Newchapel and Mow Cop Independents

16/10/2026

Top Council Officer exposed as a liar - no surprise Gullis called her "fantastic" at a Council meeting.

🚨 “NO MEMBERS OBJECTED” - The Lie from Olwen Brown Newcastle Borough Council's Monitoring Officer🚨

⚠️ Serious questions are being raised about the legality of a Kidsgrove Town Deal Board meeting and the response from Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council’s senior legal officer.

📄 In a letter to a resident, the Council stated that “no members present objected to the approach adopted” at the meeting on 8 July 2026.

❗ But the Council’s own action log records that Independent councillor Ray Williams raised the issue of the legality of the meeting because neither the Chair nor Vice Chair was present.

🔎 The same document acknowledges that concerns about governance and legality were raised during the meeting and in several emails to the Council.

So why did the Council’s letter say that Olwen Brown stated nobody objected? This is a clear lie.

🚩 The concerns don’t stop there:

📌 The Board’s terms of reference state that either the Chair or Vice Chair must attend for a meeting to take place.

📌 Neither was present at the July meeting, and questions remain over why the Vice Chair was not invited.

📌 The terms of reference were reportedly described as “temporarily suspended” - but where was the authority to suspend them?

📌 The meeting went on to make appointments to the Board’s leadership, raising further questions about the validity of those decisions.

📌 Councillor Ray Williams, who raised concerns about legality, has since been removed from the Town Deal Board.

💷 This Board oversees around £16.9 million of public money intended for Kidsgrove. Residents deserve confidence that decisions are being made lawfully, transparently and in accordance with the rules.

❓ Why does the Council’s letter appear to contradict its own minutes?

❓ Was the evidence properly reviewed before the complaint was answered?

❓ And who is holding those responsible for governance and legal oversight to account?

🤝 Independents believe public money demands proper scrutiny, clear answers and accountability - not unanswered questions.

📢 Kidsgrove deserves better. Our residents deserve transparency. And the rules must apply to everyone.

📰 Read the full investigation by Kidsgrove News:
https://kidsgrove.substack.com/p/no-members-objected-the-councils

26/07/2026

A great community asset which Labour closed. If it wasn't for the community then we would have no such facilties today.

🏋️ Happy Birthday Kidsgrove Sports Centre 🏋️

It was 4 years ago this week that Kidsgrove Sports Centre reopened its doors - and I couldn't be prouder. 💚

I had the absolute pleasure of catching up with David Rigby, who now chairs the charitable organisation, and hearing how the centre has gone from strength to strength. 🙌

Here's the headline that still makes me smile: the centre outperformed every expert model and BROKE EVEN in its very first year. 📈 Everyone said a community-operated model couldn't work... well, look at it now! 🎉

As one of the founding Trustees, I remember all the hours, the meetings, and the sheer determination it took to convince people that our community could run this centre ourselves. The board of trustees back then were an incredible bunch - passionate, dedicated, and willing to give up so much of their own time to make it happen. 💪

And yes... I still can't quite believe I was up at 5am cutting the grass outside the centre ahead of the big reopening! 😂🌱 The things we do for the places we love!

To everyone who has supported the centre over the years - thank you. 🙏 Here's to many more years of our community thriving together. 🥳

Cllr Ray Williams

💚🖤

23/07/2026

🚨 Take us to Court - Newcastle Borough Council's answer to serious governance questions

We've put a detailed, evidenced case to Monitoring Officer Olwen Brown that the Town Deal Board meeting on 8 July 2026 was not lawfully constituted.

Her response? Avoidance - then an invitation to sue.

📋 THE RULE (Terms of Reference, Section 3.4):
"The Board will be led by a Chair and Vice Chair... At least one of these roles must be in attendance for a board meeting to take place."

❌ WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED:
1️⃣ Vice-Chair Cllr Tagg was not in attendance - and has not resigned
2️⃣ An officer purported to "suspend" the Terms of Reference - but the ToR contain no power to suspend themselves
3️⃣ Cllr Gullis's Vice-Chair appointment was never confirmed by a board vote, as Section 3.4 requires
4️⃣ Decisions were still made 🤷

❓ THE FIVE QUESTIONS SHE WON'T ANSWER:

Under which specific provision or legal authority was that meeting lawfully convened?

Her "common law" argument applies where a Vice-Chair hasn't been appointed or isn't present. Tagg was appointed and hasn't resigned - so how does it apply?

What case law establishes this principle? Name, citation, passage?

Who gave her the "assurances" she relies on - and what did she independently verify?

Who actually holds the Vice-Chair role right now?

⚖️ First officers claimed "special powers." When that evaporated, it became "a matter of common law." When we asked which common law - nothing. No case. No citation. No substance.

For someone whose profile advertises high-level legal expertise, citing your own authority shouldn't be hard. 🤔

💷 Instead: "I have nothing further to say on the matter."

She knows a Judicial Review costs a fortune. She knows the Council fights it with a bottomless pot of public money. She knows we can't match it.

So the message is: the Council can do what it likes - lawful or not - because it has more money. 💰

🔇 And notice the silence. Gullis and Reform act, Labour says nothing, the Conservatives say nothing. The establishment closes ranks the moment the system is exposed.

We believe in full transparency - and we're considering publishing every single email between ourselves and Olwen Brown. 📧 We are sharing because we believe residents deserve to know how their Council is operating.

11/07/2026

🚨 This week, we learnt that your local Reform councillors voted to support the Local Plan – and with it, the destruction of parts of our local community as we know it. 🌳❌

Vast swathes of Green Belt land could now be lost forever, all with the backing of local Reform councillors. 🏡➡️🏗️

Even more concerning, Reform Council Leader Jonathan Gullis declared a conflict of interest after previously admitting he had worked as a consultant for one of the site owners. As a result, both he and Cllr Jon Downs (also declared an interest) had to leave the meeting and took no part in the vote.

For many residents, this is the latest chapter in what has become the Jon Downs saga. Before the election, he promised to fight the Local Plan. Afterwards, he said there was "nothing he could do". Then, just last week, he claimed he would "vote against" it.

❓The reality? He did none of those things. He declared an interest, left the meeting, and wasn't there when it mattered most.

Residents of Mow Cop and Newchapel are now left asking why their councillor was unable to represent them during one of the most important decisions affecting their community.

The following Reform councillors voted in favour of the Local Plan:

🔹 Cllr Olivia Westcott
🔹 Cllr Charlie Clarke
🔹 Cllr Gary Evans
🔹 Cllr Simon Kasperowicz
🔹 Cllr Martin Rodgerson

🌿 The Local Plan may have been approved, but our fight to protect our Green Belt is far from over.

As Independents, we will continue to stand with residents and do everything we can to protect our countryside, our villages, and the character of our local communities from unnecessary development.

💚 Our Green Belt is worth fighting for – and we won't stop fighting.

08/07/2026

🚨 RESIDENTS OF KIDSGROVE - YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS.

Today Cllr Ray Williams attended the Kidsgrove Town Deal Board meeting. What I witnessed was, in my view, one of the most shambolic and deeply concerning governance failures I have ever seen.

Here is what happened:

The meeting should not have taken place at all. The Board's own Terms of Reference state clearly that a meeting cannot go ahead without a properly appointed Chair or Vice-Chair present. Neither position was properly filled. When I raised this, the officer's response was extraordinary - they claimed to be "suspending the Terms of Reference" to allow the meeting to happen.

Let me be clear: there is no power anywhere in the Terms of Reference to suspend the Terms of Reference. That power simply does not exist. In my view, and I have now stated this formally in writing, this meeting was unlawfully convened and all decisions made at it are null and void.

And then - at this meeting that should never have taken place - the following appointments were made:

👤 New Chair: Paul Waring (Go Kidsgrove)
👤 New Vice-Chair: Cllr Jonathan Gullis

These appointments were made at a meeting I believe had no legal standing. They were also made without the Board's Terms of Reference being properly followed. I am formally challenging every decision made at this meeting.

There is also something deeply troubling about the handover of Go Kidsgrove leadership happening at the very same Town Deal Board meeting. These things need to be transparent and above board - and this was neither.

I have written formally to Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council requiring written answers and a legal opinion on the lawfulness of this meeting. I have also contacted our MP, David Williams, and asked him to raise these governance failures directly with Government.

When I attempted to raise these concerns at the meeting itself, I was talked over by an officer of the Accountable Body. That conduct is on the record too.

The people of Kidsgrove deserve better. This Town Deal involves millions of pounds of public money invested in our town. The governance of that money must be lawful, transparent, and accountable.

I will be sharing every update as this develops. If you want to see the full correspondence - every email, every formal challenge - get in touch.

📧 [email protected]

03/07/2026

🚨 LOCAL PLAN - HOW WILL YOUR REFORM COUNCILLOR VOTE? 🚨

😡 Residents are understandably upset, angry and concerned about the devastation the Local Plan will bring to our communities, green spaces and green belt. 🌳 This vast housing expansion will pile extreme pressure on local services and infrastructure, while damaging the natural environment that makes our community so unique.

🗳️ Jonathan Gullis Local Councillor and Reform Leader has chosen that he wants his Party to vote to APPROVE the plan – despite its severe consequences for the local community. Don't be fooled by Reform's "spin" ⚠️ – this is very much a CHOICE. If they wanted to vote against the Local Plan, they absolutely can. That would put planning back on a case-by-case basis – a far better option than these devastating proposals.

📩 With this in mind, we wrote to every local Reform Councillor asking if they'll be voting FOR or AGAINST the Local Plan. And the silence has been DEAFENING 🤐 – which could well mean they're planning to vote for the destruction of our community and do exactly what Cllr Gullis tells them.

👏 The only 2 local Councillors who have bowed to Independent pressure are Cllr Downs and Cllr Stevenson, who've stated they will vote AGAINST. They should be commended for this – even if it took Independent pressure to get there.

👀 So how will YOUR local Reform Councillor vote? We'll be watching – and holding them publicly to account.

📍 MOW COP & NEWCHAPEL
✅ Cllr Downs (Against)
✅ Cllr Stevenson (Against)

📍 KIDSGROVE & RAVENSCLIFFE
❌ Cllr Gullis (For destruction of the community)
🤫 Cllr Clarke (Ignoring request to inform community)
🤫 Cllr Westcott (Ignoring request to inform community)

📍 TALKE & BUTT LANE
🤫 Cllr Evans (Ignoring request to inform community)
🤫 Cllr Kasperowicz (Ignoring request to inform community)
🤫 Cllr Rogerson (Ignoring request to inform community)

🔍 Our community will be watching closely to see whether these Councillors put PARTY or PEOPLE first. 🗳️

📢 And whatever happens – Cllr Jonathan Gullis should now RESIGN. His shambolic leadership of Newcastle Borough Council and his decision to vote to support the destruction of our local community is more than enough reason to pack his bags. 🧳 This is the same Cllr Gullis who has already admitted a conflict of interest regarding professional support to one developer involved in a site in the Borough Local Plan.

👇 Make sure everyone in the community knows what Reform is planning 👇

01/07/2026

🚨 TIME TO RESIGN, CLLR GULLIS 🚨

The shambolic running of Newcastle Borough Council under Cllr Jonathan Gullis has taken ANOTHER turn. 😳

Just hours after his AI-written post claiming "we" (read: Reform) would be supporting the local plan... 👇

❌ Audley Reform Councillors came out AGAINST the plan
❌ A couple of hours later, the invisible Newchapel & Mow Cop Councillors Jonathan Downs and Scott Stevenson caved to Independent pressure too

And speaking of Cllr Downs - he's missed yet another meeting, taking his attendance down to a shocking 33%. 📉

🤐 We wrote to every local Reform Councillor asking if they back Gullis. The silence has been deafening.
🔥 We've also been told moves are already afoot internally to challenge Gullis for leader - an embarrassing end to a shambolic few weeks.

Some of his own Reform colleagues have called him "self-obsessed" - and residents in Kidsgrove are starting to see through the facade too. 👀

Coming later this week: Council Officers are expected to confirm what Independents have been saying all along - that Gullis got Officers to illegally place him on the Town Deal Board.

⚠️ Unlike Reform, the Independents actually read the rule book.

Gullis has also tried shifting Town Deal Board meeting times to make it harder for members to attend. 🕐 We'll let residents draw their own conclusions - but it's fair to ask what he's scared of.

Reform and Labour both know it: the Independents are the only ones holding this council to account. ✅

📢 So today, we're formally calling on Cllr Jonathan Gullis to RESIGN as Leader of Newcastle Borough Council.

And if he's not the "bottle job" he showed himself to be in the last election - let him stand in the Kidsgrove Town Council by-election (caused by a Reform candidate who failed to take office).

💪 Come on Gullis. Put your money where your angry mouth is. Stand against the Independents and let Kidsgrove decide.

We all know he won't. Because he knows exactly how that would end. 😉

📣

30/06/2026

Reform lies to get elected. Clearly false promises with no intention to fight the local plan.

🌳 Reform to Build All Over the Green Belt? 🚧

🚨 Today, residents finally got the answer many feared...

The promise to "fight for our green spaces" now appears to have been nothing more than empty words. 😠

Harriseahead resident Cllr Jon Downs repeatedly spoke about protecting our green belt before the election. Yet as Vice Chair of the Planning Committee, and having been absent from the last meeting, residents are entitled to ask: where has that fight been?

Today, Cllrs Gullis, Downs and Stevens have shown where they stand by indicating they will support the Local Plan. 😡

Cllr Gullis argues that there is "no choice". We simply don't accept that. There is a choice. The Local Plan could be withdrawn and rewritten. Yes, that would mean planning applications being considered on their individual merits—but it would also mean keeping the promises made to voters before the election.

💚 Our green spaces deserve better.

Residents have now seen for themselves the huge gap between the promises made before the election and the actions being taken afterwards. That's deeply disappointing.

The Independents will continue to stand up for our green belt, protect our communities, and hold those in power to account—every single time. 💪🌳

If that means challenging every Reform councillor over decisions that threaten our green spaces, then that's exactly what we'll do.

📢 And here's our offer to every Reform councillor who genuinely wants to protect the green belt:

If you don't agree with Cllr Gullis' position, show residents where you stand. Come and join the Independents and fight alongside us to protect our green spaces.

The offer is there.

Now it's time for actions—not words. 🌳✊

29/06/2026

Kidsgrove to Manchester Airport Direct Train Coming Soon

Ok, we have seen a few Labour MPs try and launch "petitions" for a "Direct Train from Stoke to Manchester Airport. We believe this train will also stop at Kidsgrove and will replace the exiting Northern train service.

Well, what Independents can tell you is that LNWR staff have let the cat out the bag last month in staying they will be "running this route in the Autumn"

So that suggests its a done deal. The cynical would suggest that the soon to be evicted MPs are creating a petition so they can claim to achieve something thats a "done deal".

So sorry Labour MPs ... we will make your petition worthless and let the public know what LNWR Staff already are telling customers.

28/06/2026

🚨 I need to ask some serious questions about the Kidsgrove Town Deal.

An information event about Town Deal projects has been organised for Kidsgrove Library on Tuesday 30 June - published on 25 June. Just 5 days' notice for the public.

But here's what's worse: as a member of the Kidsgrove Town Deal Board, I received NO notice at all. Zero. None.

I've written to the officer responsible to demand an explanation. You can see my full letter in the image below 👇

This matters because it's not an isolated incident. My community survey showed residents feel the Town Deal is being done TO them - not WITH them. Public engagement has been treated as an afterthought, not a priority.

There are also deep concerns about:

❌ The proposed £1.5 million allocation to The Kings School - with no completed due diligence
❌ Board members who appear to have voted on proposals that benefit them directly
❌ Board members named on the Kings School proposal itself

This is public money. £16.9 million awarded to benefit the people of Kidsgrove. The community deserves transparency, accountability, and genuine engagement - not last-minute notices and closed-door decisions.

The residents of Kidsgrove deserve better. And I will keep fighting until they get it. 💪