CRKC GOES TO MARKET!
Bury Trades Council is running a campaign to take water back into public ownership and invited CRKC to speak at a public meeting in Radcliffe about what we do and our campaigning methods.
The meeting took place on a wet and chilly Saturday afternoon in late November at the Radcliffe Market Hall.
Clean River Kent Campaign was represented by Sue Meyrick, Sue Walley and Ginny Branney.
After a very warm welcome and chair’s introductions, Sue Meyrick spoke about how CRKC got started and our citizen science projects – how they have been undertaken, some of the key findings, what we have gained from networking with other citizen science/river groups and the value of citizen science in campaigning for a cleaner river. Sue Walley talked about the sewage issues in Staveley, the importance of working with the local Parish Council, our dealings with United Utilities (UU), her experience of attending UU AGMs and why it proved worthwhile, and legal firm Leigh Day’s interest in potential nuisance claims. Ginny gave examples of CRKC’s political campaigning - holding the general election husting, developing a CRKC policy statement on public ownership of water, and making submissions to the Cunliffe Review and People’s Commission on the future for the water sector.
Members of the audience (which was modest but lively!) told us about pollution in the River Irwell (which flows through Radcliffe), including an incident where bio-beads ‘escaped’ from a United Utilities facility. Bio-beads are tiny plastic pellets used as filters in wastewater treatment. They have a dimpled surface to which bacteria and other contaminants stick and eventually break down. (If you look closely at the picture, there is a small jar of ‘captured’ bio-beads on the table, to the right of the water jug. They are quite disgusting!)
Hopefully, our examples of CRKC’s campaigning methods will be useful to the Trades Council in thinking about how they might develop their campaign. We’ve also invited their lead activists to the next CRKC Open Day to meet our supporters and find out more about our work.