On 24th November 103 local residents from Hillfields, the biggest
meeting of local residents in the area for some time, packed St Peters
Community Centre to discuss car parking issues.

The area is part of a major "re-generation scheme" the "Swanswell
Initiative".  In reality this is nothing but "social cleansing" getting
rid of a working class community to make way for expanding the city
centre on the false promises of the so called Blairite "Economic
boom" now turned to bust and dust.

This has already involved the demolition of 500 plus units of
affiordable homes, there was a battle in 2006 to retain specially
adapted disabled housing.

The council has helped a local college to set up in the area but has
built them a multi storey car park and is charging them rent on it.  As
a result their staff and students do not want to pay and are clogging
up the streets in this working class neighbourhood like never before,
along with University Students and Workers and City Centre workers.

There is £168.000 of cash sitting doing nothing from the building of
the Ricoh Arena to replace the old Highfield Road Ground. At one point
council officers raided this pot of cash meant for community
facilities to wire bus stops up to let people know the timetables.
Hardly a "Community Facility".

People at the meeting commented that it was like the real community
meetings that took place before. All around, our local people are
being pushed out and this meeting was an expression of that, of local
people feeling surplus to requirements in their own area, refugees in
their own community.

Socialist Councillors got the cash put back and now have helped the
community call for some or all this cash to be used for a parking
scheme and better community facilities in the area. Unlike the main
parties we have successfully mobilised the community to fight for
this and other things.  We will continue to do so - watch this space, this
meeting was like the Anti Poll Tax Campaign public meetings, which
were born in Hillfields, Coventry when Dave Nellist was MP in the
1980's "Reloaded".  This community will not take no for an answer!!

Councillor Rob Windsor

 

To see how the Coventry media reported this story click here