Save Our Sandwell Canada Geese

On Tuesday a protest took place outside the council house concerning the Mayoral meal- a civic “tradition” apparently whereby the “great and the good” of the rotten borough council have a three course meal paid for from the new incoming Mayors’ allowances. Of course this is paid for by the taxpayer. The object of the protest organised by Ric Keeling was I believe not really related to the amount that this meal cost, rather the message that it was sending out in times of austerity- which of course the one party state at Sandwell council keep reminding us is the fault of the big bad Tory wolves.

No progress or unity here.

I really don’t care for the politics of the event, there was a Green party representative there alongside UKIP, as well as others with no allegiance- including myself and Gooseman. The point of our attendance was about the pointlessness of not only the cull of geese, but also the hypocrisy of those who claim to be of the people, yet time and time again by their own actions consider themselves to be above the people. When a member of the public challenges the authority of the councillors they fly into panic mode and attempt by deception to silence or just quell the rebellion with spin and the impression that a democratic process has been followed- one notes the joke manner in which our petition was treated, and the “scrutiny” meeting at which it was presented.

Foodbanks are a clearly emotive subject. No one really wants them- or do they? Are people who have through no fault of their own lost their jobs and find themselves in dire straits to be compared to the slobs portrayed on reality television shows which provocatively portray a “scrounging” underclass? I have fortunately never had to rely on food banks, and hopefully never will. I know a bit about survivalism to know what I could eat given the need, and I can also budget and live within my means without spending on material rubbish that is not needed. I recognise that not all people are as fortunate, but I am not going to lecture them about it- that is where schools need to educate people that money does not grow on trees.

My concern with foodbanks is that they are now being described as being “popular”. As one who scrutinises most things that we are fed by the media, I am concerned as to who runs them, and what their connections are with local officials as regards funding of this voluntary organisation? “Voluntary organisations” in Sandwell are a very dirty world to be in. Connections with family members to local Labour councillors is becoming endemic, and the funding, championing and promotion of these organisations through taxpayer funded literature is worse still.

That being said, I thought the protest was right in its message. Gooseman enjoyed himself enormously and even contributed some of the money he has earned by squeegeeing cars on the Wolverhampton road to keep him in corn during his residence in Sandwell.

The Mayors chauffeur driven car (lazy bastard sotto voce), gleamed with scratches on the car park along with the leaders equally black estate car. There would later be a game of guess which of the two entrances they would leave by- not that difficult really.

Even the car reg is laughing at us

GIZ A JOB DAZ

Gooseman joins some of his fellow protestors

Not long after some initial speeches were made outside, the farmers inside began to spill out to join the less equal animals outside.

Some of the councillors and principal officers leaving the meeting. Supper time awaits at West Brom Town Hall

Different responses were noted. Some smirked and quickly left without comment. Others such as Councillor  Sidhu  of Greets Green notably and respectfully donated into the bucket, and those that did give money should be applauded. However there were some individuals who know who they are whose statements including “piss off” and “what a load of shit” did not exactly show the colours of socialism, more the spectre of Capitalism and autocracy. Not very philanthropic bread dividers here and more suited trousered misanthropists than ragged trousered ones.

One elderly gentleman appeared to  be looking for a selfie opportunity with a prominent local campaigner, and approached Gooseman instead. It’s easy to mistake some peoples identity however.

According to the event organiser, over £100 was raised on the night together with a creditable supply of food to be donated. Whatever the parodies, mocking and indignations of the controlling group of councillors, the protesters were perhaps not the ones gulping when consuming whatever was on the table in West Bromwich, but one wonders to some of them if guilt is a concept that they would even recognise. We know this because of the needless deaths of 220 geese. Some animals are more equal than others.

There are characters committed to fiction so treacherous, so deceitful that they have become synonymous with the concept of lying. The one I remember best to illustrate is the Shakespearean villain Iago, who occurs in Othello. Whereas his boss Othello is regarded as a man of “honour”, his chief weakness is jealousy and paranoia. Iago conspires with a twisted plan throughout the play to bring about the demise of several of the main protagonists. His deceit is only discovered at the denoument.

CONVERSATION WITH CHRIS MOORE      21/7/14      

Ringing tone……….

RECEPTIONIST (PAT MOORE) Sandwell Park Farm, Good Afternoon

IC Hello there, is Chris or Matt about ?

PM Bare with me Ian………..

CM Hello

IC Chris?

CM Yes,

IC Hello there Chri….

CM Even though you’ve put a noose around my neck…, I’m still speaking to you, and I’m going to tell you Friday afternoon I risked life and limb whilst I was giddy to help to rescue one of your, one of the swans down at swan pool and get some of that blasted fishing line from all around him, cause he was stuck in the tree, and we released him back on the pool….. that was good

IC erm, well what noose?

CM Well because of this complaint, my necks going to be in a noose, for being implicated with Mr Satch,  (laughter), you know?

IC well all I want him to do is tell the truth and if it comes out…..

CM I know, I know, I know.. I know… well, there you go, anyway what can we do for you sir?

IC erm, well there’s one about that, er basically, the word “relocation”, I mean as you see it were those birds released last year onto Forge Mill?

CM They probably was last year

IC yeah?

CM Erm. I don’t know whether they have this year cause I can’t see them anywhere, and as I’ve pointed out to you before I’ve had nothing at all to do with that, because I don’t work in the parks, I don’t put orders on for things, and I know nothing about it, and I told you the truth then and I’m telling you the truth now, I have nothing to do with it.

IC Well , you know if they’d been relocated, to either of the farms, which I assume is the Sandwell Valley, as he describes it (john satchwell),

CM Yeah

IC erm, Are there any facilities on either of those farms , in the approved methods of killing birds that could be utilised such as stunning, lethal injection ….

CM Here?

IC Yes

CM I wouldn’t have thought so, but I mean they wouldn’t have done it here would they, they’d have done it elsewhere, because that’s what they do innit?

IC Well I don’t know how they do it, I mean…

CM All of that buildings are fully occupied by animals or other things, so I wouldn’t have thought, erm, what they do is they normally  take them in a vehicle and do it elsewhere you know?

I mean, between you and me, you know, and I think, and I’m talking to you now, I’m not talking to anyone else, and there’s nobody else here, I think the swans fair better without the Canada geese, certainly at Dartmouth, they seem to have done a lot better with fewer Canada geese around, now that was partly because of the building works wasn’t it..? But isn’t it not going to be the case everywhere, so isn’t it doing a favour for the swans indirectly if you know what I mean?

IC Well this isn’t about the swans is it

CM Yes I know, but it is indirectly ain’t it? I’m asking you a question now about the swans, that’s all I’m asking you… I ain’t recording you, I’m just asking you a question.

IC Well, I mean I don’t see it like that, I’m not just interested in the swans, I’m interested in the geese and all the rest of it. I mean I rescue geese, as I’d rescue swans, like I did the other week on swan pool..

CM As we have here, but it wasn’t that, it’s not that, I was only asking you as an individual and talking to you as we do talk, erm but as far as I’m aware , there’s nothing here that they’d use , we don’t have anything, anything that we want to kill here, we have to send it away.

IC Well if you got a dead horse or cow or something like that what, who would remove it?

CM. OH blimey , there’s a whole list of people , but our stuff has to be dead and it goes through the council’s , well it’s not the council’s , it’s the Government’s fallen stock scheme, but it doesn’y cover those birds, it only covers cows, pigs, sheep and we’re  in the scheme here, and I pay for that scheme, but it doesn’t cover birds

IC Wildlfie?

CM No it doesn’t cover them, they’re classed as “a pest” anyway aren’t they?

IC But how do you dispose of anything like a dead swan or something like a badger or…?

PART 2

CM erm, if we get a dead swan, or if we get a dead goose, what we’d normally do is to take it, or SERCO would take it away and they dispose of it normally

IC But they wouldn’t take away about 70 odd geese would they, I wouldn’t have thought?

CM No they wouldn’t, but I suppose if somebody’s come and rounded up whatever number it is up, they’d take them away, and they’d dispose of them, because they have the licence and waywithall to do that, the council wouldn’t be involved whatsoever, I mean in the past when I’ve had to have a few pigeons done away with, what they do is, cause we have a special programme here being a farm, feral pigeons or sick pigeons are taken away by the people who kill them off, they wouldn’t expect us to do it. But my fallen stock scheme here, the one that I operate, which is through DEFRA, its actually got listed here what they’ll take , and the people who come in a take them, there’s a whole list of people, that can come in from around the country, they will only take what’s on that list and nobody else in the council I would have thought would have that list, I mean you have to pay for it you see, and I get a print out, and I could show you a print out of what comes, and it just prints out like if we have a large pig die, we ring this number and they send somebody in to collect it, and then we get like a receipt , that they’ve taken it and it gets taken down and then the way it works is that we get a bill that comes through electronically, but you wouldn’t do it for wild birds, you wouldn’t do it for geese, rabbits or badgers, with single ones they usually go to one of the Shidas Lane depots. But that number would have to go straight off with the people that’ve been charged to do with it.

(someone coughs in the background at CM’s end- a male, no doubt the conversation was on speakerphone)

It wouldn’t be us. It’s too much for us, we can’t deal with it, you wouldn’t be able to. I suppose it’s not without possibility that they’ve split them up and dumped them here there and everywhere, it depends on what they were told to do, and like I said I’ve had nothing at all to do with them, so whatever they’ve been told to do, they’ve done.

IC Well what about last year, when you had instruction to release them onto …(Forge Mill)

CM Well I think that’s how they, they probably would have, ..no I didn’t have instruction because I didn’t deal with it, whatever they did last year was last year, and I don’t really know exactly what went on.

IC Well, I remember ringing you , before he (John Satchwell) was on the phone to you, and he was trying to make you basically say that they were going to be released at… and they were released at Forge Mill because Matt sent me a picture of them being released

CM yeah I think they probably was , but I think they probably found the error of their ways didn’t they because there’s certain areas around all parks that are designated as feeding areas , we’ve got them in Dartmouth, and those areas , you know we get rat poison and stuff put down in special boxes so you know only rats get in and nothing else gets them , so when you’ve got stuff like that what you’d do is you’d deal with those individually . Now last year , you know I didn’t have to deal with anything , as you know we’ve had builders all round the park, we’ve had no bloody water in there in the last two years, so it’s different , so whatever they did last year if they released them they released them, I certainly wasn’t a witness to it

IC Well Matt was because he took a picture of it

CM well he might well have, but I think they probably learnt the error of their ways, you know they probably would have been told. But again you know it’s not us that puts orders on for those sort of things , that would come from parks people , they’d deal with it wouldn’t they.

But I do know that somewhere that I think there is a committee report about erm, I know it goes back , there was one years , Paul smith , see I’ve said Paul Smith , he used to get involved with reports years ago, and there was a report out to deal with erm like injured birds and birds that are on lakes that are causing a nuisance , and they took a massive amount of information off the DEFRA people , and I suppose that’s the same people like what was it Natural England, whoever they are, and you know I think he told them how to deal with an over population of Canada geese, and I think they’ve done things like waxing the eggs or oiling the eggs, pricking the eggs- I think they’ve done all that , I think we’ve done what they did in the report, and I think there is a report somewhere, not that I’ve got a copy , I think there is a report, to be fair on the wildlife areas like we’ve got like Sheepwash and Forge Mill and places like that, it’s not a real massive problem , it has in the past been a problem in Dartmouth, but not since we’ve had dumper trucks running around – they just buggered off didn’t they? Erm and when the water level went down , we haven’t had so many there, I mean we’ve had enough problems trying to keep the swans alive when we bought all that food. So it’s not something that we would deal with, you know.”

The Arthur Daley Local authority

DISCUSSION

There are many issues which arise from this conversation. There are damning claims and statements made which need clarifying, and then we also get an insight into the mind of someone who has been in a job position without it appears any scruples about bringing his employers into disrepute.

CHARACTER TRAITS

The first issue is the character of the man in question revealed. At the start of the conversation he interjects with a story, a tailored distraction technique. This is a frequent tool that he uses in an attempt to throw me off the purpose of the call, but all it really reveals is the utter failure of his and his staff at the Sandwell Valley to manage angling properly. Linked to this is some form of self sacrifice on his part, in that he rescued a swan. Was this story fact or pure fiction?  Who knows, and who really cares, for Chris Moore it merely provided an attempted distraction.

The other thing that the listener/reader will quickly note is the frequency of utter drivel and rambling from one direction to another, a tool well used by people of deceit. This is particularly used to avoid answering direct questions. But these are just character traits, for it is the content of the lies that defines the treachery of this individual.

Firstly he tries to distance himself from “Mr Satch”- John Satchwell, thus trying to gain a confidence. Again, some self sacrifice is implied that his “neck is in a noose.” Melodrama, hypochondria, and sometimes hypochondria by proxy have all been used in the past in conversations with the man, whereby the tale he tells serves as another form of distraction to throw one off getting any answer to a question that you are asking- usually in my case about his or his staff’s failure to do something.

The most shocking claim however is the apparent admission that his council, and officers together with their supposed “professional” contractors, Pestex  were complicit in illegality of releasing Canada geese from Victoria park in 2013.

IC “erm, well there’s one about that, er basically, the word “relocation”, I mean as you see it were those birds released last year onto Forge Mill?

CM “They probably was last year”

Not only do we get this but later on an even more bizarre statement is made.

IC “Well, I remember ringing you , before he (John Satchwell) was on the phone to you, and he was trying to make you basically say that they were going to be released at… and they were released at Forge Mill because Matt sent me a picture of them being released

CM yeah I think they probably was , but I think they probably found the error of their ways didn’t they…”

Who exactly is he referring to here? John Satchwell and the pest controllers Pestex, whom it is claimed did not act unlawfully by following a Natural England general licence to cull, or the entire council at Sandwell itself? What errors were learnt, as they have certainly not been punished or prosecuted as they should have been if the geese had been released? Through this admission, which we are now expected to believe was a lie on John Satchwell’s part which Chris Moore and others  were playing along with, this officer is happy to claim that his council have broken the law rather than admitting to the “truth” that they had been killed.

ABSENCE OF RESPONSIBILITY AND FALSE TRAIL LAYING USING OTHERS.

Not only does Chris Moore like to distance himself from any personal involvement in the cull, but he also draws into the picture Paul Smith.

CM “But I do know that somewhere that I think there is a committee report about erm, I know it goes back , there was one years , Paul smith , see I’ve said Paul Smith , he used to get involved with reports years ago, and there was a report out to deal with erm like injured birds and birds that are on lakes that are causing a nuisance , and they took a massive amount of information off the DEFRA people , and I suppose that’s the same people like what was it Natural England, whoever they are, and you know I think he told them how to deal with an over population of Canada geese…”

The report he refers to could be the 1997 cabinet report, which it is now claimed via John Satchwell the council do not conveniently have a copy of, or John Satchwell’s culling report itself. The two appear to be ambiguously referenced by the statement made here. Either way, Paul Smith subsequently denied having been party to any culling report or being in agreement with the idea in his recorded phone call conversation, yet on the record it is claimed that he knew full well about it.

OUTRIGHT SCURILLOUS LIES AND DECEPTION

 The genesis of the culling can perhaps be traced back to September 2012. In a conversation with Chris Moore at the time, he asked me about my opinion of Canada geese. I did not know the purpose then of why he wanted to know this, but sent an email to him which also copied in John Satchwell. It is clear now that the idea was actively being discussed in Sandwell’s corrupt parks department, with Moore being used as the litmus tester to seeing what the reaction would be to a possible cull. He was left in no doubt as to what the reaction would be from myself.

To

• chris_moore@sandwell.gov.uk CC
• john_satchwell@sandwell.gov.uk
• matt_darby@sandwell.gov.uk

Chris,

You asked me about canada geese today during our conversation and my opinion. I take it there is some disquiet about them regarding Dartmouth park? As I said at the meeting at the park farm some months ago, I do not have any problem with these birds. At sheepwash out of about 25 hatched there were 4 survivors. They are eaten by predators on most of the nature reserve sites, even without egg pricking taking place. This provides some predators with food that would otherwise be taken by praying on other small birds. Herons, crows magpies, dogs, foxes- all gosling predators. 

In terms of the park pools, people are not thinking clearly. It is not the food offered to them that is attractive, it is the nature of the surroundings. Given that the birds are grazers and rely on this food like cows, is it much of a surprise that they congregate in parks with grass to graze? Get rid of the grass and build some houses in the parks with long concrete drives with  BMWs on the front! 

In terms of the smells you were talking about, I find it hard to believe that canada goose mess is responsible. I have had this all over me in every conceivable place, and I have never detected any smell, which is not surprising given that they are vegetarian, though a freshly smoking stool that looks like it has been coated with icing sugar is rather cool. Nor have I been struck down by any disease. On the other hand look at what has happened in Sutton park, and the almost certain litigation that Birmingham City council now face, as a consequence of commercial farming- letting cows wander loose and defecate everywhere including in the pools. E-COLI 0157 PROVEN BY THE HPA TO STEM FROM THIS SOURCE. The tourism to this site will have crashed, possibly irrepairably.

I would hope that Sandwell keeps its remaining beasts locked up and not follow their mistake!

All to often wildlife is blamed for the consequences of commercial farming mispractice- from BSE, FOOT AND MOUTH and now TB in cattle. Geese droppings are far less harmful than dog mess and it does not smell as bad, but usually the complainers are the ones who let their dogs defecate freely.

I am rather sick of having to avoid horse  *hit around forgemill lane as well as strange singular men hanging around, but I don’t see the council doing anything about this. I also detect odours eminating from the farms, and in the past this has wafted down the phone line from some individuals I have spoken to based here. I understand that some of these creatures have now been put out to pasture in Northern France.

As for Dartmouth park- I do not like what I am seeing. Too many people here now, too many attractions more like a giant theme park which is obviously what “the vision” was, but it is a repugnant one, which does not complement the surroundings of the valley at all.

I would hope that there are no fools in the council that want to go down the same line as the lake district national park authority concerning proposing the cull of healthy birds.

 I would still like to see where the money spent on sheepwash was spent, as was promised at the meeting.

Ian Carroll   

The email sent to Chris Moore with John Satchwell and Matt Darby copied in

At the so called “scrutiny” meeting, John Satchwell stated that he was aware of my opposition to culling.

There was no occasion when HE asked for my opinion at all regarding Canada geese, though it is now clear to see that Moore was seeking out my opinion to feed back to him before the cull in September 2013. What followed in Satchwell’s report and the lies that were constructed is history.

“I’ve had nothing at all to do with that, because I don’t work in the parks”

CHRIS MOORE HAD EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THIS CULL AND WAS A MAJOR PLAYER WITHIN IT. HOW DO WE KNOW THIS- BECAUSE IN FEBRUARY OF 2013, 6 MONTHS BEFORE THE CULL OF GEESE AT TIPTON AND PRESUMABLY DARTMOUTH PARK, THE FOLLOWING FRIENDS OF DARTMOUTH PARK NEWSLETTER STATES

“The management of the park has for many years been separate to the management of the valley, but the park and the valley are now being managed as one under Chris Moore, Visitor centre and countryside manager for Sandwell based at Sandwell Park Farm.”

No. 29 – February 2013

CHRIS MOORE’S LIES AS A MAJOR PLAYER IN DARTMOUTH PARK’S DECISION MAKING PROCESS CONTRAST TO  STATEMENTS MADE LATER TO THE INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR.

Compare and contrast the two.

• “I told you the truth then and I’m telling you the truth now, I have nothing to do with it.”
• “I suppose it’s not without possibility that they’ve split them up and dumped them here there and everywhere, it depends on what they were told to do, and like I said I’ve had nothing at all to do with them, so whatever they’ve been told to do, they’ve done.”
• “whatever they did last year was last year, and I don’t really know exactly what went on.”
• “whatever they did last year if they released them they released them, I certainly wasn’t a witness to it”

PAGE 10 INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION POINT 2

“2. In 2013 whilst not being involved in the Cabinet meetings they had been consulted about culling and were aware that culling was to take place and were in agreement with it.”

“3 When IC questioned them about relocation they correctly told him that they knew nothing about any relocation as they were very aware that relocation was illegal.”

INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION PAGE 19 POINT 11

“They were in agreement with the culling as they recognised that it was necessary and the deception was the only error which had been committed. “

point 12 “Following IC’s lodging of a formal complaint they were advised not to discuss matters with him which is the accepted process.”

THE WORST LIE OF ALL

Concerning the disappearance of geese, Chris Moore knowing full well about the cull draws attention away from this in an attempt to suggest the works in the park were responsible for the geese taking leave themselves, whereas the works were in themselves the reason why the council undertook the cull… for their perverted idea of what makes a park.

“it has in the past been a problem in Dartmouth, but not since we’ve had dumper trucks running around – they just buggered off didn’t they? Erm and when the water level went down , we haven’t had so many there”

SANDWELL COUNCIL CLAIM THAT 100 GEESE WERE ROUNDED UP AND KILLED AT FORGE MILL FARM IN 2013 BY CONTRACTORS THAT THEY PAID TO DO THIS – SO WHAT THE HELL IS THE MANAGER OF THE PARK FARM- AND SANDWELL VALLEY INCLUDING DARTMOUTH PARK CLAIMING THAT THE BIRDS DISAPPERAED AS A RESULT OF MACHINERY AND LOW WATER LEVELS?

 Furthermore, if you’ll excuse the pun, on his retirement, the following was posted on the Friends of Dartmouth park website, and is currently displayed on the noticeboards at the site.

“Chris joined the Parks’ Department when he was 15 and has had a long career working, with other people, to provide the community with safe green spaces for leisure and physical exercise. This is exactly what the 5th Earl of Dartmouth and Alderman Reuben Farley wanted for the ‘hard working people of West Bromwich’ when they provided Dartmouth Park. Chris worked in Dartmouth Park for several years and was the person who designed and planted the wonderful floral clocks that so many of us remember. However, one of his greatest achievements was being part of the team that transformed Sandwell Park Farm into the ‘jewel in the crown’ of West Bromwich. The wonderful Victorian Walled Garden is just one of the legacies Chris has given us. The Friends of Dartmouth Park were very pleased when Chris returned to managing the Park during the later stages of the restoration. His ideas for the beds in the Avenue were taken on board and have been a great success.”

“Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth I never will speak word.” Iago

I would personally like to wish Chris Moore a very unhappy and a very unhealthy retirement, but in keeping with with spirit of not wanting to cause any personal distress I hope it proves to be a very short one.

…..Or a juxtaposition of “Britishness”.

At the recent Neighbourhoods and Health Scrutiny board, “Sandwell’s finest” decided to take “no action” on our petition, a two fingered gesture to those who had campaigned hard to protect the geese and expose the officer liars in the corrupt Parks and Countryside Department. It didn’t come as much of a surprise however given the make up  of some of the committee, as in the past I have encountered some of them before for different reasons, and there is one thing that amateur politicians don’t like and that is people, ordinary members of the public who expose their  dealings in the press and public domain in a negative light. Blogger Julian Saunders has exposed many instances of what appear to be questionable dealings at Sandwell council which have culminated in a current police fraud investigation.

However back to the scrutiny committee- there were 12 individuals who make up the two committees, six each. The chair of neighbourhoods scrutiny is one Syeda Amina Khatun  (Mrs) (SAK). She is a ward councillor for Tipton Green, which covers Victoria Park Tipton- one of the cull sites and the site in which the parks manager lives. She is up for election at the May poll.

On taking a look at her proposers, aside from Adrian Bailey MP (much sniggering about the image conjured by the subline in the leaflet),her Uncle, Councillor Ahmadul Haque there is one Pauline Hodgetts. Mrs Hodgetts is no stranger to Labour advocacy and has frequently appeared in their election propaganda. She also backed Haque last time round, and has also in the past signed the proposing papers of SAK.

Syeda with Bailey, uncle and “resident” promoter

So what you might ask? Well Mrs H is chair and has been for years of The Victoria Park Steering Group, which has of course received considerable maintenance and resources over the years to attain Green Flag status- can’t think possibly why, oh yes did I mention who lives there already?

When it became clear that geese had disappeared from Victoria park in 2014 I rang her to ask if she knew anything about it, or had any inkling that there was to be any cull. She replied that she did not. She also did not reveal any particular contempt for geese in the park. Imagine my surprise then when Mrs Labour supporter in the community strides into the council chamber behind John Satchwell sitting next to him in the officer seats at the scrutiny meeting. When examining the footage back it is clear her frequent head nods in support of geese destruction tell a different story to the one she told me. Is it then the case that she was one of the anonymous complainers whom it is alleged had resulted in the council taking action?

Furthermore Satchwell attempted to allow her to speak introducing her as “a colleague”. Since when have non council workers and members of the public been “colleagues”? The term confederate may be more applicable. This was our petition, calling in an officer for scrutiny, not a park’s group meeting and a cynical attempt by him to try to pour cold water on it- using a labour party backer. There is further concern that after the meeting had finished she remained behind in the chamber with Satchwell and the councillors. I am advised by Democratic services that she did not address the committee on an informal basis, but we have to take this at face value don’t we?

Unfortunately these type of group “Park Friends” are promoted by local authorities to generate money for their upkeep. It is further evident that many in Sandwell are led by Labour party activists in the community, in the main white and of advancing years, or those which sign the election papers of the candidates. Some of them even go on to become candidates who become councillors- a profile builder- nothing more and nothing less. There is no wrong doing here but it is no surprise that the reward of praising the virtues of the controlling group appears to be a well kept park- that is accept Redhouse who recently lost the battle to save the historic house from being converted into housing. Perhaps they will vote differently this time?

From “Sandwell Voice” Spring 2014. Don’t know what Labour were doing for the other 20 years of their control of Sandwell MBC?

So back to the SAK. At the meeting the councillor for Tipton Green did not declare that she had a non pecuniary interest in the issue- that being a ward councillor covering that park. But there is another interest in this park, and one which we would like clarification about concerning  the goose cull policy and summer events held in the park. SAK is involved in an organisation called “The Bangladeshi Women’s Association.”
If the women were born or  they have citizenship in this country they are British, not Bangladeshi.  It is one of those great mysteries of multiculturalism, whereby persuing a separatist agenda in name above a door of a “community centre” appears to be able to generate grants and bids for funding that a “cohesive community” could only dream about attaining. This type of specified and discriminatory  funding is as divisive as it is unfair- especially when a local authority makes great claims about Canada geese and other species being “non native”, yet funds self confessed and declared human  “non-native” groups with vigour. I haven’t even got onto the sexist element towards the exclusion of men. WHY DOES A “COMMUNITY CENTRE” HAVE TO HAVE A RELIGION OR RACE ABOVE THE DOOR IF IT IS TRUELY “A COMMUNITY CENTRE” FOR ALL?

Councillor K in her declaration of members interests dated 15/10/14 reveals her connection to this “charity.”

SAK

“10. Any employment or business carried out by you that is not for profit or gain. 
Bangladeshi Womens Association Ltd c/o Tipton Muslim Community Centre employs me.  They are a charity and company limited by guarantee.”

11. Any person or body who employs or has appointed you. 
Bangladeshi Womens Association Ltd c/o Tipton Muslim Community Centre, Wellington Road, Tipton 

How if you are “employed” by someone are you not carrying out duties for profit or gain?

Voluntary Registration of Other Interests 
Please list below any other interests that you wish to declare in accordance with the General Principles of Conduct as set out in the Code of Conduct or which you think may lead to a conflict of interests between your personal interests and the public interest.  
Bangladeshi Womens Association is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee.  As a manager my responsibility is to manage staff, raise funds and report to Board of Directors. 
BWA has SLAs from SMBC for many projects. 
SLA for Tipton Muslim Community Cetnre. SLA for Management of Jubilee Community Centre. 
My salary is not funded by SMBC funds.

The SLA service level agreements are a local authority mystery of their own. This needs further research, but who exactly decides that “a service” is needed?

The BWA further has part of its structure a project called “REACH”- who funds this?

I am not sure why there has to be such clear self imposed discrimination and apparent divorce from the rest of the community concerning the title of “Tipton Young Asian Women’s Forum”.  It is bizarre that a sense of place is identified, an age, a continent and a sex, yet the nationality “British” appears vacant. A young women’s group is fine, but why the name segregation- what is behind it, I would really seriously like to be educated on this because I find it repressive and not forward looking at all towards harmonisation and tolerance.

The event flyer for 2014 is shown below confirming associations of its sponsorship and also who to contact as organiser. SAK is not purporting as a councillor here, but she is a councillor, and is also involved with the women’s organisation- for which she receives a “salary”. The geese were rounded up in this park on 17th July 2014, just a few weeks before this “community” event. As a raiser of funds, you would think that such an event is important to the funds of BWA, so why does SAK not declare a pecuniary interest at the scrutiny meeting?

As chance would have it, the event that Sunday was actually cancelled at short notice, not to the geese soiling the ground with six minute excreta, but through bad “weather”- a rain deluge. The following sign was one of several put up at the site entrances. The mobile number is the same number as one given by a certain councillor Khatun’s contact on the SMBC website.

There are other candidates standing for position of councillor in Tipton Green ward on May 7th. We would ask that if you live in this ward that you use your vote wisely in support of the geese- a discriminated against non native species by Sandwell council’s political class that just happen to have lived in Britain for over 400 years.

GRIFFITHS Donald Henry CONSERVATIVE×

STANYER Mike  United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP)×

DOWNING’S TREAT

Councillor Susan Downing is a Sandwell Labour councillor representing the ward of Oldbury. She like Khatun is one of the members of the scrutiny board (Health) that was present at the meeting which supposedly “considered” our petition. Like the aforementioned the only words that she actually spoke during the entire 35 minute hearing (without any questions) were to confirm her own name. That’s some fucking grilling there!

Oldbury and Sandwell we are meant to believe are culturally rich and diverse and multi- culturalism is to be celebrated and even championed. “Community cohesion” is another of the active noun laden slosh that drips out the mouths of the sleazy socialist mantra from Sandwell’s Politburo. Over emphasis of this appears to hide the cracks of separatism and obvious divisions.

On the other hand “Britain First” are an off shoot splinter group of the racist BNP party, formed by one of their ex councillors from Kent. Like the EDL before them, BF are organising a protest against a controversial planning permission of a mosque in  neighbouring Dudley. The town is bordered by the area which Councillor Downing represents in Sandwell.

Whatever people’s views on the mosque saga, a legitimate place of worship, the main prognosis is that a group and also counter protest group converging from outside the area only ever attracts trouble, violence and intolerance- and is not wanted there, the epitome  you may think to that message of “hope not hate” so loved by the Labour group at Sandwell who are always telling us how Liberal they are via social media.

One should be surprised then that Labour Councillor Susan Downing of Oldbury  controlled Ward would use her time, and possibly her council tax payer funded phone to share four posts by the extreme right wing party last year. What could have possessed her? Did she think it was part of the Create and Craft Channel and accidentally type in KKK?

You would think that one would quickly get the gist of “Britain first” concerning its repeated anti Muslim Rhetoric and one could say “hatred”. Its memes are merely an extension of its message which Cllr Downing appears to not appreciate.

I remember the one pound note, a tatty useless piece of shite, unfit for even an emergency arse wipe, that ripped frequently and was without any meaningful use or purpose. Was the Councillor getting a tad sentimental when sharing this given that she receives a basic £10,000 plus special allowances including her role on the scrutiny board? Perhaps she would prefer being paid in them rather than in any other unit of Sterling.

Not just money but animals, that other strange oddity of Sandwell Labour councillors and hypocrisy as to how they appear to favour some animals and despise others such as the Canada goose. Certain supporters of BF  via their shares it is apparent are well into lurchers, lamping and hunting with hawks that they keep up the garden. I suppose all Canada geese should be sent back to Canada where they come from eh Sue?

It’s not clear if Sue joined BF, probably unlikely you would have thought in her position, but presumably by sharing this she is not discouraging others from doing so?

One can only wonder what her fellow Oldbury councillor and Muslim  Mahboob “taxi taxi” Hussein will think of this, or indeed Councillor Khatun? Will she be up the march when they ride into town, and what does she think of the Dudley mosque or even Halal meat burgers? I suppose halal dog burgers are strictly off the menu.

And just when you thought this was a two off she shares the same post twice! One of BF’s other favourite topics appears to concern remembrance- not sure if they include the holocaust in that one?  She’s certainly a 1%er councillor in Sandwell that’s for sure our Sue. LOL

“Respect” really! I’m sure that this information will go down like a lead balloon at Commie HQ, but there again they are so used to taking “NO ACTION” when it comes to the misdemeanours of one of their own. Perhaps they will all start sharing BF in a sort of “Je suis Sue” ? Just wait till Sharia comes in Sue, you’ll be stoned 😆

So there you have it, two Sandwell councillors both Labour, but with apparently two different ideas of “British” identity which suit them as it pleases.  Country chameleons one might say.  How scrutiny can expose divisions yet “remembrance” strangely appear to unite them.

A message left by Cllr Haque at the remembrance day parade in Victoria park Tipton

*Many members of the community signed our petition opposing the cull of geese, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Polish- British. The political class take them all for fools.

An email has been sent to those councillors who are restanding at the local elections in Sandwell on 7th May. Any responses received will be published on this page. The option for any other candidates to comment on this issue is also open and you can contact us via the facebook page. Don’t be shy and don’t be silent! This is a black and white issue, and no splinters in the arse.

Candidates should remember that this issue received considerable local and even national attention, not just for the controversy but the now admitted lies that officers of the council made in a vain attempt to avert “adverse publicity”. IS IT ACCEPTABLE FOR COUNCIL OFFICERS, PAID BY LOCAL RESIDENTS TO LIE TO THEM ABOUT HOW THEIR MONEY IS SPENT?

LISTED BELOW ARE THE CURRENT COUNCILLORS STANDING IN THE INDIVIDUAL 24 WARDS. RESPONSES WILL BE ADDED IF AND WHEN THEY ARE RECEIVED.

Red denotes serving Labour councillor, Blue the sole serving Conservative councillor.

Abbey Ward

Steven Eling.

NO RESPONSE

Blackheath Ward

Robert Price

NO RESPONSE

Charlemont with Grove Vale Ward

Anne Hughes

NO RESPONSE

Cradley Heath and Old Hill Ward

Ann Shackleton

NO RESPONSE

Friar Park Ward

Joy Edis

NO RESPONSE

Great Barr with Yew Tree Ward

Shirley Hosell

NO RESPONSE

Great Bridge Ward

Peter Allen

NO RESPONSE

Greets Green and Lyng Ward

Gurcharan Singh Sidhu

NO RESPONSE

Hateley Heath Ward

Pat Davies

NO RESPONSE

Langley Ward

Yvonne Davies

NO RESPONSE

JAYNE WILKINSON GREEN PARTY HAS RESPONDED

A considered and detailed response here.

In response to the point about egg pricking

The council did not provide the 1997 report in the FOI request– and they could not give any figures for egg pricking carried out in house by their own staff prior to 2013.

Newton Ward

David Hosell

NO RESPONSE

Old Warley Ward

Trevor Crumpton

NO RESPONSE

Princes End Ward

Stephen Jones

 RESPONSE RECEIVED 20TH APRIL

Hi Ian
Received with thanks,
Sincerely
Steve Jones

Sent from my iPhone

Well I’m not really sure what that is supposed to indicate.

RIC KEELING  UKIP HAS RESPONDED RECIEVED 6TH MAY

Rowley Ward

Barbara Price

NO RESPONSE

Smethwick Ward

Keith Davies

NO RESPONSE

Soho and Victoria Ward

Roger Horton

NO RESPONSE

St. Paul`s Ward

Zahoor Ahmed

NO RESPONSE

Tipton Green Ward

Syeda Khatun

NO RESPONSE

Tividale Ward

Lorraine Ashman

NO RESPONSE

Wednesbury North Ward

Elaine Costigan

RESPONSE RECEIVED 20TH APRIL

Hi Ian, I’m sorry to say I’ve had no dealing with any of this and know nothing at all about it I’m afraid, hope you can get answers. Elaine Costigan

Sent using OWA for iPad

Elaine Costigan was absent from the scrutiny panel meeting of 25th February where our petition was supposedly looked at. If she cannot get answers, then I am blowed as to who can given that the email asks the candidates what their opinion is of the goose cull. WE DON’T GET ONE HERE. But at least she bothered to respond.

Wednesbury South Ward

Olwen Jones

NO RESPONSE

West Bromwich Central Ward 

Bawa Singh Dhallu

NO RESPONSE

NB Bristnall ward and Oldbury Ward: existing councillors have not been reselected. Candidates for these wards are open for comments also.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GOOSEMAN- HE’S GREAT

So on May 7th several elected members in Sandwell will be appointed to serve their communities. An email has now been sent to all the current councillors who are standing for election again. In total 24 seats are to be contested, one per ward. Two current councillors will be standing down, or have not been reselected. Of the survivors there are 21 Labour councillors standing again, and one Conservative.

There are several other parties standing in different wards. A list of all the candidates in each ward can be viewed below.

Statement_of_Persons_Nominated___Local_Election_2015

As our campaign is a political one as well as one based on scrutiny , the following email has been sent to those who are standing as a councillor again.

THEIR OPINION IS SORT ON THE CULL OF GEESE. For some reason the original email appears to have been thrown back. I took this up with member services and spoke to someone called Mr Shahdaz, who stated that the emails could be forwarded to the councillor incumbents via him. Odd that, and not something that I quite understand given that I used the email contact addresses given on the members pages on the SMBC website. Most of these appear to be

first name_surname@Cllr.sandwell.org.uk.

Most of the officers appear to use first name_surname@sandwell.gov.uk. Anyway I have already had a reply off one of them for what it’s worth, so I’m not sure what type of weird gating is going on with councillors emails?

Dear Councillor,

 Manuel, a character from the BBC sit com Fawlty Towers.  In one episode “communication problems” , his boss Mr Fawlty attempts to make the waiter lie about a bet he has placed. Any similarity between any fictional and real characters are purely coincidental.

CONVERSATION WITH PAUL SMITH SMBC CONTEXT

National Grid and contractors were at Sheepwash Local Nature Reserve and the surrounding area undertaking works on their overhead lines  in Spring 2014. There had been a supposed liaison between John Satchwell and National Grid (according to Chris Moore and Matt Darby some months earlier), but he had totally failed to communicate with those present at that meeting that this site was a Local Nature Reserve and that any damage they caused whilst on site would need to be rectified, as well as not damaging some of the habitats.

This would need Matt Darby and others to later have meetings on site with National Grid- another example of how the senior parks manager does not involve any discussions with his staff- or put Council interests on this site first. A number of complaints were made to the council about the contractor’s behaviour on site, leaving gates unlocked in particular as well as that picked up by the council rangers themselves.

On the day after raising issues with Paul Smith about a vandalised lock on an internal gate at the site to stop off road bikes, which he noted to fix, imagine my surprise to find National Grid contractor staff angle grinding off the whole gate. I queried what they were doing and contacted Paul Smith who spoke to them, only learning that they had been given permission to do this by whoever they had had the meeting with. Sandwell Valley staff claimed to know nothing about this. Obviously Paul Smith was left red faced that just hours earlier he was attempting to fix a gate, and now someone had come along with council permission to remove the entire bloody thing!

This conversation involved reporting some issues, as well as attempting to ask him what he knew about the goose culls.

HE IS AFTER ALL THE NATURE CONSERVATION OFFICER FOR SANDWELL.

Conversation with Paul G Smith 22/7/14                7 minutes 10 seconds

KEY PARTS CONCERNING THE GEESE ISSUE ARE IN ENLARGED TEXT. The transcript of the conversation, recorded in two parts is detailed below *1/2 denoting the split.

PS Hiya

IC These, erm Western Power, do you know what they’re doing down here, messing around by the pumphouse?

PS Western Power?….. No not unless there’s some sub- contractor to National Grid. I haven’t …I wasn’t aware of them particularly being on site.

IC They seem to be digging some trench where they put that wooden fence.

PS It must be to do with (national Grid), I’ll try and fInd out, they must be sub- contractors to National Grid I would think.

IC I just hope they lock the bloody gates, I think I’ll go out that way, see if they’ve shut em.

PS Yeah, yeah, erm I mean we haven’t , erm National Grid have been ok since we mentioned about keeping the gates locked, so I don’t know who this lot are, erm , well give me a call back if they’ve left the gates open, and I’ll get onto National Grid, they must have details of contact numbers.

IC I don’t suppose you know anything about this goose business do you?

PS No, as I say, again, I’ve been off, I haven’t…  what’s happened?

IC Well 70 odd geese have disappeared off Victoria Park Tipton, like they did last year (by the pest control company)..

PS (INTERJECT) (Yeah I did hear about last year.)

IC Now last year it was alleged, and Matt Darby sent me a picture of them unloading them out at Forge Mill lake, so I very much doubt if Natural England have given them any licence to have let them do that, so I think it was done because I’d found out about it. This year John Satchwell claims they were “relocated” again to Sandwell Valley.

PS Right

IC Now looking at the numbers there I don’t think so and you know there’s a particular bird on there , a hybid cross like the one on Dartmouth Park, that certainly isn’t there, erm, and others that have come from elsewhere, but not the 70 plus increase, so I suspect that they’ve destroyed them and used them for biomass as United Utilities did in…

PS Yeah I don’t know nothing about that, I’ll ask Matt if he knows anything. Nothings been said to me.

IC Well Chris Moore said he didn’t know anything about it, so if they’ve brought them to the park farm or the other, Forge Mill farm, and then picked up by somebody else, would that be theoretically possible?

PS Well (not without), well I’m based at Forge Mill I’d have noticed something like that,

IC Well this was last week so…

PS Well I wasn’t here, erm no I’ll ask around, but I’ve certainly not heard of anything, nobody’s said anything… no I’ll try and find out.

IC You can’t ever remember any report being written about anything like this, about relo.., erm exterminating or culling geese?

PS No , No , nothing’s ever come past me, I ought to be told..

IC (INTERJECT) (Well I should think so)

PS No I’ve not heard anything about it

IC See they usually set you blokes up as the fall guys, talking about “biodiversity” and all of this business*1/2 and it just seems to be people at the top making decisions, without any consultation. I mean there are alternatives to this and I know they’ve tried egg pricking, what have you, but this is a disgusting thing to do. There’s some park funday on in a couple of weeks time organised by this Councillor Khatun and I just wonder whether it’s all in aid of this?

PS I really don’t know Ian, nothing’s come my way, I mean I’m certainly against anything like that, It’s not been done with anybody consulting me.

IC So that’s the park friends group that know nothing about it, no one at the valley knows nothing about it, the nature conservation officer knows nothing about it.. it seems like one man has taken it upon himself to exterminate, getting a load of pest controllers company, probably with public money and exterminating them.

PS Well I don’t know but it would be very difficult to do without people noticing. As I say, I don’t know nothing about it. You know I’d be totally against that. I know nothing about it I’ll see if anyone’s heard anything, but if you’ve spoken to Chris and he doesn’t know, I can’t see anyone else knowing. I’ll ask around, see if anyone else knows, Sandnats, they might have heard something, No I don’t know about that.. Anyway let me know if there’s any gates left open and I’ll…

IC If you ever need a walk around..

PS Yeah I’ll try and get that sorted out, has the scaffolding all gone now?

IC It’s gone along with that toilet they’d left behind for a few days, I put a couple of those metal 25kg weight things behind the fence because they were obviously going to be chucked in, some of the sandbags have been chucked in the river anyway, and those height barrier things , to weigh them down, sort of thing, erm but there’s still some clamps left last week where the EA (ENVIRONMENT AGENCY), had mowed, but I managed to intercept them stopping them going all the way because there’s still swans on the river, so they’ve mowed to the edge of the bend.

PS Yes well we’ll arrange a site visit and make sure everything’s going to get reinstated that they took out.

IC But the EA were late in cutting that apparently because of these National Grid, and they said they gave them a week to put all these stones and that on the pumphouse, but they still haven’t done it.

PS I’ll try and find out about that as well. Alright then Ian, thanks for that, and I’ll be in touch soon and have a site visit.

IC Alright

PS Alright then, cheers, bye bye.

PART 1 OF THIS CONVERSATION CAN BE HEARD BELOW.

PART 2 OF THIS CONVERSATION CAN BE HEARD BELOW.

DISCUSSION

It is clear that when asked about his involvement in any discussions and report concerning culling of geese, Paul Smith repeatedly states that he knows nothing about this, nor had any involvement in any council report. Compare this with the statement issued by Steve Handley Streetscene Director at Sandwell council in a freedom of information request reply dated 17^th November 2014.

“Officers within the council have appropriate qualifications and experience to advise on such matters and discussions and actions on alternative control methods have taken place…. One of the officers spent a number of years working for the wildlife trust and two colleagues have degrees in Environmental studies.”

In the case of the officer who he refers to working in the wildlife trust, I believe that he is referring to Paul Smith- whose statements made in this phone call conversation to myself do not support Mr Handley’s claims at all.

Following the revelations from the independent investigation concerning officers conduct and lying, it is clear that Paul Smith was one of those lying. Let us look in detail at his comments of August 2014, compared to the statements attributed to officers in the February report, a mere six months difference.

IC “You can’t ever remember any report being written about anything like this, about relo.., erm exterminating or culling geese?”

PS “No , No , nothing’s ever come past me, I ought to be told..”

PAGE 10 INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION POINT 2

“2. In 2013 whilst not being involved in the Cabinet meetings they had been consulted about culling and were aware that culling was to take place and were in agreement with it.”

PAUL SMITH IN QUOTES

“I really don’t know Ian, nothing’s come my way, I mean I’m certainly against anything like that, It’s not been done with anybody consulting me.”

“……As I say, I don’t know nothing about it. You know I’d be totally against that. I know nothing about it I’ll see if anyone’s heard anything…”

INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION PAGE 19 POINT 11

“They were in agreement with the culling as they recognised that it was necessary and the deception was the only error which had been committed. “

I have to say that of the three Sandwell Valley officers implicated in this deception, the one that I am most surprised at and disappointed with is Paul Smith. He seemed like a long suffering genuine inoffensive guy, and a someone who tried to do things, against opposition from the likes of Darby and Moore, who rarely ever attended meetings but sent him to take the flack.

But lies are lies, and in this case I have no sympathy for his predicament at all, and there can be no excuse for the treacherous deceit which he obviously played along with. It is a fool who follows like a sheep those committing wrongdoing, and there is the old cliché adage, but one of the truest ever committed to the English language that;

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)

Perhaps they were

VN850223

Did they show her any evidence that could be classed as ESTABLISHED FACT? This is irrelevant to the culling licence given the legal requirement to adhere to the type of licence being relied upon- in this case we learn as ESTABLISHED FACT from SMBC that this was about preserving public health and safety.

• “native species and plant life were being endangered”-

Opinion not established fact. Where is the evidence to substantiate this claim, and also this point is irrelevant to the type of licence the council are relying upon.

• “members of the public were making officers aware of their concern about  the adverse impact  the  growing numbers of geese were having on park amenities.”

These members of the public are not identified, and it is merely their OPINION that goose numbers were causing any issue at all. We have learnt as established fact, that only 8 complaints were recorded by this council in these two parks. In any case, the licence Sandwell council rely on is for public health and safety, not “park amenities.”

Letters presented at the health and Neighbourhoods scrutiny board meeting written deliberately for the purpose are all dated 2015.

4 The briefing note did not state that other options should be explored, it stated that birds would be culled in two unspecified parks with egg pricking continuing. This can be read HERE as established Fact.

5 Established FACT,  it did state this, and it has received widespread public condemnation. “Certain sections of the public” is a derogatory term, which although well disguised shields the personal opinion of the investigator to whom this appears to stem from. It is a “certain section of the public”- as described above that want wildlife slaughtered in parks for their own selfish reasons. NB THE TERM “ADVERSE PUBLICITY” IS THE TERM USED BY JOHN SATCHWELL.

6 The cabinet member for Neighbourhoods was the member for whom the issue was presented. WAS THIS MARIA CROMPTON AT THE TIME?

7 Established fact,

The video footage was taken on the day of 10th July 2013.

Points 8,9,10 ESTABLISHED FACT.

I was sent pictures by Matt Darby, senior countryside ranger. There are some questions which he has never answered about this, at least to myself.

Point 11

“IC did receive some pictures of geese being unloaded from a trailer but the geese were not those from Victoria park.”

This statement is bizarre, and is not explained which it must be. The geese are clearly being released if they were unloaded from the trailer. If not from Victoria Park then where had these captured birds been released from? This is admitting to a criminal offence, and yet the supposed wildlife officer PC Rob Pritchard has claimed that no offences were committed, though he does not state as to whom he questioned or whether any of this was under caution.

Matt Darby took these pictures, that is undisputable. He sent the pictures from his phone to his Sandwell.Gov email account where he then later forwarded them to me. So how can this be? There are some serious questions to answer for all those who were involved in this illegal release as well as the person claimed to be “investigating” this illegal activity. WATCH THIS SPACE ON THAT ONE.

Points 12-14 Established fact

Point 15 John Satchwell did not admit to me that he had told lies about relocation, this is completely false. My complaint and question to Maria Crompton contained no mention of John Satchwell admitting to lie, at this point I had no confirmation as to what had really happened to the geese, though I suspected that they had been killed.

Only her response and the pathetic reasons for the cull were revealed at this time in her letter, and formally by Steve Handley’s FOI response. NB THESE LETTERS MAKE NO REFERENCE TO LYING, OR THAT JOHN SATCHWELL HAD ADMITTED ANY LIES. THIS IS ESTABLISHED FACT AND TO SUGGEST OTHERWISE IS ANOTHER LIE AND ATTEMPT TO REWRITE HISTORY.

point 16 “JS’s attempted deception was undertaken for the best of reasons. He tried to avoid offending the sensitivities of certain sections of the public who it was recognised found culling distressing even when proved to be necessary.”

WHERE DO I START WITH THIS ONE!

THERE ARE NO ESTABLISHED FACTS IN THIS STATEMENT WHATSOEVER OTHER THAN JOHN SATCHWELL “ATTEMPTED DECEPTION.

THE REST OF THIS IS I AM AFRAID  UTTER AND COMPLETE RUBBISH ON BEHALF OF THIS SO CALLED “INVESTIGATOR”, AND TO USE SUCH UNESTABLISHED OPINION IN A SO CALLED “INDEPENDENT REPORT” BRINGS INTO QUESTION HER INTEGRITY TO EVEN BE CONDUCTING THIS WORK ON A PROFESSIONAL BASIS.

JOHN SATCHWELL LIED FOR HIS OWN STATED REASONS- TO AVOID “ADVERSE PUBLICITY” BOTH FOR HIM AND SANDWELL COUNCIL.  THEY WERE NOT “THE BEST OF REASONS”  THEY WERE PURELY SELFISH ONES. HE MADE VERBAL THREATS TO MYSELF ON THE PHONE, WAS HE TRYING TO AVOID MY SENSITIVITY BEING HURT HERE FOR GOD’S SAKE?

IT HAS NOT BEEN “PROVEN TO BE NECESSARY” !!!!! QUITE THE CONTRARY BASED ON DIRECT EVIDENCE AND NOT THIS PILE OF RUBBISH WHICH IS PURE OPINON, AND BIASED ON BEHALF OF THIS PROVEN LIAR.

THE PUBLIC DESERVE THE TRUTH, NOT LIES, AND THESE ARE PATHETIC LINES WHICH DESERVE THE CONTEMPT AND RICICULE THAT WILL FOLLOW FROM THEM.

Point 17 oh she actually attempts a bit of criticism here of the council paying her £25 per hour of her time.

point 18 He has not admitted anything to me at all.

point 19 Another dressed up excuse which should not be presented in such a way by an “independent investigator.” SHE ACTUALLY SOUNDS MORE LIKE A DEFENCE LAWYER THAN A JUDGE.

I WOULD HOPE THAT HAVING READ SOME OF THE STUFF WRITTEN HERE SO FAR, THAT YOU CAN SEE WHY I WILL BE TAKING SOME OF THE COMPLAINTS MADE HERE NOT UPHELD TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT OMBUDSMAN, AND IT CAN ONLY BE HOPED THAT THEY ARE NOT AS EASILY FOOLED OR PREJUDICED BY SEPERATING THE FACTS FROM OPINION AS THIS INVESTIGATOR CLEARLY IS.

• In agreement with whose pretence, they appear to be complicit  in it, and against it!
• They are all at this point involved in the same deception as John Satchwell and should all be conducted under the same punishment as he.
• In 2014 they were still continuing the same pretence yet Chris Moore appears to tell a version that the geese from Victoria Park were “probably released” . I really don’t know where this bloke is coming from , but I do know where he should go.

• Pestex’s integrity as being “highly reputable” is one of opinion, or perhaps she uses them herself?  Some of it’s employees can be brought into question from the amateurish methods used in capturing the geese, lying  repeatedly to the public with abysmal excuses, and also one of them spitting on the grass.

Then there are likely offences under the Animal Welfare Act such as the method used to pack in the geese, the slaughter not witnessed independently as well as the lack of integrity of the licence being used for the purpose intended. THERE HAS BEEN NO CREDIBLE INVESTIGATION INTO THIS, NOT BY NATURAL ENGLAND AND CERTAINLY NOT BY THE POLICE- WHICH HAS BEEN RECORDED.

• We have here admission that Sandwell council allowed geese which they claim when challenged about the cull were capable of spreading disease, yet they introduce them onto a farm where they are rearing turkeys. Where is the biosecurity here? Who could be confident in eating anything from this farm, or the health and safety attached to it, especially when revealed that there was no security of any council employee on the scene?  Is it not the case that unsupervised non personnel of Sandwell Council can wander freely around their sites?

• Were they under duress to lie, and if so by whom?
• Did they discuss the construction of the lie as it developed and became untenable as I picked it apart as they only continued to lie?
• They have a duty to whistle blow wrong doing and are protected from doing so in the officer code of conduct.
• Why did they not bring it to the attention of a senior manager like Adrian Scarrott that John  Satchwell was making statements that would bring the council into disrepute, as well as themselves?
• The recorded phone call conversations, which will be published in upcoming blogs will show how they lied and exactly what they said.
• I do not see how any of them can remain as trusted employees of Sandwell council, and I believe accordingly they should be sacked.

BOY HOW THESE THINGS DO ESCALATE JUST OVER THE CULLING OF SOME GEESE WHEN PEOPLE DON’T TELL THE TRUTH! STILL FOLLOWING HOW TO DO A PROPER INVESTIGATION MRS “INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR”?

DARBY IS A SERIAL LIAR. Perhaps it was the big green duck what told him to do it, Son of Sam style.

“I wish I could LIE RIGHT, up the the sky but I can’t……”

ON YER BIKE?

THUNDERPANTS SHOULD GO!

BACKGROUND

At the start of this campaign, it was made clear that officers of the council had stated that the geese in 2013 at Victoria Park Tipton had been “relocated to the Sandwell Valley”. This was expressed by John Satchwell, senior parks manager , as well as the pest control company themselves, whose representative on the day made numerous claims about what they were there to do, at no time stating that they were going to cull them. This information was clearly utterly false and therefore a lie.

Added to this, the Sandwell Valley manager Chris Moore, nature conservation officer Paul Smith and Matt Darby senior countryside ranger, all based in offices within the Sandwell valley claimed to know nothing about any “relocation”, which is illegal without a specific licence, or any proposed  cull of the geese.

Matt Darby was asked to send me pictures of the geese being released, and this he did in 2013, the email of which I have already published along with the pictures which he claims to have taken. He also stated quite clearly that he had seen the geese from Victoria park exiting the trailer onto the causeway at Forge Mill Lake, an RSPB nature reserve which is also part managed by Sandwell Council.

One of three pictures taken by Matt Darby and sent to me via email using his Sandwell.Gov email account matt_darby@sandwell.gov.uk

In 2014, after the disappearance of geese at Victoria park again, and seeing the same fencing set up in the park, I attempted to contact the same officers to ask what they may know. None appeared to be at work that week , and it was with some reluctance that I accepted to speak to John Satchwell to see what he would actually admit. During this phone conversation, he repeatedly claimed that the geese had again been relocated, whereby I informed him that this would be illegal. He also claimed that this had been done over a number of years, whereby geese from formal parks had been relocated to Sandwell Valley, Sheepwash Nature Reserve and Woden Road. All these sites were named by him directly. The phone call conversation ended abruptly when he put the phone down, this after making unfounded allegations against myself in a smokescreen attempt to change the subject and divert the pursuit of the truth, and his perverted version of it.

“CANADA GEESE ARE QUITE PAROCHIAL” HE CLAIMED WHEN STATING THAT THE RELOCATED BIRDS WOULD FLY BACK TO TIPTON- DIFFICULT TO SEE HOW WHEN THEY HAVE HAD THEIR NECKS BROKEN.

He also made verbal threats before this.

JS “…I might do something that you might regret and something that I might regret.”

IC “Is that a threat”

JS “Yes you can take it as a threat.”

• AT THIS TIME I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IT QUITE CLEAR, THAT HE DID NOT RETRACT HIS VERSION OF EVENTS THAT THESE GEESE HAD BEEN “RELOCATED” IN BOTH YEARS.
• NO FURTHER CONTACT WITH JOHN SATCHWELL TOOK PLACE BETWEEN HIMSELF AND MYSELF, EITHER WRITTEN, EMAIL, TELEPHONE CONVERSATION OR OTHERWISE, AND IF HE CAN PROVE THAT IT DID, THEN I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO SEE IT.
• I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO STATE THAT I HAVE NOT ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT HIM AT ALL SINCE THIS TIME IN ANY FORM OF CORRESPONDENCE.
• I DID HAVE THE MISFORTUNE TO BUMP INTO HIM ON THE BIRMINGHAM CANAL WHERE HE AGAIN ATTEMPTED TO PROVOKE A CONFRONTATION WITH UNFOUNDED ACCUSATIONS. THERE WAS NO CONVERSATION WITH HIM, DESPITE HIS VERBAL COMMENT

“YOU LITTLE SHIT.”

As officers of the council, I took their words at face value, as I have known them for a number of years, and believed that they could be trusted. Alas it now appears that these liars were part of a conspiracy of silence within the corrupt Parks and Countryside Department at this council , and I use this word carefully under the terms of the dictionary definition. “CORRUPT” adjective

This is a species conservation alert!

I would urge people to be on the lookout for that most aggressive of species The Labou rare idle swine. Please inspect your composts, garden sheds and outside toilets to make sure that there are no Labou hiding out waiting to devour your hard earned possessions, as they appear to like banking in land.

At this time of year the Alpha male of the group will typically sound the call in a trumpeting bellow “UP THE BAGGIES, BOING BOING!”, which is a signal to the rest of the herd that “the mating” season has begun. This prompts a plumage of red and yellow patches to grow on the labou, and they will gregariously gather in large numbers as a fixed action pattern to mass at your front doors, or even stop you in the street, but please do not encourage them as many of them are a “non- native” species, originally hailing from Russia.

Large numbers have been reported in the Sandwell area, and as many as 70 may be present at any one time. A large flock is often seen grazing in the streets around Oldbury town centre.

A general election and individual regional election licence to control their numbers at this time is available when they are fightless. Please be advised not to apply for this by post however as there have been some strange discrepancies of irregularity, which could render the licence invalid. This may be controversial if the public find out about it.

FEEDING

The Labou rare idle swine are particularly allergic to greens and kippers and will projectile vomit bile when given feed containing these. They are also extremely coprophobic towards excrement of other species, but enjoy wallowing in plenty of their own. Egg and flour suit them best.

They may foul your property at a rate of every six minutes with their deposits and this could encourage other vermin to do the same. This material is very dangerous if you inadvertently swallow it. There are documented cases of fat Labou punching members of the public, and they may also foul public highways by advertising themselves which could lead to children and families slipping up; so they may present a threat to public health and public safety.

Their lack of natural predators means that they are naturally tame and easy to feed at the bank. Measures to control their numbers have included oiling with skiddy material but this has failed to reduce their numbers to acceptable levels.

Under no circumstances, do not GET CROSS with them. Humour them and they will eventually go away to hibernate again in mid May.

The following was supposedly written by Adrian Scarrott and Steve Handley, directors of Neighbourhoods and Streetscene respectively. Both appeared with John Satchwell  to defend Sandwell councils’ actions at the scrutiny meeting. It was quite apparent from the body language that the two senior officers really did not want to be there and looked ill at ease throughout.

So we are left to look at their submission, in greater detail here than we had time to (5 minutes) at the presentation of our petition. More detail and scrutiny is required of the points made in their submission, and also the “statement of purpose” proposed as some sort of future policy. We are left wondering however what their “purpose” really is from reading such an ambiguous set of sentences. More on this in a future blog post.

THEIR STATEMENTS ARE IN RED ITALICS, OUR RESPONSE IN BLUE. WHERE WE DO NOT AGREE WITH THEIR STATEMENTS, EVIDENCE IS PRESENTED TO REFUTE THIS.

Joint Neighbourhoods and Health Scrutiny Board
25 February, 2015
Consideration of Petition “Save Our Sandwell Canada Geese”

1. Summary Statement

Consideration of Petition “Save Our Sandwell Canada Geese”

1. Summary Statement

1.1 On 26 January, 2015 the Council received a petition entitled “Save Our Canada Geese”. The petition contains around 1700 signatures and reads “We the undersigned, strongly condemn the actions of Sandwell Council by instigating the unnecessary cull of Canada geese at Victoria Park, Tipton. We call on a senior officer to give evidence under public scrutiny to explain this extreme course of action and on SMBC to never again allow this measure to take place anywhere in the Borough, but to continue with non-lethal methods of site management.”

AGREED

1.2 The Council’s Petitions Scheme, adopted by Council on 2 September 2014 (Minute No. 85/14 (3), states that for petitions with 1500 signatures or more, an officer can be called to give evidence in a public meeting.

AGREED

1.3 In April 2013 the Director – Street Scene, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways and Environment, took a decision to carry out a cull of Canada geese at two locations in Sandwell, namely Dartmouth Park, West Bromwich and Victoria Park, Tipton. Further details are contained on the context of this decision and the procedures followed within the background details.  

THIS STATEMENT CONTRADICTS THOSE MADE EARLIER BY SANDWELL COUNCIL. THE DIRECTOR OF STREETSCENE IS STEVE HANDLEY. IT HAS NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY STATED THAT HE HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE CULL, MOREOVER THAT IT WAS JOHN SATCHWELL’S REPORT THAT LED TO THE CULL. STEVE HANDLEY REPLIED TO OUR FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUESTS, BUT NOWHERE WITHIN THIS DID HE STATE THAT HE WAS IN ANY WAY INVOLVED IN THE REPORT, AND IT DID NOT BARE HIS NAME.

THIS IS WHAT HE STATED IN AN FOI REQUEST DATED AUGUST 13TH 2014.

“We do not hold any information regarding the approval of the process; as such approval was given verbally for 2013/14.”

SO SUDDLENY IT NOW APPEARS THAT THE COUNCIL DID HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROCESS, AND THUS STEVE HANDLEY/SANDWELL COUNCIL WERE CLEARLY  LYING WHEN ANSWERING THIS FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST. WHY?

THERE IS NO STATEMENT AS TO WHO AND ALSO WHY THIS REPORT WAS DRAFTED, BASED UPON LACK OF MEASURABLE EVIDENCE, OTHER THAN GOOSE NUMBERS, WHICH APPEARS TO BE RATHER AN OBSESSIVE PREOCCUPATION GETTING IN THE WAY OF VALID ARGUMENT OR SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FROM THIS COUNCIL. THE REPORT DID NOT NAME THESE TWO PARKS DIRECTLY, SO THE CHOICE OF CULLING SITE WAS ARRANGED BY SOME MEANS NOT REVEALED IN ANY CURRENT FORM BY THIS COUNCIL.

ANY FOOL CAN COUNT BIRDS, BUT HOW DOES THAT EQUATE TO INFORMED DEBATE AS TO WHETHER THEY POSE ANY HUMAN HEALTH RISK?

1.4 The Council has, for a number of years, made attempts to try and manage the numbers of Canada geese by adopting different control measures, namely oiling and egg pricking, installing perimeter fences around pools, both permanent and temporary fencing, discouraging overfeeding and installing perimeter planting around pool perimeters but these measures have proved to be ineffective.

THIS IS STRONGLY DISPUTED. IN 1997 THE COUNCIL APPEARED TO BE WAIVERING ON THIS ISSUE BUT STATED THAT IT WOULD NOT BE PURSUING A CULLING POLICY OF ADULT BIRDS. THIS HAS BEEN MADE AS A STATEMENT OF FACT FROM THIS COUNCIL. 

WE  HAVE ASKED THE COUNCIL TO PROVIDE EVIDENCE AS TO WHICH SITES HAD EGG PRICKING CARRIED OUT, HOW MANY NESTS/EGGS WERE DESTROYED AND WHO CARRIED THIS OUT. THIS IS IMPORTANT EVIDENCE, AND IF THEY CANNOT PRODUCE IT THEN IT WEAKENS THEIR ARGUMENT CONSIDERABLY. WE HAVE RECEIVED THEIR RESPONSE WHICH FURTHER DAMAGES THEIR CLAIMS, GIVEN THAT THEY ONLY HAVE FIGURES FOR 2013-14. MORE DETAIL HERE.

PERIMETER FENCES HAVE BEEN INSTALLED AT SOME POOLS FOR THE PURPOSES OF A ROSPA REPORT, WHICH HAD NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH CANADA GEESE. THIS FENCING WAS UNDERTAKEN TO PREVENT PEOPLE ON BICYCLES FALLING INTO THE WATER, OR SO IT WAS STATED AT THE TIME BY THE COUNCIL.  SANDWELL COUNCIL ARE NOT IN ANY WAY OBLIGED TO FOLLOW THIS CHARITIES ADVICE AND THEY ARE NOT A PROSECUTING ENTITY EITHER. READ THE WATER SAFETY POLICY HERE.

FENCING AT DARTMOUTH PARK WAS, ACCORDING TO MARIA CROMPTON, INSTALLED TO REINVENT THE PAST SPECTACLE, NOT TO DETER GEESE. IN ANY CASE THIS WAS INSTALLED AFTER 100 BIRDS HAD ALREADY BEEN MURDERED BY THE COUNCIL IN 2013 AND NOT BEFORE. THIS IS FACT, AND CAN BE EVIDENCED IN THE REPLY FROM MARIA CROMPTON TO ME OBJECTING TO THIS FENCING. I OBJECTED TO THIS AS IT CLEARLY PREVENTED ALL WILDFOWL FROM ACCESSING BETWEEN THE TWO POOLS- IN MANY INSTANCES THE ONLY PATHWAY THAT WILDFOWL COULD ACCESS NATURAL FOOD- EG GRASS.

NOTE THE PRICELESS PHRASE OF CABINET MEMBER MARIA CROMPTON, THIS LYING WITCH , JUST A COUPLE OF MONTHS AFTER 100 GEESE WERE EXTERMINATED IN THIS PARK WHICH SHE KNEW FULL WELL ABOUT.

“Whilst it is acknowledged the erection of the fencing did disrupt the bird movements initially, evidence suggests the swans, geese and  ducks are adjusting to the physical changes AND THERE HAS BEEN NO DETRIMENTAL IMPACT TO THEIR WELLBEING.”

YOU CAN STUFF YOUR PROJECT CROMPTON, YOU CARRIED OUT A MASSACRE IN THIS PARK AND YOU DESERVE NOTHING BUT C0NTEMPT AND SUFFERING

FURTHER EVIDENCE OF WHEN THIS FENCING WAS ERECTED IS SHOWN BELOW IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS, SHOWING THE DATES THAT THEY WERE TAKEN.

Fence in process of being erected in August 2013, after the goose cull on the lower pool.

swan fenced in with geese on the top pool (duck pool).

THE “OVERFEEDING” ISSUE IS INTRODUCED AT THIS POINT AS A DISTRACTION TO THE CULLING ISSUE. THE COUNCIL DO NOT APPEAR TO APPRECIATE THAT IT  IS NOT THE AVAILABLE FOOD GIVEN OUT BY PEOPLE THAT ATTRACTS THE GEESE TO REMAIN AT THE FORMAL PARKS, BUT THE OPEN GRASSED AREAS THAT THEY NATURALLY WANT TO GRAZE ON THAT THE COUNCIL THEMSELVES HAVE PROVIDED. THIS IS THEIR ONLY “NATURAL” SOURCE OF FOOD, IN STERILE VICTORIAN PARKS.

1.5 If the Scrutiny Board feels that the Authority needs to respond to points raised within the petition it may decide to use any of its scrutiny powers under the Local Government Act 2000 which may include instigating an investigation, making a recommendation to the Executive or referring the matter to full Council.

[IL0: UNCLASSIFIED]

Adrian Scarrott Director – Neighbourhoods

Steve Handley Director – Street Scene

WE OBVIOUSLY KNOW THAT THE SCRUTINY BOARD HAD NO INTEREST IN SCRUTINY AT ALL, AND NEITHER DID THE TWO OFFICERS PRODUCING THIS REPORT.

Consideration of Petition “Save Our Sandwell Canada Geese”

2. Background

2.1 Canada geese can live up to 20 years of age and a pair of geese normally mates for life and can produce up to 100 goslings over that period.

THIS IS DISPUTABLE AND MISLEADING.

• NOT ALL BIRDS PRODUCE GOSLINGS,
• NOT ALL BIRDS LIVE TO 20 YEARS, AND NOR WOULD THEY LIKELY TO BE PRODUCING GOSLINGS AT A RATE OF FERTILE PRODUCTIVITY OVER 20 YEARS. TYPICALLY THE NUMBER OF FERTILE EGGS WOULD DECREASE OVER THE LIFETIME.
• NOT ALL GOSLINGS WOULD SURVIVE, MANY ARE EATEN BY PREDATORS. THEY HAVE MANY MAN MADE THREATS, NOT IDENTIFIED HERE.
• CLEARLY IF EGG PRICKING WAS CARRIED OUT, THERE WOULD NOT BE 100 GOSLINGS PRODUCED PER PAIR. FROM THE OUTSET, THE OFFICERS ARE MISLEADING ABOUT GOOSE NUMBERS.
• AS WITH EVERY STATEMENT MADE ABOUT THE GEESE BY THIS COUNCIL, THERE ARE NO CITATIONS AS TO WHERE THEY ARE GETTING THEIR INFORMATION FROM. MARIA CROMPTON IN A RECENT LETTER TO ANIMAL AID CLAIMED THAT THEY LIVE UP TO 30 YEARS, SO SUDDENLY TEN YEARS APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN CUT FROM THEIR LIVES WITHOUT EXPLANATION.
• WE WOULD RECOMMEND THAT GOOSE RINGING IS UNDERTAKEN TO PRODUCE A CLEAR ACCURATE PERSPECTIVE OF LONGEVITY AND SURVEILLANCE OF MOVEMENT BETWEEN SITES. THIS WOULD PRODUCE EVIDENCE OF RESIDENT BIRDS AND ALSO MOBILE BIRDS. THIS WAS ARRANGED AT THE LAKE DISTRICT IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE RSPCA, AND WHERE A CULLING PROPOSAL WAS THWARTED . THIS WAS BEING UNDERTAKEN IN THE LATE 1990’S EARLY 2000’S, ON GOSLINGS FROM UNPRICKED EGGS AT DARTMOUTH PARK.

2.2 The geese numbers within our formal parks can be seen as a constant source of nuisance, primarily due to the fact that their droppings, which are up to two inches long, are produced on average one every six minutes whilst feeding on grassed areas. They also excrete into water while swimming, potentially having an impact on oxygen levels within our pools and affecting the local habitat.  

THIS IS A BLATANTLY INFLAMMATORY STATEMENT NOT BASED ON EVIDENCE THAT CAN BE MEASURED. WE KNOW  THAT THE COUNCIL INFLATED THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS MADE FROM AN FOI REQUEST.

• IT IS AN OPINION. THE STATISTICS CONCERNING GOOSE MESS ARE OBSSESSIVE ON THE PART OF THIS COUNCIL, AND MAKE THEM LOOK RATHER ANAL.
• DOES SIZE MATTER, DOES FREQUENCY MATTER IF IT IS NOT A PROVEN HEALTH ISSUE?
• WHAT CONTEXT DO THEY DRAW TO THE NUMBER OF TIMES A SWAN GOES TO THE TOLIET, OR A DUCK OR A SEAGULL?
• ISSUES CONCERNING NUTRIENT LOADING ARE PUT FORWARD BY THE LIKES OF WATER COMPANIES SUCH AS UNITED UTILITIES, WHO DISCHARGE HUMAN EXCREMENT INTO WATERCOURSES LIBERALLY UNDER LICENCE.
• UNTIL RECENTLY THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HIDE BEHIND HAVING TO DISCLOSE ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT, THOUGH THEY HAVE NOW LOST A LANDMARK RULING OPENING THE WAY FOR SCRUTINY OF THEIR EXCREMENT MANAGEMENT AND THEIR POLLUTION OF WATERCOURSES.

THE STUDY BELOW CONTRADICTS INFORMATION PUT FORWARD BY THE LIKES OF NATURAL ENGLAND WHO CLAIM THAT GEESE PRESENT A RISK OF “PHOSPHORUS” POLLUTION. THIS IS QUITE LAUGHABLE COMPARED TO THE PHOSPHORUS CONTAMINATION OF A CERTAIN LOCAL WATERBODY BY MAN.

“In the short term, nutrient loading by geese seemed to have no measurable impact on water chemistry in the mesocosms or phytoplankton. We suggest that the bulk of the nutrients contained in the faeces simply sank to the sediment where they will eventually become part of a benthic detritus food web or be cycled back into the water column during a mixing event. Therefore, the impact of these nutrients will not be evident until long after they have been added. Because cyanobacteria populations were unaffected by fecal loading, we, therefore, observed no increase in cyanotoxin concentrations in the high treatment groups.”

The impact of nutrient loading from Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) on water quality, a mesocosm approach
Robert L. Unckless Æ Joseph C. Makarewicz

• IT IS ALSO TO BE REMEMBERED THAT THERE IS LITTLE WATER FLOW AT BOTH OF THE TWO PARKS IN QUESTION. THEY CONTAIN LITTLE WATER COMPARED TO SILT WITHIN THE BED OF THE POOL. 
• I  HAVE BEEN WAIST DEEP IN THEM BOTH TO RESCUE BIRDS.
• THERE IS LITTLE MANAGEMENT OF FISHING AT BOTH SITES, AND WHATEVER ANGLERS ARE THROWING INTO THE POOL, BOTH FLOATING AND SINKING DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE EVER CONSIDERED BY THIS COUNCIL. PRIMARILY THE BIRDS EAT THE MATERIAL GIVEN TO THEM. CAN THE SAME BE SAID OF THE FISH?
• NO BOATING OR SWIMMING TAKES PLACE AT THE TWO PARKS. PUBLIC HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY REGARDING WATER QUALITY ARE NOT RELEVANT.
• WHAT MEASUREABLE EVIDENCE THAT GOOSE DROPPINGS HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR LOWERED OXYGEN LEVELS ALONE CAN BE PRESENTED BY SMBC IN ANY CASE?

2.3 More overly they defecate on formal grassed areas and hard standing areas around pool perimeters, which impacts on families being allowed to play safely in a clean environment. They also foul footpaths, which restricts the safe movement of families. (See Appendices 1 and 2). A statement from the friends of Dartmouth Park in regards to specific concerns they raise is attached at Appendix 3 as well as a letter from Community Volunteer Gardeners based at Dartmouth Park.  

• THE IMAGE OF FAMILIES IS ONE PUT FORWARD BY THIS CLEANLINESS OBSSESSED AUTHORITY. THEIR ARGUMENTS ARE PURELY EMOTIVE AND OBVIOUSLY SENSITIVE TO SOME PEOPLE WHO CONSIDER ANIMALS AND BIRDS “UNCLEAN”.  I’M NOT SURE WHAT A FAMILY WOULD BE DOING “PLAYING” AROUND A POOL, OR IF A PARK OR EVEN THEIR OWN GARDENS COULD BE CONSIDERED “A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT”.
• THIS COUNCIL HAS A JOKE RECORD ON CLEANING UP ITS OWN ENVIRONMENT UNDER ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION. WE LEARNED THIS AFTER THIS COUNCIL ATTEMPTED TO STOP US ACCESSSING THIS INFORMATION VIA AN FOI REQUEST, BUT THEY FAILED.
• WE SPOKE BRIEFLY ABOUT THE PICTURES PRESENTED BY THE COUNCIL AT THE MEETING.  THESE PICTURES APPARENTLY SHOWING PATHWAYS SOILED IN GOOSE EXCREMENT SHOW A VARIETY OF FAECAL DEPOSITS, BOTH SOLID AND FLUID, WHICH CANNOT ALL BE ATTRIBUTED TO GEESE. SEAGULL SPLASHES ARE CLEARLY EVIDENT IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS BUT IT APPEARS TO BE THE GEESE THAT ARE SINGLED OUT AS CAUSING ALL OF IT. THIS IS LIKE THE COUNCIL STATING THAT ALL DOG MESS IN SANDWELL IS CAUSED BY JACK RUSSELLS AND SINGLING OUT THAT ONE BREED OF DOG.

Black headed gulls and their shit at Victoria Park Tipton- are the council counting them?

 WHY ARE ROAD SWEEPERS ONLY EMPLOYED ON A REGULAR BASIS WHEN THERE IS A COMMUNITY FUNDAY ON IN A PARK?

THE QUESTION WAS ASKED IF THIS IS SO MUCH OF A PROBLEM TO SANDWELL COUNCIL, THEN WHY ARE THEY LEAVING THE MESS TO GATHER OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL WEEKS, ONLY FOR THE PHOTO OPPORTUNITY, AND NOT CULLING THE TURDS?

WE DO NOT KNOW HOW OR WHY CAROL HARTILL ENGAGED IN OR BECAME THE SECRETARY OF THIS GROUP, BUT HAVING ATTENDED THE FIRST MEETING OF “THE FRIENDS OF DARTMOUTH PARK” , IT WAS A SANDWELL COUNCIL SUGGESTED ENTERPRISE, NOT STEMMING FROM THE COMMUNITY ITSELF. THIS IS BECAUSE TO APPLY FOR SIGNIFICANT LOTTERY MONEY, COUNCILS HAVE TO APPEAR TO SUGGEST THAT IT IS A COMMUNITY LED BID. THIS IS ALSO PART OF THE GREEN FLAG BUSINESS MODEL -FUNDING “KEEP BRITAIN TIDY” AS A CHARITY.

FROM MRS WELCH’S LETTER AND COMMENT CONCERNING PEOPLE IN OTHER COUNTRIES SIGNING OUR PETITION, (TOTALLY INACCURATE AND FALSE, SHE IS REFERING TO THE ONLINE PETITION NOT THE ONE PRESENTED HERE), IT IS CLEAR TO SEE THE XENOPHOPIC PARAMETERES OF HER ARGUMENT, AND HOW THIS IS SUBLIMATED INTO THE ATTACK ON A “NON-NATÏVE SPECIES LIKE THE CANADA GOOSE. “THE SENSORY GARDEN”, CONSISTING OF VERY LITTLE, OCCUPIES VERY LITTLE SPACE WITHIN THIS VACUOUS PARK, AND IS NOT WITHIN 200 METERS OF THE POOL WHERE ANY GEESE WOULD BE. THEY DO NOT FOUL THE SENSORY GARDEN.

Sense any geese?

THE FRIENDS OF DARTMOUTH PARK SHOULD REALISE THAT THEY SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES AND NOT ALL THE USERS OF DARTMOUTH PARK. MANY PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND NATIONALITIES SIGNED OUR PETITION IN THIS PARK, INCLDUING MEMBERS OF “SANDWELL STRIDE”. THEY ENJOYED FEEDING THE WILDFOWL AND THE GEESE, ONLY VISITING THE PARK FOR THIS PURPOSE, AND THEY DID NOT AGREE THAT THEY POSED A RISK IN THE MANNER THAT THE COUNCIL WERE TRYING TO SUGGEST.

WHEREAS OUR PETITION WAS SIGNED BY A RANGE OF DIVERSITY, SADLY THE DEMOGRAPHIC OF “THE FRIENDS OF DARTMOUTH PARK”, ALONGSIDE MOST OF THE OTHERS IS CLEARLY EVIDENT. THEY ARE A GROUP OF ELDERLY PEOPLE, MIDDLECLASS, WHITE, WHO ARE APPROACHING THE TWILIGHT YEARS OF THEIR LIVES WITH INFIRMITY AND ILLNESS AND THEIR NUMBERS WILL CONTINUE TO DECREASE YEAR UPON YEAR WITHOUT REPLACEMENT BY NATURAL WASTAGE.

IN THIS REGRESSION THEY RETREAT INTO THE PAST AND LONG TO RETURN TO SOME ROSE TINTED VIEW OF THE VICTORIAN PARK, A TIME WHEN THERE WERE NOT MANY FOREIGNERS IN PARKS, WHEN EVERYONE SUPPOSEDLY “KNEW ONE ANOTHER AND YOU COULD LEAVE YOUR DOORS WIDE OPEN”. (PERHAPS THAT IS WHY THERE WERE SO MAY ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN DUMPED IN CARE HOMES?).

 GLORIFICATION OF INDUSTRIAL GANGSTERS WHO GAVE AWAY A PIECE OF LAND APPEARS ANOTHER OBSESSION, AS DOES ERECTING SOME FORM OF PARK PHALLUS, (THEY CAN NEVER SEE THIS  HOWEVER), POINTING SKYWARD.

TIME MOVES ON AND TIME WILL NOT REMEMBER THEM, WHATEVER PLAQUES, MONUMENTS AND OTHER FEATURES THEY CHOOSE TO  ERECT USING PUBLIC FUNDS, FUNDED BY US ALL, THE TAXPAYER TO SERVE ONLY A VERY FEW WHO WANT TO TURN BACK THE CLOCK AND PREVENT THE HANDS OF TIME TICKING ON.

2.4 Published reports show that the droppings of Canada geese contain several types of bacteria that are harmful to human health. These can survive and multiply in the droppings, giving rise to the risk of infection if they are inadvertently ingested, for example, by transfer from hands which have become contaminated.

ON THIS POINT WE SUCCESSFULLY LEARNT THAT SANDWELL COUNCIL HAD ZERO EVIDENCE TO PRODUCE OF THEIR OWN, WITHIN THEIR OWN SITES TO SUPPORT THESE STATEMENTS FROM THE LIPS OF JOHN SATCHWELL. CLICK BELOW TO CONFIRM THIS.

VN850223

WE ALSO SHOWED THAT FARM ANIMALS POSE A MORE SIGNIFICANT RISK THAN GEESE IN TERMS OF HANDLING AND FAECAL MATTER. EVIDENCE OF PETTING AT FORGEMILL FARM OF NEW BORN LAMBS WAS PRESENTED, AND THE COUNCIL WERE INFORMED OF THE PUBLISHED ANIMAL AID REPORT CONCERNING HUMAN HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE TYPES OF ANIMAL. READ THIS BELOW.

disease

ONE OF THE MAIN CITED NONSENSES CONCERNING GOOSE DROPPINGS IS CONCERNED WITH CRYPTOSPIRIDIUM. Cited pathogens in council promoted literature include Cryptospiridium. Public health England state on their website “outbreaks of cryptospirosis have been linked to drinking or swimming in contaminated water and contact with infected lambs and calves during open visits to farms. “ THEY DO NOT MENTION CANADA GEESE, NOR THIS SOURCE BEING LIKELY TO AFFECT PUBLIC HEALTH.

According to patient.co.uk there were 3000 cases of Cryptospiridium in England and Wales in 2011, down from 4000 in 2010. How many of those were within Sandwell, and furthermore how many of those cases were directly connected from Canada goose infection?

IN ADDITION TO THIS OTHER ACADEMICS HAVE ALSO GONE ON RECORD TO PUT IN CONTEXT THE “RISK” ASSOCIATED WIH GEESE FAECES BEING LOW. A FORMER MAFF VETERINARY PATHOLOGIST THAT I KNOW COMPARES THE RISK AS “LIKE WINNING THE LOTTERY”

Furthermore doctor Timothy Ford formerly Microbiology Dept. of Environmental Health – Harvard School of Public Health

“Numbers of Cryptosporidium oocysts associated with Canada geese and waterfowl in general are likely to be minimal, unimportant, relative to the potential for oocysts shed from other forms of wildlife and humans. In my mind, there is no possibility that the Canada goose will ever be a major route of infection. To suggest otherwise is utterly ludicrous, and you can quote me.”

2.5 The behaviours of the geese also impacts on some of our sports facilities, preventing participation in sports activities. A letter from the Warley Sunday Football League expressing their concerns and support for action to be taken is attached at Appendix 4.  

WE DO NOT KNOW WHO PETER LOWE IS OR WHY HE SHOULD FEEL SO AGGRIEVED TO ONE SPECIES. HIS CLAIM OF NUMBERS SUPPORTING HIS LETTER IS AGAIN ONE OF BOAST WITHOUT CLARITY OR EVIDENCE. WE ALSO NOTE THE NAME “CROMPTON” BEING ONE OF THE DIRECTORS OF THIS COMMITTEE. WE WOULD APPRECIATE THAT THIS IS NOT A RELATION OF COUNCILLOR MARIA CROMPTON AND SEEK CONFIRMATION THAT THERE IS NO CONNECTION.

EVIDENCE OF THE DAMAGE THAT AMATEUR FOOTBALL DOES TO PARKS IS NOT DIFFICULT TO FIND EVIDENTIALLY OR ANECDOTALLY. THE FOLLOWING IS TAKEN FROM A FRIENDS OF THE PARK MEETING FROM ONE SANDWELL SITE, WHERE JOHN SATCHWELL HIMSELF WAS PRESENT, AND HEARD CONCERNS RAISED BY LOCAL RESIDENTS THAT SOME FOOTBALLERS FROM THIS LEAGUE WERE URINATING OUTSIDE THEIR HOUSES, AS WELL AS DUMPING RUBBISH. DID HE INVESTIGATE?

SOME OF THIS CROWD ARE ON THE PISS

FURTHERMORE AT ANOTHER MEETING SATCHWELL REVEALS THAT BETWEEN £300-400,000 OF COUNCIL TAXPAYERS MONEY PER ANNUM IS SPENT ON THE NEEDS OF THIS SELFISH SPORT. NOT IF I WAS  HIS MANAGER JOHN WOULD IT BE.

ADD TO THIS THE SPITTLE, WHICH WHEN NOT BEING AIMED AT ONE ANOTHER IS PROJECTED WITH GREAT FREQUENCY ONTO THE VERY PITCHES WHICH THEY CLAIM ARE “UNSAFE” TO PLAY ON BECAUSE OF GOOSE FAECES. THE GREATER RISK IS OF COURSE HUMAN TO HUMAN CONTACT OF BODILY SUBSTANCES, WHICH COULD BE “INADVERTANTLY SWALLOWED.”

THE MOST “AGGRESSIVE” CREATURE ON THE FOOTBALL PITCH HOWEVER AND THE GREATEST RISK TO THOSE ON IT ARE THE PEOPLE ON THE PITCH PLAYING FOOTBALL THEMSELVES.

WE CAN BE GRATEFUL TO “GRASS ROOTS” FOOTBALL HOWEVER FOR PROVIDING US WITH SUCH MODEL CITIZENS WHO AS “PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS” HAVE BEEN REVEALED TO BE BITERS OF PEOPLE, WIFE BEATERS, SERIAL ALCOHOLICS, DRUG USERS, DRUNK DRIVERS WHO CAUSE DEATH BY DANGEROUS DRIVING AND MORE LATTERLY RAPISTS AND ALLEGED PAEDOPHILES. WHAT HEROES THEY ARE TO THEIR DRUNKEN HOOLIGAN FOLLOWERS.

OH HOW EASY IT IS MR LOWE TO GENERALISE ABOUT ONE CERTAIN GROUPING OF INDIVIDUALS AS YOU DO OF ONE SPECIES OF BIRD.

2.6 There is very little evidence to suggest that natural factors (such as a limited food availability), which could become more severe as numbers increase, act to control current numbers. A reduction in feeding alone therefore has little effect.

WHAT EVIDENCE HAS BEEN STUDIED? WHAT DATA CAN THEY PRODUCE?

2.7 Canada geese have few natural predators and so, with such a low mortality rate, adult bird numbers have the potential to increase year on year. During the breeding season they can also be very ferocious thereby excluding other indigenous wildlife from potential nesting and breeding.

CANADA GEESE HAVE MANY NATURAL PREDATORS AND A HIGH MORTALITY RATE  OF GOSLINGS. HOW CAN ADULT BIRD NUMBERS INCREASE IF EGG PRICKING HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT?

• FOXES
• CROWS
• MAGPIES
• GREY HERONS
• PIKE
• GREAT BLACK BACKED GULLS
• MUTE SWANS DROWNING THEM
• AND OF COURSE MAN, HIS CHILDREN, AND HIS DOGS.

WE HAVE SEEN ALL OF THESE SPECIES INVOLVED IN ATTACKING OR TAKING  GOSLINGS, AND EVIDENCE OF FOX PREDATION IS CLEARLY EVIDENT AFTER THE EVENT. IF THEIR SOURCE OF FOOD IS REMOVED, IE THE GOSLINGS, THEN THESE INDIGENOUS SPECIES  WOULD BE AFFECTED NEGATIVELY AS WOULD THEIR CHANCES OF SURVIVAL.

• THE TWO PARK POOLS IN QUESTION ONLY ALLOW BIRDS TO NEST ON THE ISLANDS.
• AT VICTORIA PARK TIPTON, THERE ARE TWO ISLANDS AND NO POOLSIDE VEGETATION AROUND OR ON THE POOL AT ALL.
• THERE IS ONE ISLAND AT THE MAIN LAKE AT DARTMOUTH PARK, AND A NUMBER OF ISLANDS ON THE SMALLER “DUCK POND”. THESE ISLANDS ARE MANAGED TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY OFFER LITTLE OR NO WILDLIFE VALUE AT ALL, AND WHY SHOULD THEY GIVEN THAT AS THE COUNCIL LIKE TO KEEP POINTING OUT, THESE ARE “FORMAL PARKS” AND NOT NATURE RESERVES.
• WHILST SOME ISLANDS ARE OVERGROWN, OTHERS ARE SPARSELY BARE, SUGGESTING PAST USE OF INSECTICDES AND PESTICIDES.

Poor quality islands do not encourage much to nest

WHAT EVIDENCE CAN THE COUNCIL PRODUCE TO CONFIRM THAT INDIGENOUS SPECIES (LIST THEM PLEASE) HAVE BEEN PUT OFF FROM NESTING ON THESE OVERGROWN AND  UNMANAGED ISLANDS?

THOUGH GEESE MAY BE LARGE THE PERCEPTION THAT THEY ARE DOMINANT OVER OTHER SPECIES IS MERELY A HUMAN PERCEPTION WITHOUT EVIDENCE.

“there is little hard evidence that Canada geese cause significant problems by competing directly with other wildlife” (NATURAL ENGLAND THE MANAGEMENET OF PROBLEMS CAUSED BY CANADA GEESE; A GUIDE TO BEST PRACTICE . TECHNICAL NOTE TIN009.

I AM CURRENTLY GOING BACK THROUGH DATA SETS DATING BACK TO 1997 OF SWAN RECORDS FOR SANDWELL AND SITE HATCHING SUCCESS. NO ONE IN SANDWELL IS LIKELY TO HAVE MORE ACCURATE INFORMATION, AFTER ALL I AM THE CO ORDINATOR OF SWANWATCH. THESE FIGURES WILL BE PRESENTED IN ANOTHER FUTURE BLOG POST, BUT I ALREADY KNOW THAT THE SUCCESS/FAILURE OF SWAN HATCHLINGS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY INCREASED ABUNDANCE OF GEESE. IT IS ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF MAN.

2.8 The Council has, for a number of years, made attempts to try and manage the numbers of Canada geese by adopting different control measures namely oiling and egg pricking, installing perimeter fences around pools, both permanent and temporary fencing, discouraging overfeeding and installing perimeter planting around pool perimeters but these measures have proved to be ineffective.

THIS IS COMPLETELY DISPUTED, AS STATED ABOVE.

2.9 A count was undertaken in March 2013 which identified in the region of 700 Canada geese residing within our parks and green spaces. The count identified that two parks, namely Victoria park, Tipton and Dartmouth Park, West Bromwich, had in excess of 300 geese within these two parks alone. In light of this, the Director looked to alternative methods to control the geese population.  

THE FIGURES ARE DISPUTED, AND AS WE HAVE ALREADY POINTED OUT THE COUNCIL HAVE CITED DIFFERENT FIGURES CONCERNING GEESE AT DIFFERENT TIMES. THE 300+ FIGURE IS NONSENSE. IN MARCH THE MAJORITY OF GEESE AT VICTORIA PARK TIPTON HAVE BY THIS TIME MOVED TO SHEEPWASH NATURE RESERVE TO BREED. THE RETURNING NON BREEDERS MAY INCREASE THE NUMBERS AT THIS SITE BY JULY/AUGUST IN TIME TO MOULT, BUT NOT BEFORE. THIS FIGURE IS A LIE. IN HAVING VISITED THIS PARK FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS I HAVE NEVER SEEN IN EXCESS OF 100 GEESE AT ANY ONE TIME, AND NEVER OUTSIDE OF THE MOULT.

THE FACT THAT GEESE ON THIS PARK AFTER THE CULL HAVE ONCE AGAIN LEFT THIS SITE, WITH UNDER 20 NOW “RESIDENT” CONFIRMS THAT WHAT I AM SAYING IS CORRECT. IF SANDWELL COUNCIL WERE IN ANY WAY CREDIBLE EXPERTS ON THIS ISSUE, THEY WOULD ALSO NOTE THAT THE NUMBER OF BIRDS AT SHEEPWASH HAS NOW INCREASED- HAVING COME FROM THIS PARK.

2.10 In order to cull geese the Council had to obtain a licence from Natural England. Under the provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the decision to apply for this licence, and to proceed with the cull, was taken by the Director – Street Scene, in accordance with the responsibilities associated with his post. Although no authority was required from the Cabinet Member for Highways and Environment, nor was it a decision to be taken under the Director’s delegated responsibility, a political steer was sought on the matter.

THIS STATEMENT IS FACTUALLY INCORRECT. THE COUNCIL DID NOT HAVE TO APPLY FOR A LICENCE, THEY MERELY HAD TO FOLLOW A CERTAIN GENERAL LICENCE, WHICH THEY NOW APPEAR TO BE UNABLE TO SHOW THAT THEY WERE, BY THEIR LACK OF EVIDENCE CONCERNING THE THREAT TO HUMAN HEALTH AND SAFETY.

BY STATING THAT HE FOLLOWED SOME PROCEDURE, STEVE HANDLEY IS BY THIS ADMISSION SHOWING THAT HE DID NOT, GIVEN HIS TOTAL LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ON THE SUBJECT OF LICENSING. NATURAL ENGLAND GUIDANCE CLEARLY STATES ON THE LICENCE THAT IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE APPLIED FOR, SO WHY WOULD HE THEN HAVE APPLIED FOR A LICENCE? NATURAL ENGLAND ALSO STATE IN A FOI REQUEST THAT THEY HAVE NOT HAD ANY CORRESPONDENCE WITH SANDWELL COUNCIL ON THIS ISSUE.

2.11 The Cabinet Member for Highways and Environment was presented with a briefing report outlining the issue and a proposed way forward. (See Appendix 5). The Cabinet Member prudently sought to gain a direction from the wider Executive and discussed the matter at an informal meeting of the Cabinet.

THERE IS NO RECORDED EVIDENCE OF THIS, IN WHAT WAS A CLEAR CHANGE OF POLICY. NO RECORD OF THE DECISION EQUATES TO LIES AND CORRUPTION IN THIS COUNCIL, WITH UNPOPULAR DECISIONS APPEARING TO BE ERASED OR NEVER DISCUSSED. THE REPORT FROM APRIL 2103 IS PRESENTED TO “THE CABINET MEMBER FOR NEIGHBOURHOOD SERVICES”, ACCORDING TO THE TITLE OF THE REPORT- THE POST FOR “HIGHWAYS AND ENVIRONMENT DID NOT THEN EVEN EXIST!

 I WISH THIS COUNCIL WOULD NOT KEEP DIGGING THEMSELVES A HOLE IN WHAT IS AN INVENTED, UNBELIEVABLE SET OF LIES.

2.12 Following consideration of this matter at a political level, the Director instructed officers to proceed with obtaining the relevant permissions to proceed with the course of action.

ACCORDING TO JOHN SATCHWELL, HE DID NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT A LICENCE WHEN QUESTIONED ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK FOOTAGE OF PESTEX ROUNDING UP GEESE ON HIS PARK. HE WAS ADAMANT THAT GEESE WERE BEING “RELOCATED” TO THE SANDWELL VALLEY EVEN IN 2014. ONCE AGAIN IT IS WORTH REPEATING STEVE HANDLEY’S EARLIER STATEMENT-

“We do not hold any information regarding the approval of the process; as such approval was given verbally for 2013/14.”

HE IS A LIAR.

2.13 The Council employed a local pest control company to undertake egg pricking /oiling and to undertake a culling process in the two parks identified. Strict guidelines were followed, as stipulated by Natural England technical information note TIN046. (See Appendix 6). The gathering of the geese was undertaken during the moulting season during the months of May/June.

• THIS STATEMENT COMPLETELY CONTRADICTS THEIR CLAIM TO BE UNDERTAKING EGG PRICKING OVER A NUMBER OF YEARS. THE EMAIL TO PESTEX WAS OBTAINED BY US AGAIN USING FOI.
• THE GEESE DO NOT MOULT IN MAY/JUNE, THEY ARE STILL HATCHING NESTS INTO MAY, SO WHEN WAS THE EGG PRICKING BEING UNDERTAKEN?
• PESTEX WERE VIDEOED ROUNDING UP GEESE IN VICTORIA PARK TIPTON ON 10TH JULY 2013. ARE THIS COUNCIL FACTUALLY INCOMPETENT?
• GEESE WERE NOTED TO BE MISSING IN VICTOIRA PARK IN 2014 ON 17TH JULY. THIS IS THE DATE WHEN THEY WERE ROUNDED UP AND KILLED.

WE HAVE ALWAYS DISPUTED THE NUMBER OF GEESE ALLEGED TO BE PRESENT AND TAKEN IN DARTMOUTH PARK IN 2013.

SANDWELL COUNCIL, AGAIN VIA STEVE HANDLEY, HAVE STATED IN AN FOI REQUEST THAT NO ONE EMPLOYED BY SANDWELL COUNCIL WAS EVEN PRESENT WHEN THE BIRDS WERE KILLED. NEITHER COULD ANY OF THEIR OFFICERS BRIEF MARIA CROMPTON WHEN QUESTIONED ON THE RADIO AS TO HOW THE GEESE HAD ACTUALLY BEEN KILLED.

2.14 During 2013 and 2014 a total of 220 geese were culled in Victoria Park and Dartmouth Park. There are still over 100 Canada geese at these two locations.  

 THIS IS NOT ACCURATE. THERE ARE CURRENTLY LESS THAN 20 GEESE AT VICTORIA PARK TIPTON AND AROUND 40 GEESE AT DARTMOUTH PARK ON THE TWO POOLS.

2.15 The briefing report to the Cabinet Member for Highways and Environment highlighted that there could be a public concern from the actions taken, and officers would gauge this public reaction. Following public reaction the Council has drafted a Statement of Purpose Policy in relation to the control of geese within formal parks. (See Appendix 7). The Board’s views are sought on the draft policy as a basis of further consultation.

• THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT SHOW HOW THE OFFICERS HAVE GAUGED THE PUBLIC REACTION.
• THEY CHOSE IN THIS BIASED REPORT TO INCLUDE LETTERS FROM SATCHWELL’S CRONIES, YET EXCLUDE LETTERS OF OBJECTION FROM ORGANISATIONS SUCH AS ANIMAL AID, THE NATIONAL SWAN CONVENTION AND SWAN RESCUE- A RESOURCE WHICH ITS COUNCIL HAVE USED TO DUMP BIRDS OFF ITS SITES IN THE PAST WHEN INJURED BY MISMANAGEMENT OF ANGLING.
• THE POLICY IS UNCLEAR AS TO WHETHER ANY GEESE IN THE FUTURE WILL BE KILLED, HOW THIS WILL BE DECIDED AND WHAT MEASURABLE CRITERIA THOSE TAKING THE DECISION WILL BE GUIDED BY.
• A FEW COMPLAINTS FROM A FEW USUAL SUSPECTS IS NOT A VALID REASON TO CULL MORE HEALTHY BIRDS.

2.16 The culling process was to address the issues within our formal parks and there was never any intention to cull geese within our Nature Reserves and Countryside areas.

THE CULLING PROCESS COULD ONLY HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF THE GEESE BEING A PROVEN RISK TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY, AS EXPRESSED UNDER LAW BY THE GENERAL LICENCE THAT THE COUNCIL CLAIM TO HAVE BEEN USING, BUT TO WHICH THEY ARE UNABLE TO PRODUCE MUCH EVIDENCE OF THEIR OWN THAT THE GEESE IN THE TWO PARKS WERE A CREDIBLE RISK TO HUMAN HEALTH AND HUMAN SAFETY.

THE IDIOTS DO NOT APPEAR TO APPRECIATE THAT IF THEY PRICKED EGGS WITHIN THE NATURE RESERVE SITES THEY HASTENED THE DEPARTURE OF THE GEESE TO THE INFORMAL PARKS, THUS CREATING THEIR OWN PERCEIVED PROBLEM OF GOOSE NUMBERS.

3. Options

3.1 If the Scrutiny Board feels that the Authority needs to respond to points raised within the petition it may decide to use any of its scrutiny powers under the Local Government Act 2000, as follows to:-

i) instigate an investigation; ii) make recommendations to the Council Executive; iii) arrange for the matter to be considered at a meeting of Council;

3.2 The Board may also choose to take no further action on the matter if it is satisfied with the action taken by officers.

3.3 The Board’s views are also sought on the draft policy as a basis of further consultation.  

WE KNOW THE OUTCOME OF THIS, BUT NOT WHAT WAS DISCUSSED BY THE COUNCILLORS IN PRIVATE. THERE IS NO FORMAL RECORD OF ANY VOTE, NOR WHY THEY DECIDED TO TAKE NO ACTION.

Source Documents Briefing Document to Cabinet Member Natural England Technical Information Note TIN046

References Clark, Larry. “A review of pathogens of agricultural and human health interest found in Canada geese.” USDA National Wildlife Research Center-Staff Publications (2003): 205.

Converse, Kathryn, et al. “Screening for potential human pathogens in fecal material deposited by resident Canada geese on areas of public utility” USGS National Wildlife Health Centre (1999)

Kullas, Heather, et al. “Prevalence of Escherichia coli serogroups and human virulence factors in faeces of urban Canada geese (Branta canadensis).” International Journal of Environmental Health Research 12.2 (2002): 153-162.

Moriarty, E. M., et al. “Survival of Escherichia coli, enterococci and Campylobacter jejuni in Canada goose faeces on pasture.” Zoonoses and public
 

THESE SOURCES ADD UP TO NOTHING. ONCE AGAIN THE ONLY VALID EVIDENCE THAT THE COUNCIL COULD PRODUCE WOULD BE THAT TAKEN FROM WITHIN ITS OWN PARK BOUNDARIES. THEY FAILED TO DO THIS AND SO THE THREAT POSED BY THE GEESE, THE “DAMAGE” THAT THEY POSE AND THE “RISK” IS MERELY AN OPINION UNMEASURED BY ANY RELEVANT DATA SET AND CONTRIVED BY VISUAL OBSERVATION WITHOUT COLLATING ANY DIRECT EVIDENCE.