STOKE POGES TASK FORCE
The lease has been signed. Why sign the petition now?
Because signing a lease does not answer the questions that led to this petition.
The Council has still not publicly explained how the current proposal complies with the statutory restrictions governing this charitable land, or why the Trustee proceeded with a proposal fundamentally different from the one put before the public in 2024.
Every additional signature reinforces a simple message: the public does not regard these questions as resolved merely because a lease has been completed.
The petition remains an important record of public concern and strengthens the call for the Council, as Trustee, to explain and justify its decision.
If the decision cannot be justified within the legal framework governing the charity land, the completion of a lease does not necessarily put it beyond challenge.
So please continue to sign and share the petition. The lease is a development in this matter — not an answer to it.
Today's proposal is materially different from the original proposal.
It changes the use, the character, and the public access of the land.
The 2024 consultation and the subsequent tender process were based on the original proposal, not today's proposal.
The petition is not about football. It is about fair process.
At this point we are not asking the Council to reject any project.
We are asking it to restart the lease process fairly by:
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publishing a new public notice describing the lease framework now being pursued;
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inviting fresh public representations on that framework;
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evaluating and considering those representations;
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inviting fresh expressions of interest from potential operators, based on the final framework.
Only then should the Council as Trustee decide whether to grant a lease.
Why your signature matters
This petition is about one simple principle:
When a public authority changes a proposal this fundamentally, the public should be consulted on the proposal that is actually intended, and potential operators should have the opportunity to bid for the opportunity that is actually being offered.
If you agree, please sign the petition.
Please note:
To make your signature count, Change.org will ask you to confirm your email address.
After signing, you may also be asked to “chip in” to promote the petition. This is entirely optional. These contributions go to Change.org, not to Stoke Poges Task Force, and are used to increase the petition's visibility.
You can simply skip this step.
If you would instead like to support the work of Stoke Poges Task Force directly, you can find our campaign account details at the bottom of this page.