NEWS: Oxford Mail October 22 & 24, 2019

Barry Wood.PNG

Are Cherwell District Council being NIMBYs? The Expressway will cause environmental devastation wherever it goes!

At the CDC Council meeting on Monday night, the Council voted in favour of a wait and see approach to the Expressway with Barry Wood’s motion stifling substantive debate. Click here for more information and about the motions and our Press Release.

Surely if you’re waiting to see what route options are announced by Highways England before you discuss the Expressway, this is the most “NIMBY” of attitudes?

The debate should not be about where the route goes. It should be about the principle of a new expressway (dual carriageway or motorway). Thinking that massive investment in a new road is OK depending on the route, is completely contradictory to ambitions for becoming carbon neutral.

CDC vote - all but one Conservative Councillor voted for Barry Wood’s motion to “maintain an open mind”. All other Councillors voted to against it.

Many Councillors spoke out against the Expressway in the meeting, but then voted to wait and see. What else are we to think other than they are following party orders or are NIMBYs? It’s not acceptable!

CDC has previously voted to declare a climate emergency. Was that just lip service?

The Oxford Mail reports that Green Councillor Ian Middleton said “I was astounded at the blinkered attitude of the Conservatives on both our motions. Councillor Wood’s motion was a transparent procedural trick to remove ours which called for opposition to the expressway.

"One has to wonder why he would seek to do that. Perhaps it’s because he’s the Chair of the Arc Leaders Group appointed by the Government to promote the expressway plans. Since passing the climate emergency motion they have now voted three times against motions seeking to protect the environment, but this really is the most damning vote of all."

Oxoford Mail reports on the Cherwell District Council’s (CDC) “open mind” approach to the expressway. The two articles are

When will CDC Councillors stop following a party line and start representing their communities?

When will they allow an open meeting to discuss the Expressway or ask our views? We’ve asked many times, but it’s never been agreed to.

Angry? Frustrated? Join our campaign. We’re stronger together!

We urgently need your help.

Your donations are needed now, to help us run the campaign and pay for political consultants and other professional experts to bring this campaign to the attention of Westminster as well as local politicians.

No Expressway Group believes there is no need for an Oxford-Cambridge Expressway, nor the over-inflated housing targets associated with it, and we will actively campaign against it and support other organisations with the same objectives. 

Our environment is a national asset which is critical for everyone’s health and well-being. We must not let it be destroyed.

Your donations help us to spread information about the Expressway, run and build support for the campaign:

  • £10 could pay for one roadside Correx poster

  • £15 could pay for one roadside poster on a wooden stake

  • £20 could pay for one A1 printed colour poster for our pagoda display

  • £35 could pay for 250 A5 printed leaflets for the campaign

  • £70 could pay for one pole and two panels for our travelling pagoda display

  • £150 could pay for one feather flag for our travelling pagoda

  • £180 could pay to run this website for one year

  • £300 could pay for a 3 minutes of an Expressway Story

  • £500 could pay for a 5 minutes of an Expressway Story

  • A greater or other amount could contribute to the cost of professional support for our campaign in general and in preparation for Planning Inspectorate hearings

Please note:

The No Expressway Group has a group bank account to which the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer are signatories. The group will publish accounts on noexpressway.org each year which will be audited by an accountant from outside the NEG group.

If any funds are left at the end of the campaign, these will be donated equally between RSPB and BBOWT.

Guest Usernews, october 19