not mean 90% are in favour. Some people have got better things to do, some people have got work, pointless slagging the 90% off unless you find out why they did not attend. It just could be that most of them agree.....I don't know what the percentage is, but one thing is for sure, the 90% that you have worked out, is WRONG. In fact its miles out Nige, for gods sake if you are going to go on a public forum such as this, get close to the facts being correct, otherwise you could look stupid
I understand that the majority of those civil (Public) servants work at the hospital.
Duckorange
says...
2:41pm Mon 4 Apr 11
Terrasfan wrote:Speaking from the safety of the other side of the Ridgeway, everybody knows Dorchester is renowned for its apathy. Remember the single string of Christmas lights?
nigefromdorchester wrote:Utter Rubbish, If 10% Turn out in Protest, that does not mean 90% are in favour. Some people have got better things to do, some people have got work, pointless slagging the 90% off unless you find out why they did not attend. It just could be that most of them agree.....I don't know what the percentage is, but one thing is for sure, the 90% that you have worked out, is WRONG. In fact its miles out Nige, for gods sake if you are going to go on a public forum such as this, get close to the facts being correct, otherwise you could look stupid
I understand that the majority of those civil (Public) servants work at the hospital.
JANEAUSTEN
says...
2:49pm Mon 4 Apr 11
However, elections are coming up ....
3rdAccount
says...
3:15pm Mon 4 Apr 11
West Dorset serves about a hundred thousand people so even with the rent a crowd this really is a tiny minority that protest - most really do not care.
This minority of moaners are the reason nothing ever happens in sleepy old Dorchester - time to get a life people and embrace some change (for a change).
pbcclements
says...
3:24pm Mon 4 Apr 11
The words I can think of the proposed move are : Obsecene waste of OUR money at the prsent time. A big spend project at a time when no one is spending big. It's very offensive to struggling locals, and should be put on hold at best, or better canned completely. The numbers simply don't add up.
MaidofDorset
says...
3:53pm Mon 4 Apr 11
After the election will we find heavy financial penalties if the people of Dorchester decide against spending so much money in the current financial crisis?
Have the old offices already been sold off for a bargain basement price?
Robert Gould I have a question for you.
Why the secrecy? What are you trying to hide behind those closed doors?
Oldgrumblebelly
says...
4:09pm Mon 4 Apr 11
Fred Kite
says...
5:54pm Mon 4 Apr 11
CoogarUK.com
says...
6:12pm Mon 4 Apr 11
Duckorange wrote:Firstly, check the definition of apathy and then check the results of last April's Town Poll, in which over 2000 (92% of those who voted) residents voted against Gouldafi's scheme. Btw, I - probably like many others- was unable to attend the protest and I think you'll find that the real apathy is among those in remainder rest of West Dorset but no-one should blame them as the truth has been hidden from them to a large degree. I certainly wouldn't expect Weymouth residents to understand the issue.
Terrasfan wrote:Speaking from the safety of the other side of the Ridgeway, everybody knows Dorchester is renowned for its apathy. Remember the single string of Christmas lights?
nigefromdorchester wrote:Utter Rubbish, If 10% Turn out in Protest, that does not mean 90% are in favour. Some people have got better things to do, some people have got work, pointless slagging the 90% off unless you find out why they did not attend. It just could be that most of them agree.....I don't know what the percentage is, but one thing is for sure, the 90% that you have worked out, is WRONG. In fact its miles out Nige, for gods sake if you are going to go on a public forum such as this, get close to the facts being correct, otherwise you could look stupid
I understand that the majority of those civil (Public) servants work at the hospital.
jamesryoung
says...
6:45pm Mon 4 Apr 11
To those that dismiss this as a minority, consider this.
The people of Dorchester are the ones most affected by this, so the apathy needs to be considered in the context of the 16,000 who live here.
Around 12% are over 75 and it would be reasonable to assume that unlike Norrie, most would be unable to turn out.
Around 25% are under 18 so presumably have little interest.
So that gets us to about 10000.
And of those nearly 50% supposedly work for the civil service in one guise or another.
My partner works for DCC and stated she would not risk expressing a view. I am sure there are many like that, and consequently many whose partners wouldn't have attended either.
So at worst we can say 1 in 5 are against the scheme.
And by the time you factor other reasons the number is probably much higher.
Shopping commitments.
DIY.
Work weekends.
Attend football matches, swimming meets, etc, with kids
Other family commitments
Unwell
Away on holiday
Gould and his cronies should pay attention.
pd7
says...
7:38pm Mon 4 Apr 11
Its a bad design in the wrong place at the wrong time but who listens .
Mrs Grumps
says...
8:40pm Mon 4 Apr 11
nigefromdorchester
says...
9:02pm Mon 4 Apr 11
nigefromdorchester
says...
9:04pm Mon 4 Apr 11
Tee Hee... made a little booboo there I think....
Fred Kite
says...
10:49pm Mon 4 Apr 11
Micke12
says...
12:18am Tue 5 Apr 11
On top of all this, we have the possibility, if not, probability that WDDC will no longer be here when the government decides to look at getting rid of local town councils and replacing them with unitary authorities.
I would suggest that WDDC shelve these plans until the following conditions are met.
1. The government decides whether or not WDDC is to be amalgamated within a unitary authority.
2. The fiscal position of the country and the local economy is such that such expense can be safely burdened by the tax payer, as that is who is paying for this ivory tower, you, the tax payer.
106dl
says...
8:46am Tue 5 Apr 11
The demise of civil servants will in part be due to this hypocrisy. When the stupid party were in power and pupils told teachers what to do, this nonsense might not even have been noticed. If you employed somebody only to find that they held no relevant qualifications, you would either sack them, or not pay them and get somebody else to do the job. So why do we keep feeding these monkeys.
JANEAUSTEN
says...
10:12am Tue 5 Apr 11
The pen is mightier than the sword - use it at the coming elections.
And on principle I object to accusations of corruption unless there is proof.
I also object to dragging a 105 yr old lady and a tank into this!
What is important is that all the reasons for the move are made known and you see democracy in action, and people are not told what to think . Whoever may be doing the telling.
Before the abuse starts I should add I have never worked for the council or have any relatives that do.
106dl
says...
11:14am Tue 5 Apr 11
TomHardy
says...
11:22am Tue 5 Apr 11
Absolute power corrupts once again, time to dismantle the WDCC executive. It makes my blood boil why should we pay Gould's salary and pension? Anyone want to join the lynch mob?
JANEAUSTEN
says...
1:17pm Tue 5 Apr 11
CoogarUK.com
says...
5:00pm Tue 5 Apr 11
MrTomSmith
says...
9:13pm Tue 5 Apr 11
But the biggest issue here is now TRUST. It has been proven now that some of these people cannot be trusted to fill in a claims form. So as the other posters are suggesting, they are open to all sorts of things, and this must be the next investigation. It's not going to be long before one of these councillors is caught with his/her fingers well and truly in the jam jar!!
Then the whole thing will come tumbling down. New offices!! Ridiculous!
PublicMe
says...
3:36pm Fri 8 Apr 11
MaidofDorset
says...
10:26am Sat 9 Apr 11
I have no idea what his trade is, or if he or any members of his family has any business interests, has he previous experience of city centre developments?
He is no relation to the Gould's shop Goulds, and I would pass him in the street without knowing (possibly just as well). How can a man have such power but be so secretive?
Come along Mr Gould, don't be shy, publish your CV. You are in charge of the Council and are disposing of vast amounts of our money. We'd like to meet you before the 5th May.
106dl
says...
3:36pm Sat 9 Apr 11
nigefromdorchester says...
12:08pm Mon 4 Apr 11
Where was everyone?
Thousands and thousands of leaflets and flyers were produced and all the miserable people of Dorchester could must was a measly 1000 people to turn up and have their voices heard....
There are C 16,000 live in Dorchester....
Over 97,000 live in West Dorset....and they couldn't be bothered to go outside and march up and down a short while....
Well, it appears that the majority have spoken. It would appear that approx 90% of Dorchester people are in favour of this development and just 10% are against.... Food for thought eh?