******* PUBLIC STATEMENT********
The Parish Council of Knighton On Teme wish to make an apology in relation to certain actions, publications and comments that were circulated on Facebook social media by one of its Councillors in relation to a proposed Battery Energy Storage System at Knighton On Teme, who at the same time was promoting the ‘ActionTeme’ campaign against the BESS.
All Parish Councillors whilst declaring their position as a Councillor should remain fair and balanced to both sides of the argument and present true facts in their quest to gain public opinion.
Also, the conduct of a Councillor should be such that they do not make ill judged statements or cause offence to any individual or business especially within the community they live and represent.
The comments made and the view shared by this Councillor are not the collective view of the Parish Council. Its Councillors have NOT yet made any vote as to whether the council support or oppose the planned BESS.
In relation to information within the leaflets / flyers disseminated, the change.org petition and an article in Temespan magazine, there is misinformation and false representation of certain facts.
Of significant note is the misinterpretation of the location which is not on the field adjacent to the church or 120yards away. It is more than twice this distance, in a field over the horizon, beyond the high voltage cables and pylons behind the hedge line at the top of the hill.
There are other instances of misinformation which will be published on the Parish Council website.
Publication, distribution and social media posts containing misinformation have been at the forefront of government controversy in recent months. It is considered a serious offence where custodial sentences have been handed out to the individuals involved in circulating misinformation.
The use of misinformation and untrue facts also threatens the validity and impact of comments made to the planning office in relation to the BESS. Some comments to the planning office include some of this misinformation either intentionally or because it has been misrepresented to them.
Further to the above mentioned image, there is a further photograph depicting what the proposed BESS may look like. Again, this image misinterprets the size of the proposed site and is four times the size of what is planned.
Furthermore, the image has been used without permission of its owner and is subject to copyright ownership. The owner has not given permission for its use and would never do so, especially as they are an international multi award winning company, specialising in green energy and BESS installations. The image is of their flagship BESS, an installation of award winning safety and technology. They have and would only allow use of the image to promote their own business.
The collective Parish Council would under no circumstances publish such images or misinformation and we distance ourselves from any involvement with their use and distribution.
We do however make a public apology for the fact that these have been circulated with a link to the Parish Council by one Councillor without any agreement, authority and in breach of our codes of conduct.
The Councillor in question has made an apology and retired from their position. No further action is to be taken by the Parish Council.
We are taking this action to avoid the possibility or threat of legal action to all those parties involved in the making and distribution of the detailed material, including ActionTeme members, whether they are connected to the Parish Council or not, in an effort to restore community cohesion, protect its parishioners and their assets.
We take this opportunity to ask the electorate within the Parish to seek the correct facts from the online planning portal on the Malvern Hills website, by reading updates on the Parish Council website, by contacting your Parish Council Clerk or any of your Parish Councillors.
The Parish Council has asked for a public meeting with Enray Power the organisation behind the BESS. We are preparing and have asked others to prepare questions or recommendations to ask of Enray Power so they can prepare answers before a meeting or for later publication. If any Parishioner has constructive recommendations or relevant questions that are not answerable via their planning application, please forward them to the Parish Clerk.
or via the website
https://knightonontemepc.gov.uk/contact/