It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 8 of the story opens today.
Media Coverage, and social media outrage!
We told our story to The Black Country Birmingham Evening Mail.
A video was created and also this website and a facebook page. Many people were disgusted with the council’s actions, and particularly the poor statements made by the council which seemed poorly prepared and contradictory.
It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 7 of the story opens today.
Forge Mill Farm. It was revealed that the geese had been taken to this council tourist attraction where they breed animals for slaughter and sale. It had been denied by the manager of the farm that this had happened. The method of slaughter was not revealed until later. Their necks had been broken, one by one.
It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 6 of the story opens today.
Ridiculous excuses. At the same time as receiving confirmation that I had been lied to by Sandwell council officers, the cabinet member for Highways and Environment sent me a letter attempting to justify the cull of 220 birds– to make way for a non-native set of other birds. At this point the rationale of protecting public health and public safety appears to be an afterthought in trying to dig their way out of a hole. Through scrutiny, it would only continue to get deeper and deeper.
It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 5 of the story opens today.
On not believing the story concerning “relocation”, I officially asked via a freedom of information request what had happened to the geese. The response confirmed that the geese had in fact been killed by the contractors on behalf of Sandwell Council in not just Victoria park in 2013 and 2014, but in Dartmouth Park in West Bromwich as well. THUS THIS CONFIRMED THAT SEVERAL OFFICERS OF THE COUNCIL AND THE CONTRACTORS HAD LIED ABOUT THE “RELOCATION”.
It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 4 of the story opens today.
Arriving in Victoria Park Tipton in August 2014, the same fencing was noted to be set up on the grass. Around 70 geese were missing. I was told once again by the parks manager that the geese had been “relocated” to the Sandwell Valley.
It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 3 of the story opens today.
I was told by the parks manager at Sandwell that the geese had been “relocated” to the Sandwell valley. The senior countryside ranger at Sandwell claimed to have seen the geese from Tipton released and sent me three pictures taken with his phone and sent via his .gov email address. The location is clearly Forge Mill lake, part of which is an RSPB nature reserve.
It remains my view that these geese were illegally released, yet on enquiry later, the council would make other shocking claims.
It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 2 of the story opens today.
Around 50 geese were observed to be corralled within a fence. The pest controllers stated that they were putting rings on their “feet”, then claimed that they were putting powder on them to control “pests”, and finally stated that they were being “relocated” to The Sandwell valley. I did not believe a word they were saying and started to ask questions of those within Sandwell council.
It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 1 of the story opens today.
Four men acting suspiciously in Victoria park Tipton one early morning in 2013. “Pest controllers” who claimed to be rounding up geese to “relocate” them. Out came the video camera, and the story had begun.
Whoosh of Wings
The winter air, cold, dense
Penetrating to the bones
Conveys with rising crescendo
A symphonic skein of geese
Trumpeting beyond
Barren trees, shivering, huddled still.
Whirling overhead in v-formation
I hear the whoosh of wings
Cutting air, propelling sleek
Down-covered craft
To an uncertain destination.
The honking dies off, fades
Crystalline silence returns
Its rightful place restored
As if never disturbed
Clove twain by anserine arms
Fleeting sunward.
Original poetry by Mike Nettles, West Columbia, SC December 2011
photos by Goosesaver/facebook
We have now posted the full and unedited filming of the Sandwell joint neighbourhoods/health scrutiny meeting of 25/2/15 held at Sandwell council house. As we await whatever fate geese in the future face in Sandwell from what appears to be on the basis of a biased and flawed questionnaire which the council failed to advertise either publicly or on its own website, here is an opportunity to see how their woeful councillors deal with tackling the executives decision about another issue where they failed to consult on a change of policy.
Bizarrely it appears that the scrutiny committee annual report for 2014-15 appears to believe that it did “hold the executive to account in its annual report- which unfortunately shows up the committee for what it is- a head nod without any. Page 18 refers.
On this point we would reiterate that Head of Neighbourhoods Adrian Scarrott at the time of this meeting was in full knowledge of John Satchwell and other parks and Countryside staff’s lies concerning the goose cull, but deliberately chose not to release the independent report to me until after the farce of the scrutiny meeting. Questions would have of course been asked if we had had this information, so it was deliberately withheld by this director.
That he chose to allow the unmasked liar to provide commentary on Sandwell council’s actions is indeed a case of poor integrity on his part which reflects badly on his professional judgement. We have noted this to the Local Government Ombudsman in a wide ranging complaint.
We have chronicled OUR CASE HERE.
Analysis of the meeting and the council’s decision to take “NO ACTION” is given HERE.
Just a few pointers to key questions/ statements made in the youtube video.
27.44 Councillor Webb questions John Satchwell over any reported injuries suffered by members of the public concerning goose faeces in Sandwell.
Councillor Webb: “Thank you Chair. Question to the officers- Have there been any reported injuries of members of the public slipping on this faecal matter?”
John Satchwell : “NOT THAT I AM AWARE OF.”
28.53 question asked about any studies that SMBC have carried out regards laboratory evidence/proof of pathogens on the two parks in question.
IAN CARROLL: “I would like to again stress, and I can’t stress this fundamentally enough, this general licence was applied for by the council; only allows them to do this method “to preserve public health and public safety”. Any issues regarding unsightliness, nothing to do with it whatsoever. Can I ask the officers, what laboratory evidence and analysis have Sandwell council undertaken of geese faeces on these two parks of pathogens present? Can you produce any factual evidence of pathogens in a laboratory report rather than just theoretical studies that you have found off the internet?”
John Satchwell: “THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION CHAIR IS “NO”.
30.47 question about biosecurity at Forge Mill farm where birds the council claim carry certain pathogens were introduced onto a site which breeds turkeys for public consumption which it sells as meat.
Ian Carroll
“If you didn’t screen the birds for any of the public health risks that you state (the geese) are capable of carrying, why did you introduce them onto a farm where you are actually rearing turkeys for the table to be sold at Christmas? Isn’t that a public health risk, isn’t it a biodiversity risk, and isn’t it a bio-security risk?
John Satchwell
“I would say no to that.”
Ian Carroll
“Well you’ve identified all of these pathogens present, but you are introducing them onto a farm by relocating them where there are birds present for the human table, I would have thought that that is defeating your own argument there because if they are not harmful, you haven’t undertaken any laboratory evidence that they are harmful so therefore there isn’t any harm is there; that you’ve taken these birds to “preserve public health and pubic safety”, yet you’ve taken them to a farm where you’re serving birds for the table, for the public to buy and that strikes me as rather odd.
John Satchwell
“It is fair to say chair that the turkeys were bred in a controlled, a controlled, way that’s quite clear.”
WELL IS IT CLEAR?- DOES THIS MEAN THAT THE TURKEYS ARE BATTERY FARMED AND NOT FREE RANGE?
The Audible recording of the meeting can be heard by clicking on the link below.
By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information
The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.
