Fields in Trust is not just any old charity. It is a Royal Charter Charity with all the top-level patronage that goes with it - right to the top with the Queen as patron. Formerly known as the National Playing Fields Association it became Fields in Distrust - sorry "Trust" - and purports to protect parks and green spaces for people "to enjoy in perpetuity" ie. forever. But as we shall see, "in perpetuity" in Sandwell lasts about as long as a shotgun marriage.
Sandwell is an ugly urban area sandwiched between Birmingham and Wolverhampton which has been run by a notoriously corrupt Labour Council for nearly 47 years. Two areas in the Borough are notable green spaces - Sandwell Valley and Warley Woods. Due to long-standing political patronage and the public's appreciation of these areas they are (almost) sacrocanct and immune for the wanton destruction which has become the hallmark of the "socialist" dictatorship. The local comrades seem determined to build on the other patches of green dotted around the benighted Borough.
It should be noted that Sandwell, after 47 years of Labour, is at or near the bottom of almost all deprivation league tables going with everything that goes with that - high unemployment, poor health, substandard education, poverty etc. It was no surprise when Sandwell hit the headlines recently for the worst Covid infection statistics in the whole country.
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| Under threat - please note Graeme Le Saux! |
Yet the comrades are sports-mad and spent, yes well, royally, on new leisure centres on the basis that all towns in the hellhole must have a sparkling new leisure centre at whatever cost. The only economic rationale applied to this was that green space should be destroyed to avoid the costs of "remediating" the plethora of brownfield sites harbouring all manner of toxicity in the dire post-industrial landscape. And the "socialists" of Sandwell fell in love immediately with the disastrous "pay on the tick" PFI scheme to fund their megalomania.
Thus Portway Leisure Centre came to be built - ironically, close to Lion Farm Fields (see further below). But part of the greenfield site was covenanted "in perpetuity" to Fields in Trust. No problem, said the Charity. Looking at the image below, imagine that the top-right square is the Portway site with the small pink squares representing the covenanted land. Fields in Trust were content for the green space to be destroyed so long as a corresponing amount of land elsewhere was covenanted to them!
By accident or design - probably the latter - small areas of green space across the Borough in existing parks were covenanted to the Charity. The Charity could smugly boast that it was "saving" an equivalent amount of green space but, oops - the square in the top right-hand corner has gone - probably "in perpetuity". Before we move on, imagine that the bottom right-hand square represents Londonderry Fields in Smethwick.
No city in the Commonwealth wanted to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games and shoulder the inevitable multi-million pound losses but virtually bankrupt Labour Birmingham steeped up to the plate. A brand-new aquatic centre was being built in Coventry supposedly boasting an "Olympic-size" pool but that was apparently not suitable for the second-rate "royal" extravaganza.
For years, Sandwell Labour had dreamed of plonking a leisure centre somewhere in Smethwick - anywhere. Suddenly they were presented with the poisoned chalice of hosting the swimming events in 2022. These projects are usually carefully planned with all manner of surveys and reports prepared but time was of the essence so that all pretence at any sort of professionalism was swiftly abandoned. The political dictatorship ordered staff to draw up a list of all greenefield sites that the diggers could move onto immediately. The list was formed which, incredibly, even included Warley Woods. That was quickly ruled out as were two sites not owned by the Council. Seemingly a blindfolded Councillor then stuck a pin in the remaining list and Londonderry Fields, surrounded by housing and narrow roads in the back of beyond, was selected for destruction. But part of the Londonderry site was covenanted "in perpetuity" to Fields in Trust ...
The President of Fields in Trust is the "Duke of Cambridge", the reputedly bone-idle man who will no doubt be spending a lot of time "hosting" the 2022 Games. And as one can safely assume that most, if not all, of the Trustees are grovelling royalists it was no surprise that Londonderry was sacrificed to the concrete mixers. (It is not entirely clear whether the covenanted land has been switched again, Portway-style, or whether it will apply to a football pitch which will be shoe-horned into the back of the site, behind the huge building after the Games conclude and people start calculating the losses.)
Incidentally, the costs of the project are going through the roof and two existing swimming pools are to be closed to defray the costs of the new one. One is in a listed building and, so far, the brilliant comrades don't have a clue what to do with the site, simply muttering about some sort of "community use", however that is to be funded. It looks like local people will may very dearly for this grotesque vanity project for many years to come.
Oh, and the builders have been forced to work right through the Covid crisis as their health and that of their families is much less important than giving "Prince" William a media showcase next year.
Until someone at the Council or the Charity will actually tell locals the truth it is not clear whether the Charity has shifted the covenanted land once again (and there was certainly discussion about shifting it to nearby West Smethwick Park). Whatever the position these campaigners for green fields were only too keen to accomodate the ruination of almost all of the site.
Lets assume that they have shifted the covenants again - that's two greenfield sites gone forever but they still hold the same amount of covenanted land! Now imagine that the new top right-hand square represents Lion Farm Fields (pictured above).
Lion Farm Fields is a huge 19ha greenfield site subject to what is widely perceived to be a corrupt deal by Sandwell Labour to allow a developer to build a huge new shopping centre there (even though it is close to the Merry Hill Shopping Centre and will destroy much of the existing - and struggling - retail offering in the benighted Borough). The Fields are a vital "green lung" for a high-density housing area (Lion Farm) where many folk live in flats, including tower blocks, and have no gardens.
The Fields are also the home of the Warley Football League with many pitches providing a much-needed facility for a sport which is struggling at grassroots level. And with imagination and relatively small investment, the Fields could grow into an even better local facility. The Fields have certainly proved their worth for locals to exercise on during the pandemic.
The leadership [sic] of the Labour Council still seem intent on wrecking this valuable open space but guess what? Yes, as part of the Portway destruction a small part of the Lion Farm site was covenanted to Fields in Trust "in perpetuity" as another royalist project claiming their small area as "The Queen Elizabeth Field" for the Diamond Jubilee in 2012. But the Charity have yet again indicated that they will be unlikely to stand in the way of the whole massive site being concreted over if they can again switch their patch for an equivalently sized area elsewhere. Just in case you still don't see this absolute scam from a "charity":
The "royals" don't lack for green space and neither do two of the recent Labour leaders who have second homes in bucolic Derbyshire and Herefordshire, far away from theirs grim poverty ghetto. Most senior officer of the Council wouldn't dream of living in Sandwell. One imagines a Charity supposedly in the business of saving green spaces - particulary playing fields like Lion Farm - would be fighting for local people but they seem to be too posh to push for poor people. What is even more galling is their constant lying, notably on social media. Just this week they tweeted this meretricious rubbish:
"Our local parks and green spaces are good and they do good. We believe everyone should enjoy high quality parks and green spaces close to where they live which are protected for good."
They didn't add, "except in Sandwell"!
How is it within the constitution of their Charity that they can make these promises yet simply act to protect "their" own covenated land without giving a toss for the remainder of these sites?
The Warley League say they are under considerable threat if they lose their "hub" and matches are dispersed around Sandwell. How can a trustee like Graeme Le Saux - a fine footballer and seemingly intelligent guy for those who don't know him - not stand up for a site like Lion Farm Fields?
As with most organisations connected with the "royals" the trustees appear to be all, or predominantly all, white and well-heeled. A far cry from the folk of Lion Farm and the large BAME communities of Smethwick and area. The Charity is, inevitably, based in London - a stone's throw from the millionaire enclave of Holland Park. Here they are (for England and Wales) and I hope they will all visit Sandwell as soon as lockdown ends before they allow this nasty scam to be repeated again:
Jo Barnett, Chair: Formerly boss of Virgin Money Giving and impeccable royalist record of working for the Prince's Trust and a charity associated with William and Harry. She is quoted praising the public health benefits of green spaces. Exactly! Now practice what you preach!
Debbie Jevans: former tennis-player and sports organistation bigwig. Executive Chair of the English Football League. Someone with top football influence seemingly indifferentt to the loss of fields for grassroots football?
Mark Campion: not the racehorse trainer but a top recruiter in financial services and rugger b*gger.
Richard Schuster: appears to be an Old Etonian fund manager though coyly refers to himself as a humble "stockbroker". A member of the Chipping Norton set and also a trustee for the Heythrop Hunt charity. Looking forward to meeting this guy in the Oldbury 'Spoons!
Graeme Le Saux: 36 England football caps. Derided for reading The Guardian which seems perfectly reasonable. Occasionally espouses leftish views on Twitter so will have nothing in common with most of Sandwell Labour. Come and have a kickaround one Sunday please Graeme!
Paul Garber: formerly a planning director at Wimpey's so looks like a poacher turned gamekeeper. Into playing fields and gymnastics in leafy Surrey.
His Honour Nicholas Cooke QC: Aberystwyth grad like myself although his carrer was somewhat more stellar than my damp squib. Now a grand fromage in The Church in Wales. Went to school in Brum.
Brian Samson: Looks after things in bonny Scotland.
Carlotta Calleri Zavanelli Newbury: sports and marketing professional. On the development boatd of the British Exploring Society so should be up for a jaunt to the urban jungle that is Sandwell!
Jeremy Hammond: should know a bit about health problems as a former manager at British American Tobacco but, interestingly, now into high-tech tunneling. South African upbringing so likes his sport.
Dr Ann Heywood: formerly a consultant in environmental assessment and so should be able to see the wood for the trees Sandwell have cut down. Then into e-learning in the property & construction sectors.
Ian Ginbey: not sure about this guy but seemingly a hot-shot lawyer with expertise in planning and environmental law.
I wonder if they are repeating this around the country? Info welcome, as ever ...
FIELDS IN TRUST HAVE THE GALL TO SAY THIS ON THEIR WEBSITE ABOUT GREEN SPACES:
"Because once lost, they are lost forever".
Just like Portway and Londonderry Fields (below). But it is not too late to save Lion Farm and other Sandwell green spaces from Labour destruction if this "Charity" would only help!
Addendum 20/03/21 Fields in Distrust is also part of the Charities Forum set up by the "Duke and Duchess" of Cambridge and "Prince" Harry.
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