Prescot Councillor slams Knowsley park sell-off

Local Green Party Councillor Kai Taylor has branded Knowsley Councils cabinet decision to surrender 17 parks as ‘utterly disgraceful’

Cllr Kai Taylor said: “Knowsley Labour Party Councillors voted unanimously to surrender over 90 hectares of parkland for development following a report from an ‘independent review board”

“How dare Knowsley Council attempt to fool local residents by claiming that the review board is ‘independent’.

“The fact that it is chaired by a former Labour councillor who served for twenty one years highlights the many concerns we had in the initial stages of this review.”

Cllr Taylor also complained that the consultation was largely web based excluding many members of the public in Knowsley who do not have access to the internet, leaving 35% of residents totally excluded from the survey.

“The incredibly low turn out shows that the council have no mandate to go through with this, the consultation was poorly advertised and the review board failed to utilise local media outlets to properly advertise the consultation.

“Many local residents feel they have been duped out of their chance to voice their opinions” Cllr Taylor added.

“I believe the consultation has been rushed, and mistakes and poor practise has taken place. Given that Knowsley Council has the funding to maintain our parks in place till 2019, an extensive, inclusive and representative consultation could have taken place.”

“Knowsley Green Party is prepared to stand shoulder to shoulder with local residents to do all we can to protect, preserve and enhance our parks.

“We are calling on local residents to join us at the Knowsley Council Municipal Building on the 13 December at 15:45 to take park in a peaceful protest.

“Browns Field Park (King George V Playing Fields) one of the proposed recreational grounds we would loose is a much loved community asset, given that Prescot has limited leisure facilities following the demolition of our leisure centre and swimming baths it is essential we do all we can to safe guards what resources we have left”.