The “Save Whiston Woods” group was accused of misleading the public on multiple occasions by Councillors and Officers at Knowsley Council, including its CEO, Mike Harden. As documents now begin to surface, we now demand a full, official apology from the Council and individuals.

·         Campaigners have maintained at meetings and in emails that Knowsley Council owns land directly adjacent to the existing cemetery on Foxes Bank Lane, which could be used rather than turning Whiston Woods into a formal cemetery with roads and other infrastructure.

·         The council have denied this on every occasion and have told us that it was never designated as cemetery space.

·         They have accused us on multiple occasions of spreading misinformation.

·         Documents have now surfaced which confirm what campaigners have been saying. See below for images.

This now raises serious questions regarding Knowsley Council’s processes.

·         Decisions on the planning application in 1994 have been made based on a much larger area of land and 100 years capacity.

·         Knowsley Council have just completed a ‘consultation’ with residents and have consistently told them the land was never designated as cemetery space. This is untrue. How can this be claimed as a fair consultation?

·         Knowsley Council have consistently refused to answer questions, to respond to FOI requests, or to provide documents and information requested. Information is missing or deleted from their website.

·         If Knowsley Council have been denying access to documents and misleading the public, have they been repeating this in other areas?

·         How can St Helens Council, who will consider Knowsley’s planning application, trust anything they tell them?

Campaigners feel more determined than ever to continue the fight against the proposal to turn Whiston Woods into a formal cemetery. We now demand a full, public apology from Knowsley Council, its CEO Mike Harden, and the Councillors who accused us of lying in meetings.