A new petition has been created asking Secretary of State Michael Gove to pause the Goole Town Deal projects and have an independent review of how the Town Deal is being run.

£25 million is a significant amount of money - such investment in Goole is very welcome, and not to be sneezed at. It increasingly looks like a lost opportunity - that the money is being frittered away, and not working for the residents.

A good game is talked on the Town Deal web site, but there is no meaningful consultation with residents. Those driving and developing the Town Deal projects seem to be operating in a bubble, or a parallel universe, as if they are developing a model, unaware that there are communities of people living in Goole who will be impacted by the decisions which are being forced on residents. Meanwhile it is hard to find anyone among the residents of the town who support the current plans - much as they welcome investment.

The plans for the area from the railway station to the clock tower are not welcomed by many residents; the plans are viewed with derision. The library and museum users want the library kept in the heart of the town with the museum, not moved to the new leisure centre (welcome though that is by a lot of people). The area round the Victoria Pleasure Grounds is unsuited to the point of not being safe for what is proposed. There is already a new 3G football pitch specially built to serve the Goole area with considerable sums of money raised by crowdfunding and other donations. Getting rid of the 400m running track will be very detrimental to athletes as the nearest tracks are in Doncaster and Hull. The planned “hospitality venue” would be better located in the town centre where more people can access it and it can provide more “footfall” for the businesses round there.

The proposals in the draft Town Deal minutes for January 2024, to have a “water feature” down the wall of the station subway when it floods all too frequently is the catalyst for asking for a pause and review. It says loud and clear that those driving the Town Deal projects have no idea what the town needs and residents want, and no inclination to find out. 

If you agree and want to sign, here is the link to the new petition: https://www.change.org/GooleTownDealReview