Islington News: Sobell Leisure Centre | Propaganda | Phil Kelly | IslingtonNow

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Home

Archive

Competition

Islington Tribune - by ROISIN GADELRAB
Published: 10 October 2008

Cllr Phil Kelly

‘Propaganda’ claim as Town Hall trumpets survey success

A VETERAN Labour councillor has labelled Islington Council’s community newsletter as a propaganda machine following a glowing report of the consultation on plans for a new Sobell Leisure Centre.
IslingtonNow announced on its front page that “thousands took part in the consultation”. In fact, 1,400 responded, just 2.7 per cent of the 55,000 contacted.
Labour councillor Phil Kelly, who runs a PR firm, said: “IslingtonNow is an abomination that serves no purpose other than Liberal Democrat propaganda at great cost to the taxpayer.”
He added: “We have given up complaining about it and are simply hoping nobody reads it, which I think is most likely the case.”
The claims in the October edition of the newsletter were rejected by Maureen Coman, who lives in Thane Villas, near the Sobell Centre.
She said: “IslingtonNow says they are going to make better use of the whole Sobell site. But all that means is reducing the size of the sports centre and filling it in with housing blocks.”
The council argues that thousands took part in an exercise which involved a team knocking on the doors of 1,600 homes on two estates.
Four guided tours of the building were laid on.
A council spokesman said: “It’s true that thousands of people took part in the month-long consultation on the future of the Sobell Centre.
“The article in IslingtonNow makes clear that over 1,400 people then responded to the survey.”

Comment on this article.
(You must supply your full name and email address for your comment to be published)

Name:

Email:

Comment: