I have already asked a similar question in relation to other matters. But on returning to formal statements made by SMBC, the most telling and candid, before the spin doctors started to try and tie up Satchwell’s loose cannon threads, were the original statements made by the cabinet member for Highways and Environment Maria Crompton. It is alleged that her portfolio included the parks and open spaces and she approached the cabinet asking for advice. IT SHOULD BE NOTED HOWEVER THAT SATCHWELL’S REPORT IN APRIL 2013 WAS ACTUALLY MADE TO “THE CABINET MEMBER FOR NEIGHBOURHOOD SERVICES”– WHOEVER THAT WAS.
The abysmally cringing radio interview with her on BBC Radio WM is perfect evidence of the denials and deceit behind this cull.
To listen to the substantive part of this interview click below.
Unrehearsed and unprepared, there are numerous statements made which are now extremely damaging to Sandwell council, and to her reputation personally. This in itself prompted a formal complaint against her, which being “investigated” by her colleagues , was only ever likely to lead to a none investigation as to what she had actually said. The statement which is most telling however in that meeting’s minutes were
“The Sub-Committee took into consideration that the Cabinet Member was confirming information supplied to her by officers which was made in good faith..”
THIS IS RELEVANT TO SANDWELL COUNCIL’S JUSTIFICATION THAT THEY ARE NOW RELYING ON IN TERMS OF USING A NATURAL ENGLAND GENERAL LICENCE AND ALSO THIS QUANGO’S “GUIDANCE” TO CULL THE GEESE.
I have previously looked at how they have confabulated numbers. But on this post I want to focus on one part of the radio interview which raised the topic of egg pricking- an alternative method of non-lethal control mentioned in Natural England guidance, and the method which the council claimed that it’s countryside rangers would undertake during a two week period after the 1997 policy was passed on Canada geese management.
This is what John Satchwell claimed in his April 2013 report.
It should at this point be noted that when asking a formal Freedom of Information Request concerning historic figures of eggs/nests/sites pricked between 1997-2012, Sandwell Council via John Satchwell , parks manager, could offer no recorded figures.
SO LETS TURN TO A SECTION OF THE INTERVIEW WHERE MARIA CROMPTON WAS ASKED ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC SUBJECT. CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW.
TRANSCRIPT
MOLLIE GREEN:
“Why did the council feel the need to however they were killed/culled, whatever term you want to use, why did the council feel the need to get rid of 220 animals from your park?”
MARIA CROMPTON
” This has been over two years, we only took 70 this year. Unfortunately there are so many, they breed so well, they’re doing so well all over the country that right across the country other authorities are having to take the same measures to remove geese. There are just too many of them they’re doing so well, and because they foul on the footpaths and in the grass, they they they can poo every six to twenty minutes. So can you imagine how how much poo we have to remove from the parks?”
MOLLIE GREEN
” So”
MARIA CROMPTON
” We don’t allow dogs to do this, and geese have got erm, germs within their droppings , so you can get listeria or e-coli or salmonella, from, from their droppings, and we, It’s only in the formal parks where we’re doing this and that’s because people go there with their children and they want to play and they don’t want to have to worry about whether they’re slipping or treading in the poo from the goose…”
MOLLIE GREEN
” Do you ask the public not to feed the animals to stop encouraging them?
MARIA CROMPTON
” We, have erm always asked the public not to feed them..
MOLLIE GREEN
“So there are signs around, the signs are out?”
MARIA CROMPTON
“Well, it’s the same as pigeons, we ask people not to feed pigeons, but people like to feed pigeons, and to be fair these geese are so territorial that they will attack people so it’s only, you know, we’ve had numerous complaints of people being attacked by the geese . We wouldn’t tolerate this from other animals”
MOLLIE GREEN
” OK”
MARIA CROMPTON
” So unfortunately it’s not something that we want to do but we felt the need that it was getting out of control we had to do something.”
MOLLIE GREEN
“So Maria none of these birds have been bred in Tipton in Victoria Park, none of them have hatched with you, you deal with the eggs do you?”
MARIA CROMPTON
” Over the years we oil and prick the eggs to try and keep the number of geese down, because there are just too many of them.”
MOLLIE GREEN
” So nothing has hatched?”
MARIA CROMPTON
” There should have been no babies. I’ve been told that there are no babies. No goslings were taken, only adult birds.”
MOLLIE GREEN
” So all of these hundreds of birds fly in to your park?”
MARIA CROMPTON
” We have numerous birds within our parks. Erm and the ones we took from erm Tipton, I don’t know whether it was 50 or 70 birds , they’re now back up to 50 again at the moment.”
MOLLIE GREEN
“These are the ones that have flown in, they’re definitely not hatching with you? It’s very easy to take eggs off.
MARIA CROMPTON
” No, No No, They’re not hatching with us, No.”
THE EVIDENCE
I have looked extensively about the nonsense concerning complaints that were none existent which were revealed in another FOI request.
I have looked at the nonsense concerning health risks and SMBC’s own farm animal risks to the public at the scrutiny meeting, and I note that she cites notifiable animal health diseases, yet cannot appear to see the bizarre logic in introducing unscreened birds into a farm setting where they are breeding turkeys for human consumption!
Her claims about geese flying in appear to contrast with the statement made by the leader of the council Darren Cooper in a later letter to a resident.
But what about the egg pricking myth 1997-2012, being put forward here by the Cabinet member?
What about her claims that ” No, No No, They’re not hatching with us, No.”
Juvenile Canada goose goslings at Dartmouth Park taken 16th July 2011.
Sheepwash Nature Reserve circa 1999.
Note the young goslings in evidence, but also note the Ryder house Block of Flats within the shot, with which Sandwell council boasted about demolishing. These were demolished in October 2002, which proves beyond doubt that egg pricking was not carried out at this site by the countryside rangers. Numerous goslings hatching at several sites were in evidence throughout the period when the council claimed that egg pricking would be carried out. IN SHORT THE CLAIMS ARE LIES. Note the council PR puff piece on youtube of the demolition event.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re7-6saeQjA
http://www.friendsofdartmouthpark.org.uk/images/No.%2025%20-%20June%202012.pdf
The above Friends of Dartmouth park newsletter is rather damning as a piece of evidence which shoots down in flames the council’s and Maria Crompton’s on air claims as lies.
Shown on page 3 are pictures taken at the park by one of the FDP group at a time when John Satchwell’s son, John Satchwell was in charge as project manager.
Perhaps the goslings are being “relocated” by their parents?
Goslings hatched in Dartmouth Park June 2012, 10 months before John Satchwell’s report which claimed egg pricking had been undertaken
At least 25 goslings are clearly visible in this June 2012 photo, and not only that but it confirms that swan breeding success were not affected by those numbers also, as some officer liars had tried to claim, and which the leader of the council Darren Cooper even stated in a letter to a resident.
“Their aggressive behaviour during the breeding season prevented other wildfowl resident in the park from rearing their young”
Compare this irrefutable evidence with the nonsense stated by John Satchwell in his report just months later and Maria Crompton in her radio interview concerning egg pricking. THEIR CLAIMS WERE KNOWN LIES, BUT DID JOHN SATCHWELL AND OTHERS MISLEAD HER INTO MAKING THESE FALSE STATEMENTS?
MOLLIE GREEN
“These are the ones that have flown in, they’re definitely not hatching with you? It’s very easy to take eggs off.
MARIA CROMPTON
” No, No No, They’re not hatching with us, No.”
IT IS REGRETTABLE THAT SOMEONE WHO HAS LIED TO THE PUBLIC, AND COUNCILLORS AND HAS SHOWN INCOMPETENCE IN POSITION IS ALLOWED TO REMAIN IN CHARGE OF SANDWELL’S PARKS AND OPEN SPACES. THIS ONLY CONTINUES ONE TO WONDER WHAT “LEADERSHIP” IS IN CHARGE OF SANDWELL COUNCIL POLITICALLY?