Dear all:

On 24 March - the day after the QBCI Licensing Sub Committee meeting - a very public video was posted on Instagram and Facebook, which revealed that the Labour run Islington Council has invested £600,000 in the Quentin Blake Centre.

Aware of the upcoming elections, I wrote to the Lib Dems and the Greens about our concerns.

Only the Greens got back to me. 

On Saturday 25th April, two of us met with Giulio Ferrini of the Greens. He expressed concern about the communication breakdown between the QBCI and the local community. He also said that he'd taken a deep dive into the relevant documents and the detail is actually very difficult to understand: there appeared to be some deliberate obscuring of the facts of which areas of the centre were able to be open when. He expressed particular concern about the outdoor terrace. 

I invited him to write a statement which I would share here. Here it is:

*****

Hi,

We are Giulio, Jara and Martin - the councillor candidates for the Green Party in Clerkenwell.

We’d like to thank all residents who have signed the petition relating to the Quentin Blake Centre's Section 73 Proposal - it’s clear how special this neighbourhood is to all of you.

Following emails from Max and Maria, last week we met with them to learn about the history behind the petition and understand the areas of concern. We familiarised ourselves with the planning history, the recent proposals, and the evidence that the applicant has submitted. We also met with the staff at Quentin Blake Centre, to visit the site and hear their perspective.

If elected, we promise to continue with this listening approach, ensuring all perspectives are heard and creating a meaningful, constructive dialogue between all parties. We would aim to find shared solutions that work for the entire community.

Thanks,

Giulio, Jara and Martin