Donate a Pound

Help us protect the identity of the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent, its villages and the quality of life of its residents by giving whatever you can to ensure that March on Stoke is a success!

A £1 donation from everyone on this page can pay for a leaflet drop to every household, and posters promoting the march, across the city. It will ensure that we continue to raise political awareness and get the message across loud and clear that it is the people of Stoke-on-Trent who hold ultimate power, not elected and unelected representatives.

Please send your donations, whatever you can afford, to marchonstoke@gmail.com

Rally - Saturday 29th June 11am Kingsway, Stoke upon Trent

Saturday 29th June 11am Kingsway, Stoke upon Trent

Following the outstanding success of the march in February, we're having a rally in Kingsway on June 29th. There will be entertainment, a few speakers, something for the kids and generally a good atmosphere to demonstrate peacefully that we're still not happy that the council wants to spend £40m to move a perfectly fit for purpose building just over a mile up the road to justify this appalling decision to create a Central Business District with no businesses.

Please share and let's get as many people there as possible, we had 1000 marching on a cold February day, let's see what we can do in the sunshine!

Contact your Local Councillor and MP

You may know your local Councillor already and be able to contact them easily, if not you can either use the City Councils website to find your Councillor by name or by ward. 

An easy alternative is to use the website WriteToThem.com  simply enter your post code and it will give you details of councillor,MP and euro MP. I like is as its an easy address to remember and to pass on to friends and family.

March on Stoke Public Meeting

May 20 at 7:30pm Christchurch Church, Tunstall

All are invited to attend the 'March on Stoke' meeting to help to plan the march of No Confidence in the City Council against £40million being spent on a new Civic Building. Next meeting to be held at Christ Church located on the corner of Furlong Road and the High Street in Tunstall (opposite Domino's Pizza).

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What being funded letter

To Tristram and Shaun

Can you please clarify something please, it may be lack of communication from the Council or just cross wires somewhere, as myself and others seem to see a significant aspect in different light.

What is the Council funding?

In recent correspondence you both have shared similar views...

Cllr Pender "The relocation to Hanley will encourage businesses to occupy the new office developments which will give the local economy the much needed impetus that it needs to grow."

Tristram Hunt MP "Business are more likely to move into modern office complex then invest in derelict site"

You both seem to see the Councils borrowing as being used to fund speculative office space, which is an entirely different proposal to funding a new Civic Centre. Can you please confirm what the situation is?

The Sentinel did report of proposals to fund phase 2 as speculative offices, but this was never brought to the table and was never reported to Councillors on any public agenda papers, can you please confirm if it was reported to yourselves hence your current view, and what current status is on the proposal, are we building New offices for Financial sector or are we building a new civic centre?

Your help is appreciated.

a few points to raise in Tristrams letter, you claim it is difficult to get a loan from PWLB and the fact that the council has secured a loan is a good sign. Sorry Tristram but the PWLB do not ask for a business case, or any proof of repayment, they dont even care who the business partners are, all they ask is that a requesting authority gives a VERBAL assurance that they can repay the loan. I'm a bit shocked if an MP is unaware of this fact.

The original proposal to outsource staff in 2009 this was scrapped on 10th March 2010 on advice of John van de Laarschot who claimed "being an ANCHOR tenant would undermine the commercial interests of the Council" and may I remind you no one that I speak with is OPPOSED to the CBD, just the New Civic Centre ( but your clarification on first point above may help there)

Please excuse tone of letter but think we need a clear message on what the council is funding and what they are hoping Genr9 fund.

REPLY

Dear Mr Norris,

Thank you for your email.  As you know, I am not your Member of Parliament and so these very understandable concerns you have about the development of the Central Business District need to be pursued through Joan. She, like myself and Rob Flello, is consistently asking detailed questions of the City Council and will, I am sure, be more than willing to keep you informed of those conversations.

Very best,

Tristram

Facebook UPDATE

we now have a new open group, please Join

and a new Page, please Like

Tristram Hunt

You really do talk the talk don't you, but fail to walk the walk.

"There is no doubt this new political landscape will herald changes here in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.

It will mean politicians listening to public concerns, but it will also demand some bravery in sticking up for long-held values

The challenge is now on to re-engage with the public and convince them the non-pin-striped politicians have some answers."

Not one local Labour MP appears to have any effect on our local Labour Councillors blatantly ignoring the residents of Stoke on Trent, that is if you have actually questioned their decisions, or asked for any evidence from your Councillors or from Genr8 on the probability of Genr8 securing the private investment required to make Central Business District a success. They failed over the last 4 years to secure any just ask MP Simon Danczuk he may shred some light for you.

Can you please advise what actions you have taken to ensure Central Business District does not stall at phase one the New Civic Centre and that all Phases will be completed, and what response and evidence did you recieve? If the evidence is confidential a reply to confirm you have seen evidence in black and white that it will succeed, not as the Sentinel reported "The council currently has no plans to invest in these buildings and expects its private sector partner, Genr8, to take these schemes forward."

Ian Norris