I apologise for the lack of updates - the truth is that trying to collate some useful information has been difficult. The council as a whole haven’t been too engaging and it’s been hard to ascertain exactly what is going on!

It was hoped that people wishing to save Kings Pond would have the chance to speak at July’s full council meeting. This was however cancelled by Alton Town Council with very little in the way of publicity or notice. Officially they claim no matters were up for decision - however having advertised the meeting and moved it to a larger venue with Kings Pond attendance in mind - it feels like an attempt to undermine the ability of pond supporters to engage with with the new council. As such the new administration remain blind to our concerns - cowering behind any excuse not to provide us with a platform to speak.

There is another council meeting scheduled for 6th September however this is in the Alton council chambers. It is unclear at the time of writing if Kings Pond is on the agenda. You may attend and speak should you wish to do so. Written representations may also be submitted, however be advised that two pro-pond written representations were ignored in their entirety by the mayor at June’s meeting including a refusal to answer questions. 

So what’s been happening? Sadly it’s not good news - mayor Ben Hamlin still refuses to acknowledge the 1400+ voices in this petition and won’t engage with correspondence supporting the retention of Kings Pond - I know that as I’ve sent it to him. At a ‘meet the councillors’ session, members of the public discussing the pond were treated appallingly by the mayor - thankfully the other councillor present (Cllr Kellermann) was much more welcoming and engaging and very keen to listen to and discuss the pond. Equally Cllrs Hill And Bayliss have been happy to engage.

It’s fair to say that the new administration are a mixed bag. There are a small number of individuals who have played their cards as being anti-pond, some who clearly want to save it and others yet to declare a position. It’s not a clear cut situation however the new administration do still appear to be hiding behind the decision making of their predecessors and pushing ahead with feasibility studies rather than engaging with the general public to find out how we want our public money spent.

So what can we do?

1) Write to the Alton Herald - make your opinion known in the public domain. Conversation about Kings Pond is vital to its survival. You can email them at: news@altonherald.com - for letters page submissions remember to include your full name and address.

2) Make your views known to Alton Town Council by:

• Attending any full council meeting at Alton Town Council to ensure your concerns are heard and questions answered. Full details of meeting dates at: https://www.alton.gov.uk/meetings/
• Emailing the Town Clerk with a written representation to be included on the agenda for a full council meeting - townclerk@alton.gov.uk
• Attending a ‘meet the councillor’ session and raising your concerns there. Check the Altonian or contact the town clerk on the address above for details of the next session.
• Contact your local councillor - details on the council website. 

3) Keep sharing the petition - the more people who sign, the stronger our argument becomes. 

4) If you are an Alton (or East Hants) resident - contact MP Damian Hinds - damian.hinds.mp@parliament.uk - you’ll need to be a resident of his constituency and you must include your address including post code on correspondence to him. 

I wish there was more news to report but at present everything at the council is veiled behind a shroud of secrecy. We must therefore keep fighting the good fight and keep standing up for our pond and the wildlife which calls it home!

Best Wishes

Antony - agfurnival@outlook.com