Kartik Parekh did some analysis from a Freedom of Information request he made requesting information about the feedback received from the consultations held by LBR on the three markets. The analysis is as follows:
There were a total of 64 feedback forms received, where at least one question was answered on the form.
The feedback forms asked residents what they felt were "the most important benefits of the proposal?” and to “rank the benefits stated by importance 1 being the most important and 8 being least important”. The responses were as shown in the pic below.
For the same question there was an “other” box for residents who wished to write something else. There were 30% (19/64) of responses from the feedback forms received which stated “there are no benefits” or something similar to that effect. Furthermore there were 31% (20/64) of responses from the feedback forms received which did not answer this question, suggesting that approximately 61% (30% + 31%) of responses from the feedback forms saw no benefits either by explicitly stating so or by leaving the question entirely blank.
In question 5 of the feedback form, responses from the feedback forms received showed the following results:
- Only 6% (4/64) ticked the box “I support the proposal”
- Only 8% (5/64) ticked the box “I support the proposal with reservations”
- 11% (7/64) ticked the box “I have some concerns about the proposal”
- A whopping 67% (43/64) ticked the box “I oppose the proposal”
- Only 6% (4/64) of forms left this question blank
Similarly in question 6, which was a free text area for residents to write what they wish to an open ended “Do you have any further comments” question, 56% (36/64) of responses from the feedback forms received had a negative response or stated opposition to the project.
Finally in question 7, 44% (28/64) of responses from the feedback forms received showed that residents found the event useful.
Add to the above all the 'post it notes' seen here https://billetroad.blogspot.com/2019/03/redbridge-public-meeting-info-feedback.html
How these responses helped in shaping “a strong, credible proposal” as mentioned by Cllr Athwal. Furthermore at the Council meeting on the 20th June in response to my speech for the petition to debate on this matter which had 3300+ signatures opposing the three markets development, Cllr Athwal said that he makes “no apology” for seeking to bring the three markets to Redbridge. It appears from my analysis that he is ignoring residents’ feedback and doing what he sees fit.
Furthermore, Kartik reached out to the council to request any comments on the analysis - no reply.
And to top it all according to another FOI request the cost of the bid was £33,084, that seems low or underestimated and probably not cover the consultants fees but nevertheless £33,094 wasted!
What else could LBR have done with the £33k that would actually have helped the residents of the borough?