Gaza and Openreach pole protesters demonstrate outside council meeting

Two very different protests took place outside Southport Town Hall as campaigners demanded action from their local councillors.

One group of demonstrators set up at the side of the town hall and were calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. At the same time, another campaign group stood on the steps with banners and placards asking the council to support their fight against Openreach's installation of telegraph poles.

The protests were peaceful and stayed in their separate areas, but both were present as the councillors walked up to the main entrance - each calling out the terms of their campaigns.

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Despite the wind and rain, the two demonstrations were well-attended. By the time the councillors were called into the main hall, the public gallery was full - one council official said it was the best-attended meeting they had seen in a career spanning 11 years.

In the spirit of fair-play, each protest agreed to take turns in the chamber so everyone could be present for items on the agenda they were particularly concerned about.

The two separate items on the telegraph poles and the Gaza ceasefire were moved up the agenda, with the former being heard first.

Pete Nielsen spoke on behalf of the Openreach protest campaign group and proceeded to outline the issues to the council chamber. In short, these amounted to complaints around what he claimed was Openreach's lack of consultation with local residents and claims over tactics he said were used to try and 'force through' the installation of telegraph poles.

For the last few months, residents across Southport have organised a high-profile campaign against Openreach's plans to install telegraph poles around the town. The issue has garnered national attention and has even been mentioned in the Houses of Parliament.

After a series of 'flying-picket'-type protests on streets around Southport, campaigners agreed the next step would be to take their campaign straight to their local representatives.

The protesters hoped to persuade councillors to vote for a motion proposed by Conservative councillor, Mike Morris calling for the local authority to act - including a request for them to contact Openreach and ask for the installations to be paused.

Last month, Sefton Council called on Openreach to suspend their installation plans in Southport after being inundated with complaints from local residents. This followed a meeting between council Highways Officers and Sefton Cabinet Member Cllr John Fairclough alongside Norwood Councillor Greg Myers, who compiled residents' complaints.

The telegraph poles will carry FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) which will link properties to Openreach's Ultrafast Fibre optic broadband network. The installation of poles has been objected to by an increasing number of residents who feel they are being forced onto them.

Campaigners say the upgrade programme is welcomed, but they believe the telegraph poles to be unattractive, damaging to wildlife and less effective than underground cables.

However, the installation of Openreach's telegraph poles is covered by permitted development rights (PDRs) - a statutory instrument included in the Town and Country Planning Order 2015. It means planning permission for certain types of development can be granted without requiring approval from the local planning authority or any consultation with residents.

Therefore, plans for installing the telegraph poles has proceeded without the need for approval from Sefton Council's planning team or the support of the local community.

A motion was passed but not before an amendment was proposed by Cllr Greg Myers who has worked alongside the protesters throughout their campaign.

The amendment was passed with a re-shaped call-to-action including a commitment to write to the Minister of State for Data and Digital Infrastructure, Julia Lopez MP expressing 'strong concern' at the behaviour of Openreach and urge the Minister to propose an immediate pause in the installation works.

The crux of the amendment was to acknowledge the fact it was only the government who could change the law around permitted development.

After this motion was passed, the Openreach protesters vacated the public chamber and allowed representatives from the Gaza protest to come in and witness the vote on the ceasefire motion.

The motion was proposed by newly independent Cllr Natasha Carlin and called on Sefton Council to write to the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak and the Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer to back an immediate and permanent end to the conflict in Gaza

Just last week, Cllr Carlin quit the Labour Party and released a statement detailing some of the reasons behind her decision. She said: "I no longer feel the Labour Party represents the morals and principles that I live by, and I do not recognise the party as the one I joined in 2016."

Commenting specifically on Labour's response to the war in Gaza, Cllr Carlin added: "I didn’t join politics to see inaction over Palestine."

Cllr Carlin proposed the Gaza ceasefire motion which was seconded by Cllr Sean Halsall, but it was subjected to an amendment put forward by Cllr Marion Atkinson. The amendment was duly passed with a recorded vote, with 10 members of the chamber choosing to abstain - including councillors Carlin and Halsall.

In response to the question of why she abstained, Cllr Carlin said: "Firstly, the removal of 'humanitarian law' and 'permanent' from the original wording. No rationale was offered for this."

The representative for Blundellsands ward added: "It’s vital that humanitarian law and permanent peace be achieved in the region."

Cllr Carlin went on to say: "Secondly because of the refusal to write to Keir Starmer, despite the fact that he will most likely be the Prime Minister in the coming months. It’s extremely disappointing given his previous comments."

After the amended ceasefire motion was passed, protesters could be heard to shout 'spineless' at the council and were unhappy the original motion had been changed.

The amended motion resolved to offer support to any local residents impacted by the violent events in Gaza and offer sanctuary to innocent people displaced and affected by the conflict.

The amended motion also agreed for the council leader to write to the Prime Minister supporting the stance of the Shadow Secretary of State for Commonwealth and Development Affairs and the UN council who have both called for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages and immediate humanitarian access into Gaza.

The motion said these requests (if accepted) would be progressive steps towards a permanent ceasefire and allow for 'work towards a long-term peaceful solution'.

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