Petition Update – 4 April 2026
Title: Hate Crime, Homophobic Harassment, and a Council That Looks Away – Letters Sent See Below!
---
Paul Griffin
I have today sent formal letters to:
· David Giles and Jon Sharkey (Southend Council) – outlining the hate incident, the harassment, the false accusations, and the council's failures see below.
· Councillor Lydia Hyde and Bayo Alaba MP – asking them to read the evidence, champion the community, and hold the council to account
The letters are attached to this update. You can read them for yourself.
---
The Hook – Why You Must Read This
A plot holder facing homophobic harassment. A petition circulating to remove him from the site. A 92-year-old war veteran isolated so his plot could be taken. A disabled man threatened with eviction while recovering from surgery. A shed threatened to be "chopped up and put on the bonfire pile." False accusations of stalking. A council that admits the committee acts on its behalf but does nothing. And a petition – this petition – sabotaged with false signatures.
This is not a dispute. This is a hate incident. This is harassment. This is a council that has known for months and still looks away.
---
What Happens Next
I have invited Bayo Alaba MP and Councillor Lydia Hyde to read the evidence. I have offered to introduce them to multiple victims and witnesses.
If the council continues to do nothing, I will have no option but to involve the police. I do not want to upset the victims by putting them through that. But I may have no choice.
---
Their Responses – I Will Publish Them
I have asked for a response. When I receive one – from the council, from the MP, or from the councillor – I will publish it here.
You will see who acts and who does not.
---
The Petition – 235 Signatures and Growing
Thank you to everyone who has signed. 235 local residents now believe this situation is wrong.
If you haven't signed, please will you? If you have, please share with one more person.
Petition link: https://c.org/9jtfrDHdrV
---
Attached to This Update
· Letter to David Giles and Jon Sharkey (Southend Council)
· Letter to Councillor Lydia Hyde and Bayo Alaba MP
---
I am really struggling with this. Not just because it makes me anxious just going to my plot to do my hobby. But because I see how it is affecting my friends. And I feel so helpless.
— Paul
Letter to the council:
Dear David Giles and Jon Sharkey,
I am writing to you directly because the situation at Rochford Road Allotments has now escalated into potential criminal matters. What began as a governance dispute is now gearing up to become a criminal one.
This will destroy the credibility of the council and the committee. It will boost media coverage. It will expose the council's failure to act. I am giving you ann opportunity to step in before that happens.
---
The Heart of the Problem
The issues that antagonise are simple: decisions are being made that give morally corrupt people the power to upset people who are just doing their hobby. There is no thought for how it affects them. No duty of care. No basic human decency.
God forbid someone commits self-harm or suicide. Or loses the one thing that keeps them going. That is a possibility. More likely, a plot holder will lose it under pressure and have an altercation. But it is all documented. Every email. Every threat. Every failure to act.
---
The Criminal Issues
1. Homophobic harassment (hate incident) – A gay plot holder (Clay) has been subjected to homophobic remarks. A petition is now being circulated to remove him from the site. This is a hate incident. The police have a duty to record and investigate.
2. Harassment (Protection from Harassment Act 1997) – I am being falsely labelled a "convicted stalker." This is a lie. It is being spread to undermine me and my petition. This constitutes a course of conduct causing alarm and distress.
3. Petition sabotage – False, abusive signatures have been added to my petition. Change.orgrecords IP addresses and postcodes. This can be pursued.
The council has known about the homophobic harassment for months. I told you last summer. You did nothing. That failure has now allowed the situation to escalate to a potential hate crime.
---
What This Means for the Council's Reputation
When this becomes public – and it will – the questions will be:
· Why did Southend Council ignore homophobic harassment for months?
· Why did the council fail to protect a gay plot holder?
· Why did the council allow a petition to remove him to circulate without comment?
· Why did the council dismiss evidence of harassment as "insufficient"?
The council's credibility will be destroyed. The committee's credibility will be destroyed. Local media, the Ombudsman, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission will all be asking the same questions.
---
What the Council Has Known and Failed to Act On
I have previously made Southend Council aware, in documents submitted last summer, that a gay plot holder was being bullied with homophobic remarks. I was specific. I named the issue. The council did nothing.
The council has also known for months:
· That vulnerable plot holders, including a 92-year-old war veteran, have been targeted
· That the committee threatened to destroy a shed and gave 7-day deadlines
· That the committee suspended the AGM, removing democracy
· That the committee refused to provide minutes, breaching its own constitution
· That the committee supports a developer illegally destroying badger setts
The council has done nothing.
---
The Evidence – What I Have Been Building
I have been piecing together an evidence summary. Emails. Witness statements. Timelines. It all points in one direction: the committee are the villains. They are destroying people's hobbies. And the council has believed them.
I constantly offered help. I pointed out issues that were never followed up. I highlighted leads that the council chose not to pursue. I documented everything. The evidence summary is now a clear record of what has happened,who knew what, and who is responsible.
When the ICO orders the council to honour the FOI request, I will be able to confirm everything. I have been abused. I have been threatened. I have been lied about. And I have gone to the public and started a petition because I want there to be a public record in the media that highlights of who knew what. A record of who is responsible. A record of who is accountable.
---
The Petition – 235 Signatures and Growing
My petition now has 235 signatures – local residents who believe this situation is wrong. I have compiled a redacted evidence file. Any plot holder can request it by emailing Evidence File to Rascalpix@gmail.com
The LGSCO has reopened my complaint. The ICO is involved regarding the council's FOI refusal.
I am documenting everything. I am not going away.
---
What I Am Asking
If Southend Council is genuinely interested in resolving this, they should investigate properly. Speak to ALL plot holders involved . Ask questions. Gather facts not rely solely on the committee as it is unlikely the perpetrators will hold their hands up!
Specifically:
1. Act on the homophobic harassment. Contact the plot holders circulating the petition against Clay. Tell them this is unacceptable. Report the matter to the police if necessary.
2. Address the false "stalker" accusations. The council knows this is untrue. A public statement would help.
3. Compel the committee to hold an AGM. Democracy has been suspended for too long.
4. Enforce the tenancy agreement. Stop the committee from enforcing an unlawful handbook.
5. Comply with the PSED and Equality Act. Which by your own rules is not optional.
---
What Is Needed to Restore the Allotment
To restore the allotment, you need three things: trust, respect, and accountability.
All three have been destroyed. They have been destroyed by the council's refusal to follow up on the many leads I have emailed. By the council's decision to believe the committee over the evidence. By the council's failure to protect vulnerable people.
This is the end of the line. The council has had every opportunity to act. It has chosen not to.
---
The Moral Failing
The council is allowing vulnerable people to be targeted. A gay plot holder is being harassed. A 92-year-old war veteran was isolated so his plot could be taken. Disabled plot holders have been threatened with eviction.
And instead of acting, the council has delayed, deflected, and dismissed evidence as "insufficient."
Stooping this low to avoid accountability is not just a governance failure. It is a moral failure. And it is now becoming a criminal one.
---
My Options – And the Consequences for the Council
I do not want to escalate further. But I will.
My options now include:
· Reporting the homophobic harassment to the police as a hate incident
· Reporting the council's PSED breach to the Equality and Human Rights Commission
· Pursuing legal action against the council for failure to protect vulnerable adults
· Publicly naming the council's inaction through local and national media
When this happens, the council's reputation will suffer. The committee's reputation will suffer. The questions will be asked publicly.
I would far rather the council did the right thing. The choice is yours.
---
I await your response.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Griffin
Plot 84, Rochford Road Allotments