FEARS of violence have prompted the South Ockendon Residents Association (Sora) to cancel their next meeting scheduled for Thursday evening.
Last week, YourThurrock reported that 78-year-old community campaigner Peter Perrin was allegedly manhandled during a heated exchange between residents.
With Belhus councillor and chair of SORA Sue Gray also threatening legal action against some of her residents, community organisation Ngage have advised Sora to cancel the meeting.
Ngage representative Jacqui Payne said: “Following recent events and publicity stories between SORA and Mr Perrin, I am not sure if it would be advisable to go ahead with your planned meeting this Thursday.
There are so many unresolved issues that need to be addressed. Although both parties have agreed to an arbitrated meeting to look at these, this has not happened yet , therefore the same issues may be aired at the meeting and I do not think this will be good for anyone, including residents, that will have to witness the abuse between the parties concerned
I am also concerned that there may be a public health and safety issue for the residents in attendance, especially if the meeting gets out of hand.”
No date has been set for the new meeting.
I am at a loss as to why Jakie Payne has now got herself involved with regards to this meeting, I spoke with her on the phone last week to discuss the Physical and abusive Attack on Mr Perrin and myself from SORA members. She told me it was unfair that sue Gray had drawn her into this Hostile meeting and wanted nothing to do with it.
I do hope she is not refering that the Residents will be causing any sort of violence? Wake up Jackie Page you witnessed as well as I did that it is the SORA members and Belhus Councillor’s and Council members that dish out the violence to thier residents whether verbally or physically behind closed doors. What are you all afraid of? is it that the residents will see you all for what you really are? This will and cannot go away you need to explaine your actions to the residents at some point.
Deirdre Lodge
Dear Members of S.O.R.A
I feel the need to show this to all who are involved plus there’s more to come today! These are copies which have been sent to me!
After last night’s ‘meeting’ I feel a statement is needed and therefore please read on for the facts.
South Ockendon Residents Association is and always has been a non-political Voluntary Association, we are just residents who care about the community, our homes, and our rights to live a safe life. We are Not learned individuals, we are Not paid for holding meetings, we are Not in anyway being paid to be chair, vice chair, or committee member. We are elected individuals, elected by the residents of South Ockendon in attendance at the A.G.M. in November of each year.
Any raffle monies raised go towards renting St. Nicholas Church Hall £11 per meeting, (so our meetings can be held in the village), stationary, stamps, ink cartridges, a gazebo and banner advertising South Ockendon Residents Association. We also gave money at Christmas to the South Ockendon Elderly Residents Lunch Club that gives these residents a community lunch once a month, but we wanted to help to give them a nice Christmas Lunch, more recently we purchased a tally counter this was to enable us to do this Truck Watch and keep an eye on what lorries are using South Ockendons roads.
We hold monthly meetings, and believe me, It is not easy, it is not a once a month job on the first Thursday of the month, then go home and forget it until next month either. It may look like it is, but it isn’t. We often spend more hours a day seeking advice from various individuals, holding meetings, telephoning, emailing etc. than a ‘normal’ paid person does, doing their daily job. We are entitled to have a family life also.
I, in particular, would like you to understand that we are here for the residents of South Ockendon both wards, we are not your enemy and we do not have all the answers. We try to take the concerns on, ask the various agencies around for advice, and it is not always what residents want to hear either. But we will keep beavering away if we can and get help for you. This is not always possible and we have to conceded defeat at times.
The history of South Ockendon Residents Association, goes back quiet a few years and was formed for the tenants only of South Ockendon
When I was elected as chair some 6 years ago, I felt as it was called a Residents Association, that is what it should be. I included all residents of South Ockendon to come to the meetings; We do have a constitution and I will have copies of this when we meet in Aug. I will also point out that the Constitution asks that respect to all at the meeting is paramount. The Chair has the right to stop people if it is felt the circumstances demand it. And in some cases demand that they leave the meeting. I have only had to do this once in all my years but I will do what is needed if I feel it’s the right thing to do.
Until 3 months ago, Peter Perrin had done nothing but to bombard SORA with his problems he was getting! He took up best part of meetings with his epic saga’s and much support was given by members over those times!
Now he has taken personal vendetta’s against members of SORA and his own Councillor’s to disrupt and destroy the Values of SORA’S Constitution.
This man is dragging all of South Ockendon Residents through the mud with his vile and tasteless accusations! SORA are a collective and so we are all taken for mugs by this person!
As for you Deirdre Lodge, you had no reason to be at that meeting other than for Peters attempt to manipulate and disrupt procedures. You were not there to be Peters representative, you were there at his request because he was manipulating you and the situation as he knew he had no one else to turn to! That is because no one likes him!
He jumped on your bandwagon without getting the full facts of the law and used you in his attempts to discredit SORA! Peter only cares about himself and he got Personal with our Chairperson and also myself!
What amazes me, is how 2 people can cause so much distortion because they cannot get their own way and the fact that you Deirdre attempted to hoodwink SORA, into supporting a petition that sides with illegal activity! You have attended three meetings in the ten years I have been involved and you have contributed successfully in destroying the Good name of SORA in three Months!
In my opinion, Peter Perrin and yourself should be suspended from SORA meetings indefinately due to the disrespectful manner you have both shown!
The people of South Ockendon should see you in the manner that you portray!
R.I.P SORA
Chris Savill
This is disgusting to here the comments that have been said about individual what I say for this to get to the level it did is a disgrace on the chair, and members of the SORA to allow the slagging match between residents and members of the association.
You are right action should have been taken earlier if it had got this far, why didn’t you attempt to stop it earlier as in your own words these two people that you BLAME have only been at three meetings so in three meetings the brought down something you have taken 10 years to build. I say in the first place you didn’t build the infrastructure! that’s the bad on people like you that have given up your quality time to serve your residents!.
Grays88,
You need to get your facts right, I didn’t say I built SORA or said that I built the Infrastructure!! I said ” In the 10yrs I have been involved !”
The comments i’d said about that individual remain the same whether you agree with it or not!
You need to educate yourself to understand what is going on in this situation! I was not in a position to stop this escalating, only Peter Perrin could have, by staying away from SORA with his nasty attitude, especially after all the help he gained through SORA!
There has been no bearing of disgrace on the Chairperson, Peter Perrin has had an agenda for some time now, to discredit and dismantle the infrastructure of the committee of present members! Yes I, like most of the committee, past and present, have given up a lot of my spare time to help my community and fight for what is right.
I fight the corners of those who for many a reason cannot fight for themselves and I fight the corner of those who show themselves to be doing the same for those people and our community!
Those that do fight against the community and it’s people have no place at my side and in my opinion, have no rightful place at SORA! So before you comment, read the posts carefully and not twist the words!
Chris Savill
With regard to PETER PERRIN!
I fail to see how the Chairperson of the Labour Group ( Peter Perrin) can stand and criticise his own Councillors for not breaking the law, supporting a petition that waver’s the Green Belt land for money making companies such as Howard Tennans and not be brought to book!
I PROPOSE THAT PETER PERRIN RESIGNS FROM HIS POST AS CHAIR OF THE LABOUR GROUP! His position there does no favours for Labour’s reputation and will lose them many votes at the elections!
Conflict of interest Peter, look at your own sinking ship!!!!!
Chris Savill
nitewolf,
I have only quoted from what you have said I will quote you again on what you have just said
At 12.16 you said and I quote “South Ockendon Residents Association is and always has been a non-political Voluntary Association; we are just residents who care about the community, our homes, and our rights to live a safe life. We are not learned individuals, we are not paid for holding meetings, we are not in any way being paid to be chair, vice chair, or committee member. We are elected individuals, elected by the residents of South Ockendon in attendance at the A.G.M. in November of each year. ”
Then at 11.30 you start talking politics! And I quote “With regard to PETER PERRIN!
I fail to see how the Chairperson of the Labour Group ( Peter Perrin) can stand and criticise his own Councillors for not breaking the law, supporting a petition that waver’s the Green Belt land for money making companies such as Howard Tenants and not be brought to book!
I PROPOSE THAT PETER PERRIN RESIGNS FROM HIS POST AS CHAIR OF THE LABOUR GROUP! His position there does no favours for Labour’s reputation and will lose them many votes at the elections!”
I think you need to go back to your drawing board and work out if you want to involve people’s political views or not! You can’t have a constutition which I assume say something about SORA being A-Political then start talking about someone in a political group SORT IT OUT!
Having read all sides in these unbeleivable arguments in public, it seems that the
Labour group and there councillors and SORA, have completly lost the plot in these
matters.
Firstly a private meeting was held behind closed doors, by SORA to throw out of future SORA meetings, and ask him to resign from the Labour group.
Mr.P.Perrin as caused so much trouble by asking that, all SORA meetings are held
properly, and the minutes should be read out ay meetings, and that SORA, should
support the residents who lives are being blighted by Howard Tenans group in the
old Marley Tiles Site, on Stifford Road South Ockendon.
Also at this meeting was, Deirdre Lodge and her husband, and Jakie Payne was also present, and witnessed, the physical and abusive attacks on Mr.P.Perrin, I was
wrong when, I thought that Bear Pits, had been banned in civilised society, if not
something as seriously gone wrong, with local politics, that they had to result in this
disgraceful way in full public view, if be it behind closed doors, even if MR.P.Perrin,
is guilty of trying to ruin the chairperson of SORA, there must be a better way of dealing with Mr.P.Perrin, such as sending him a letter imforming him that he is banned from all future meetings of SORA, and report his actions to the head offices
of the Labour group.
Apparently one of the SORA members, said that Mr.P.Perrin had got personal with him and the chairperson of SORA, its a little wonder, with everybody shouting abuse
and physically abusing him, like a pack of wolfs.
Its not RIP SORA but RIP Local Politics.
I find the charges of doing a deal with Howard Tenans Group, is at best stupid.
Deirdre Lodge and Peter Perrin, have been trying to bring all sides together, to bring
the blight on all residents who live along Stifford Road South Ockendon, to stop the
lorries using a very dangerous entrance and exit from the old, Marley Tiles site onto
Stifford Road, the lorries operate 24/7 so the residents dont get any rest or peace,
from the noise of the lorries, the drivers of the lorries also use a large laybye as a
toilet, or throw bottles of urine out of there cabs onto the footpaths.
All the residents along Stifford Road have tried to do is stop the lorries by, getting the
gates closed, and move the gates further along Stifford Road, a matter of 750yds, this would bring peace and perhaps a good nights sleep for us all along Stifford Road.
Howard Tenans Group have built a large parking area for lorries and trailers in Hangmans woods, they have also filled in a fishing lake, and put alarge steel fence up, to protect the property, which also encroaches further into the woodland, that is
why we the residents want the whole place closed down, even if they build houses
on the site.
So PLEASE, PLEASE forget all the infighting that is going on at present, all get together and fight this together, then perhaps the ordinary council tenent, who have
had there lives blighted by whats going on in the old Marley Tiles Site, can see a time
when lives are returned, to what other tenents call normal lives in peace and safty again.
I have just being reading an article about a councillor in Corringham, who accuses the LABOUR councillors in Stanford & Corringham, of not listerning or consulting with the local residents on a very important matter that effects there lives.Its another case of Labour councillors not listerning to supporting local people, in there communities that they have been elected to serve.Isnt it about time that there entire Labour party for Thurrock, got together and changed there policies in the way they deal, with the local people who elected them into office, so that they could live upto all the many promises they made before, and during there election to become a Labour councillior,get it right or you might not get another chance, there are other political parties, we could vote for, come next local elections.
I actually think that you should focus on the point of this “blog” this is nothing to do with the labour group/party or policies it is to do with members of SORA and the residents.
As you refer to the Stanford East and Corringham town cllr’s there are two conservatives and one labour cllr there, so I don’t know if you are referring the point that the Stanford east & Corringham cllr isn’t listening to her residents? The Labour controlling group however as the cabinet of Thurrock council have to make decisions on things like this and should include all cllrs that the wards go to! whether or not they did so is another point but ultimately the decision was probably taken before the Labour Group was in control of Thurrock council. and it was the Conservatives (excluding the cllr that is complaining) that made the decision.
The labour party’s polices locally talk about consultation and community engagement, but where was that in the big society “spin” it was there but was never seen by them when they run this council in the ground! The Tories never held monthly quiz which the first was in Stanford!
For many years,Hangmans Woods as been subjected to gross mismanagement,from previous councils, be it Conservative or Labour,they let the woods become a eyesore,there have been trees falling onto Stifford Road, or the footpath that rune besides the woods,the trees branches encroach onto the footpath.
The Marley Tiles fishing club that fished the lakes inside the woods,had a very large steel fence put up,it had a padlocked gated entrance,to alow entry for the fishing club members, and to stop the travellers invadeing the private grounds,also the retaining fence alongside the footpath,which was meant people from trespassing in the woods,as now rusted away,leaving some unsightly concrete posts.
There were several meetings with council officials and the local police,and a few residents from Averley and South Ockendon (Belhus) ward to discuss the woods and what was happening regarding Howard Tenens site,as a result of the meetings, a team of men arrived and chopped down severla dangerous trees, and sadly left the tree stumps etc, to rot on the floor of the woods,they also cleared at least two transit vans full of plastic bags full of plastic bottles ans tin cans etc,plus another two van full of old fridges bicycle frames and wheels and old tyres and other items left by passing motorists including lorry drivers,that was two years ago.
The woods next to the lay bye in Stifford Road,is now used as a Public Toilet for lorry drivers, who stop and Urinate and Excrete behind bushes and trees surrounding the lay bye,this area must be the worst environmental disaster in the whole of Thurrock, the woods was also being used as a temporary home to some Polish workers from Howard Tenens site, until the local police, put a stop to it,I am very glad to say that the police also stopped Drugs being sold inside the woods.
If you think about it,this is supposed to be a protected Ancient Woodlands that is being protected by?!, You tell me,plus we have to live with constant lorry pollution on a 24/7,so dont all start to feel sorry for the local councillors, as they dont have to live here,and they have let us all down,for a long time,and are still letting us down,so stop all this back stabbing, and Do something constructive and stop these lorries that blight our lives.
From one very angry resident..
Has I understand it after talking to alot of local people in South Ockendon,the vast majority of the people have never heard of SORA,and dont know where they meet,the other local people, who had heard of SORA,say that it is run for the benefit of retired councillors,who dont know when to stop,being in local politics,some of the comments that have been made lately by members of SORA,are meant I am sure to divert attention away from the real issues, that concern the very people they say,they represent,could it be possible that they.are playing with the wrong BAT,I suppose they are hopeing it all goes away if they,pretend it hasnt happened.
It as happened a vast majority of council residents and home owners.in the Belhus ward,are up in arms because of your complete lack of help and support,in acheiving a break through with Howard Tenens group, and rid Stifford Road of lorries on a 24/7 basis.
A few local residents who live in houses bordering Stifford Road, who are affected by lorries 24/7,have fought to end the lorries,and have received no help from any of the elected Belhus councillors or from SORA, other than rudeness,and cheap accusations on this blog,the only comments from on this matter, are that they hire St Nicholas hall for £11 per meeting,and they gave the South Ockendon elderly residents lunch club, a jolly good christmas dinner,and not forgetting a Tally Counter to count lorries with,but I bet not on Stifford Road,I bet it was South and North roads,if it had been Stifford Road it would have proberly melted trying to count all the lorries leaving and arriving, at Howard Tenens yard in Stifford Road.
If you the local councillors and SORA, are there to help and support,all the people in South Ockendon, “WHY O WHY” havent you helped us, residents in the Belhus Ward,you asked us for our support to help get you ellected to councillors, we got you ellected, we voted for you,now live up to your promises you made, and help us with our problem here in Belhus Ward,if you cant help us in any way other than send out rude and silly comments on this blog,then you are in my opinion not fit for OFFICE.
From one very angry and disgusted resident,and was a life time supporter of the Labour Party..
You’ve got to be thick if your not getting it!
SORA has a Constitution, a set of rules, guidelines and SORA is lawfull!
You want it straight, here it is! You have got the asshole because SORA does’nt support illegal activity Activity by Howard Tennans. You support it and this is in breach of SORA Constitution, so you’ve broken the Golden rule of attempting to involve SORA in your illegal activity.
I personally want the whole place to close down, as South Ockendon should no longer be an industrial Town! Fight for that and I will get all of South Ockendons residents to join! Other than that, not interested!
Well whos been a naughty little Nitewolf then, you my friend want to get out into the real world, and stop being a Nerd Do Well for SORA,as for being a asshole tut tut,you really are showing your stripes now, being lawfull dosent make you right does it,No.1. You dont live on or near the Stifford Road do you,No.2.370+ plus people signed a legal petition, to say that they no longer were prepared to live there lives, with these lorries on a 24/7 basis, nobody wanted to know about us, so we went to Howard Tenens Group, to see if we could do something ourselves,not one of the local councillors wanted to help us,even the legally run SORA,chose to ignor us,all be it with afew insults, we have got no where.
So instead of showing us all our clever you think, show us how clever you can be, and support us instead of ranting and raving on this Blog.