Threat to Dale Farm children from Essex CC

[Mark]

Essex County Council have issues unofficial threats to residents of the
Dale Fram traveller site in regard to their continued use of a community
centre which failed to get planning permission despite having been funded
by a county council youth fund.

Sallyanne Thallon, of Community Planning & Regeneration, Essex County
Council, came to a meeting on 2nd Sept at the Saint Christopher's Centre,
Dale Farm, and told those in attendance there that the ECC has plans to
take children at Dale Farm into temporary care, in the event Basildon
carry out their proposed eviction. Officials anticipate that parents will
seek to get their children back later in the day, and they will be
released to them.

When Grattan Puxon from the Roma Federation asked if he would be able to
get a copy of the written version of these plans, Ms Thallon said the ECC
would not want to give them to us. This was said in front of Clive
Mardner, director of Essex Racial Equality Council and Alison Fiddy, of
the Children's Legal Centre (among others).

St Christopher's, used for community meetings and as a chapel and IT
school for kids, though funded by Essex Racial Equality Council, was never
granted planning permission.

Despite this, the community centre was given a grand opening by Lib Dem
peer Lord Avebury, last May.

EssexCC have now agreed to a meeting at 10 am on Friday, l9 Sept. at
County Hall, Chelmsford.

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Message from Kathleen McCarthy
Subject: TAKING OUR CHILDREN
From:    "Dale Farm" <dale.farm at btinternet.com>
Date:    Fri, September 12, 2008 5:41 am


Friends, everyone
 
As a mother my self, with a daughter hoping soon to be the first here to
benefit from the E-LAMP home-education programme, I beg you listen to our
call and come and stand with us at Dale Farm.

They want to destroy our SaintChristopher's Centre, our
community centre for learning, meeting and praying - and now even to take
away our children.

We've got to stop this and together we can do it!
 
Richard is going to Brussels on Monday to the Roma Summit, and we ask all
of you if you can:

1) To come to Dale Farm on Tuesday (16 Sept) at around 5pm and join our
meeting and party in the Saint Christopher Centre - refreshments,
beer (thanks to Mr Rishi), and music - and then go together at 7pm to the
Basildon Centre, Basildon, to protest at the committee meeting which is
deciding what to do to remove Saint Christopher's.

2) To come to County Hall, Chelmsford, at 10 am on Friday (19 Sept) to
attend the meeting with Essex County Council over their plan to take our
children into care while Basildon council bulldozes our homes (f they are
allowed to by the Court of Appeal hearing on 5 December).
 
And by the way, they want to drag my sister Tina into court for allowing
Saint Christopher's to be built in her yard (only she doesn't own it.
It belongs to the Government).
 
Fore more details email us at
dale.farm at btinternet.com
 
Kathleen McCarthy
vice-chair
Dale Farm Residents Committee