Over the last few weeks the nation has been captivated and inspired by the English Football team as they’ve advanced through the UEFA Euro2020 tournament, culminating in a heartwrenching final against Italy last evening.
It’s not just the outstanding quality of football that’s kept us gripped, but also the leadership shown by Team Manager Gareth Southgate which has generated a squad of loyal, ambitious and high-performing players.
We’ve been inspired by the values he has inculcated into this young and ambitious group of players, with three standing out: decency; inclusion; and evidence & truth.
Decency has been demonstrated both on and off the pitch, in Southgate’s honesty and humility and the players’ commitment to communities & causes which has built a deep loyalty from fans.
Southgate’s squad is a shining example of inclusion, made up of players selected on their abilities both on pitch and on bench, irrespective of origin, race, ethnicity or class. Inclusion on the squad has bred inclusion in the fan base.
Both players and management have displayed a deep respect for evidence & truth, as they speak to their fans, the public and media about their personal histories, their game and controversial issues they care about such as Black Lives Matter LGBTQ rights, and child hunger. Mayor Sadiq Khan says he respects and upholds these values, and we must encourage him to demonstrate this in his decisions on redevelopment schemes in London. He’s got a unique opportunity to do so later this month when he holds his public hearing on the Stag Brewery.
At present we have not seen decency, inclusion or evidence & truth at play in this longstanding planning application.
Decency has not been displayed in the design changes and decisions about the redevelopment that have taken place behind closed doors, through the twenty-three meetings with the developer that took place while the mayor’s planning teamignored the local community’s requests for engagement.
Inclusion has been glaringly absent, as both the applicant and mayor’s planning team have effectively barred local residents from accessing the documents that are informing the mayor’s planning officers in their recommendations, and the alternative plans put forward by the local community group and supported by local residents is ignored.
Evidence & truth about the impact the proposed development will have on the local community has been presented through a series of impact assessments which are outdated, produced remotely with no local input and based on incorrect data. This is your opportunity to put your money where your mouth is, Mr Mayor. C’mon, we dare you. Bring the values upheld by the Three Lions home to London.
CLare Delmar
Listen to Locals
July 12, 2021
