Russell Gray Fri, Nov 28, 2014 at 12:34 PM To: mark.williams@southwark.gov.uk Ce: Simon Bevan , peter john@southwark.gov.uk, damian.obrien68@gmail.com, Amy Carruthers , admin Mr Williams ‘You have not responded to the email below. Our 12 November meeting Council would now revert to what we refer to as your plan A, which was simple delay in responding to us and processing our application for recognition as a NF. The meeting's unanimous decision in that event was to re-apply in exactly the same terms as for the original St Thomas St Plan but accepting the NA designated by the Council. This is without prejudice to our contention that you had no power to designate such an area and that the community will be at liberty to amend it if such a decision is subsequently made by the Group. Please therefore take this email as a formal application for recognition of our group as the NF for the NA you designated. You will of course have all the original application material and it now simply needs to be taken as an application for the much larger area selected by you. The only change is that The St Thomas St Plan, ‘STP' will be known under the working title of The St Thomas St Plan (Displaced) 'STP(DJ' until the Group: reconvenes to agree a new name. Please confirm by retum your target date for processing this application. Regards Russell Gray From: Russell Gray Date: 13 November 2014 14:32:33 GMT To: Mark Williams Ge: peter john @southwark gav.uk, Simon Bevan , Damian OBrien <¢arrian.cbrienS&@gmail.com>, Amy Caruthers , Admin BVAG , Ravi Bhaskaran , John Corey Subject: STP Mr Williams It is unfortunate that you did not attend yesterday's joint BVAG/BNF and open community meeting. You had been given some weeks notice, you gave no specific explanation of why you did not attend and you did not even send a representative. As you have been told before, we do not think it is open to the Council fo take a totalitarian approach to nalghbourhood planning on one level and then completely absent yourself when the community assembles to respond to your diktats, The meeting was well attended by the community at large, by a high proportion of those who met originally to create BNF some years ago and the only known remaining active members of the BNF committee. John Corey, the self appointed chairman, made his excuses at the last minute and did not tum up. Also present was Grange ward councillor, Damian O'Brien who, forindependence, was jointly nominated by BNF and BVAG to chair the meeting but in the circumstances of such unanimity was not required to do so. As it tumed out, the Meeting and BNF itself (so far as it exists) resolved that, BNF should be formally wound up. Of course, we have maintained for years now that BNF was just a straw man serving as a convenient decoy for a Council policy of obstructing a genuine community group with policies at odds with its own. I do not think it is now open to you elther legally or politically to continue that ruse. Please take legal advice on the status of your decision to designate a NA for which there is no applicant. You should refer yur lawyers in particular to the requirement upon a local authority to designate ‘some or all’ (but not more) of a INA for which a there is an application from a qualifying group. Hence you had to rely on the BNF application to bring your decision into conformity with the Act. BNF was not, as you know, a fit body to be recognised as a NF when you made the decision - which is why you had (0 stop short of approving it. Now it does not exist at all | think you must concede that your feigned recognition of BNF is a ‘charade too far, even for this Council. Other decisions made by the meeting will be communicated to you when minutes have been transcribed and when you have responded to the request above to stand by or abandon your attempt to impose a NA on a community that considers itself lawfully entitled to select its own Regards Russell GrayFrom: Russell Gray ‘Subject: Re: Open Community Planning Meeting Data: 4 November 2014 11:28:15 GMT ‘\vlliams, Mark" Simon Bevan , peter jonn@southwark.gov.uk, Juliet Seymour , John Corey -, Admin BVAG Mark is not for you to dictate how the community approaches producing a neighivourhoad plan. Your discretion is considarablo but in ccortain respects only. As you eve fully aware, I consider you have already extended it wel beyond the limits prescribed in the Act Whet is it that detains you at the Elephant and Castle and is important enough that, ater us wating three years, you cannot mise? Please ensure you are represented if you decide our community plan is not important enough for yout attend in person. The decisions made at the meeting will not be something that you will be at liberty to intarare with, Regards Co ‘On4 Nov 2074, at 10:56, Wiliams, Mark wrote: Dear Fussell, Unfortunatety {am not avaiable on the 12th November as thave a prior ] commitment at the Elephant and Castle. However, oftcore wil bein touch shortly o arrange an altemative date for a meeiing, 80 that ll interested parties can discuss the fulure of the neigtibourhood len ane Jsow we Can all work togathor Bost wishes, Merk ‘Counctlor Mark Willams Labour Member far Brunswick Park Ward ‘Capinet Member for Fegensration, Pianning & Transport London Borough of Southwark 180 Tooiey Street London, SE1 272 (0207 5257730 / 07285 629095 ! @mariwilians84 Original Massage--— From: Russet Gray [maltorussel@torcshiva nel] Sent: 04 November 2014 10:49, To: Wikiams, Mark: Bevan, Simon Ce: John, Peter; Seymour, Juliet; Amy Carruthers; John Corey ‘Subject: Open Community Planning Meeting Me Wiams/Bevan ‘You have net responded to my emai of iast Wednesday inviting you attend and to Bost an open community masting to respond to yeur dictates on neighbourhood planning, You were also invited to ensure tha prospective aoplicants for the NA you designated were present, ‘As you have designated an area that nobody has applied for t seems to us thatthe least you can do is to ensure the applications from eligible ‘groups you envisage fort are forthcoming. Otherwise you must confront the possibilty that there may be none, with the consequent implications {or your decision and is susteinabiilyHaving adopted a dictatorial and intrusive approach to community Planning that is at odds with te spirt (and, we say, the letter ofthe lay) it must also be for you to ensure you sro fully involved in Community meetings to saiisy yourselves that you have net, in effect, just proscribed commority pianring in this area altogether. | presume ‘even you do not think this is within your power. Inthe absence of eny active involvement fem you the meating will be held as scheduled in Globe House at 7.00pm on Wednesday 12 November. It wil be a meeting of both BVAG (lor the St Thomas Sl Plan) and BNF 2s ‘weil as anyone inlerasted in a neighbourhood plan for this area. it vil be open to all. The pringal business willbe to determine who is to take a neighbourhood plan forward in the face of your decision and hhow they are to do so, Itis evident that the dacision ta designate an ares without a forum ‘springs trom an ignorance of the realty in tho community of those Interested end ready to participate in producing @ neighbourhood plan, You cannot expect te dictate eondions for a neighbourhood plan to be allowed and refuse to confront the issue of whether thay ara reasonable inthe circumstance. | therefore trust you will oth ensure you altend or ara adequatsly reprosented. Regards Russall Gray ‘The emai you receivad and any files transmitted with it are confidential, may be covered by legal andior professional privilege and are intandad solaly forthe use of tne individual or any to whom they are ackiressed, ltyou have received this in error plosse nol us immediately Ifyou are not the intended recipient cf the email or the person responsible for delivering tto them you may nat copy it, forward it or otherwise use itfor any purpose or disclose its conterts to any other person. To do so may be unlawful Where opinions are expressed in the omail they are sot necessafly those of Southwark Council and Southwark Council is nt responsible for any changes made to the message attor it has heen sent,