Traders' SOS to save the 'forgotten' Stoke: "Abandon Council HQ relocation"
TRADERS and shoppers have launched an 'SOS' campaign to block plans to relocate 1,300 council workers to a new £40 million headquarters.
More than 500 people have signed an open letter to Stoke-on-Trent City Council leader Mohammed Pervez demanding the authority abandons plans to relocate the Civic Centre from Stoke to two new office suites in the Central Business District (CBD) in Hanley.
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CONCERNS: Campaigners John Cooper, Richard Snell, Alan Wood, Deniz Acun, Graham Bennett, Haci Akinci and Stephen Shufflebottom with the open letter to council leader Mohammed Pervez. Picture: Phil Radcliffe
Business owners fear the exodus of council workers from the Civic Centre and Swann House will force them to close.
Town centre businesses in Stoke are now displaying SOS 'Save our Stoke' stickers in their shop fronts and gathering signatures for the open letter.
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Alan Wood, aged 65, who runs the Hairy Business salon in Church Street, said: "Every decision the council has made over the years has had a negative effect on trade in Stoke.
"There is no money being spent on the place, all of the money seems to go to Hanley. We just get forgotten.
"I have council staff coming in so I'll lose business. Lunchtimes will be dead. Businesses will struggle to survive."
John Cooper, who has run Centre News, in Church Street, for 11 years, is also backing the campaign.
He said: "We have only just managed to fill all of the empty shops in Stoke and now they are going to take it all away.
"It is too many people being suddenly taken out of the town centre.
"It will take the heart out of the lunchtime trade.
"I don't buy into what the council says about selling the buildings – they're just pacifying words."
Deniz Acun runs Stoke Cafe, in Church Street.
The 24-year-old said: "It will have a real impact on our business.
"Stoke town is too quiet already, it is a big mistake to take away so many people."
Retired residents Graham Barrett and Richard Snell, both of Honeywall, in Stoke, are helping traders to co-ordinate their campaign.
Mr Barrett, aged 61, said: "Scrapping the plans is the only option the council has."
Mr Snell, aged 66, added: "We have more than 500 signatures for the letter in just a few days."
The council insists it will not allow Stoke to be cut adrift by its plans, which will see the Civic Centre, Spode and King's Hall marketed as a package to attract a major developer.
The council relocation in 2015 is designed to kick-start private sector investment at the CBD, creating thousands of jobs.
Councillor Paul Shotton, below, the city council's deputy leader, said: "We understand the concerns being raised.
"It's important to remember the council's move will benefit the whole of Stoke-on-Trent.
"By the council moving to the new city centre offices we are aiming to gain investors' confidence in the city which in turn will have a knock-on effect for the rest of the towns.
"Traders in Stoke can rest assured that the council will ensure the future vibrancy of Stoke town and are already in discussions with several potential buyers for some of our civic buildings."
Comments
by Potter_98
Tuesday, July 31 2012, 9:40PM
“how is best to protest against this farce? Has anyone got any realistic ideas? We need to at least show these corrupt idiots we're unhappy”
by truestokie
Thursday, July 26 2012, 7:49PM
“Clem 51 you are spot on with your comments.
This bunch of jackboot thugs do not give a damn about Stoke town.
Their interest is all self interest.
Between Hackney, Pervez and Shotton, nobody else matters but them.
I can't wait to see how Hackney fairs in the Westcliffe Hospital debacle.”
by Redpitlad
Thursday, July 26 2012, 5:59PM
“Unity house a costly white elephant..Stoke civic centre and swan house which will become two more white elephants which cost the city's tax payer millions of pound to build and million of pound spent on updating them!only last year they spent £250,000 on free car parking for council staff in stoke .
now they want to go back to Hanley at a cost of £40 million! to the site of the original faulty towers!you couldn't make it up could you,
as for Hanley its a dirty run down city centres if you to wont class it as one,
just look at that monstrosity they building at the top of Lichfield St *the new bus station* it wouldn't look a miss on Blackpool pleasure beach.
why have they got to pull every one of its workers out of stoke..it will kill stoke once and for all, or haven't we got enough empty shops and building plus run down towns as it is.”
by gazzer40
Thursday, July 26 2012, 4:02PM
“stoke town is a town and hanley has allways been a city centre ,live with it or move to hanley if you dont like living in stoke.Anyway some of the protesters are not even real stokies.”
by Anon_mow_cop
Tuesday, July 24 2012, 9:16PM
“The only reason the coucil are moving to the CBD is to try an avoid another diasaster which has characterised this council.I am begining to think Baldrick out of Blackadder could run the city better. When all the here-today-gone-tomorrow council officals have long since departed, city tax-payers will still be picking up the bill for this little lot. I can see the CBD failing because only the council will be there, I seem to remember the "Worldgate" scandal started with similar intentions to "draw-in" businesses and looked what happend there.”
by Clem51
Tuesday, July 24 2012, 4:48PM
“"Councillor Paul Shotton, below, the city council's deputy leader, said: "We understand the concerns being raised."
[ But we don't care about that! ]
"It's important to remember the council's move will benefit the whole of Stoke-on-Trent.
[ How will the council's move benefit the whole of Stoke on Trent? It will certainly deplete "the pot" by £40million. What is the payback time for that? ]
"By the council moving to the new city centre offices we are aiming to gain investors' confidence in the city which in turn will have a knock-on effect for the rest of the towns.
[ Not a sure fire thing. You have to attract companies here to Stoke on Trent in the first place. What isa there here for them? ]
"Traders in Stoke can rest assured that the council will ensure the future vibrancy of Stoke town and are already in discussions with several potential buyers for some of our civic buildings."
[ If you exclude Tesco, Morrisons, and Asda, do you still have potential buyers? If its more supermarkets, they will do no good for the small businesses in Stoke! We need manufacturing companies to actually create wealth and employment. And that won't happen overnight! ]”