05 May 2023

Vote NO campaign update

Kidlington Parish Poll on 10th May 2023

Should Kidlington Parish Council support the building of a stadium for Oxford United Football Club in Kidlington?
Vote NO!

1. Vote NO campaign update

First, a huge THANK YOU to all the wonderful volunteers who delivered leaflets for FoSB over the last few days.

We now need to organise a second leaflet drop to remind residents to go and vote NO.Can you help us with this?We will drop the leaflets to your doorstep. Please email info@friendsofstratfieldbrake.org asap if you can help.

Please keep spreading the word: it’s absolutely critical that we encourage residents to vote in person between 4pm and 9pm on Wednesday 10 May.Oxford United will pull out all the stops to mobilise their local fanbase – we need as strong a turnout as possible.

2. The Local Supporters/ OxVox flyer is MISLEADING Kidlington residents

We are extremely angry about this.
The OxVox flyer makes unsubstantiated claims about what a positive vote would mean for Kidlington. But it also contains three pieces of totally FALSE information:

IT IS UNTRUE to say that by voting yes, residents are backing Kidlington Parish Council and Oxford United to benefit the community: Kidlington Parish Council remains neutral and is NOT working with OUFC in support of the proposals.
IT IS UNTRUE to say that the poll was called by a group from North Oxford: It was, of course, proposed and supported by Kidlington residents who gave their names and addresses to Kidlington Parish Council, who would not have accepted it otherwise.
The Parish Poll is advisory – a NO result will NOT deny the people who live in the village a chance to see what the project can offer.

This is what an honest version might look like !

FoSB has complained to the County, District and Parish Councils asking for a correction to be issued.

STOP PRESS NEWS: Kidlington Parish Council confirms it asked for the fans’ leaflet to be corrected and for their details to be REMOVED.

OUFC and OXVOX HAVE YET TO TAKE ANY ACTION.

VOTE NO on May 10th !

3. Trust me, I'm a football club?

The Oxford United flyer urges residents to support plans which have not yet been published! But it also makes claims of questionable community benefits that can’t be guaranteed. And it fails to mention the hotel and conferencing facilities that may form part of the development!

Those at OUFC who are promoting the stadium proposal are promising substantial benefits to the community but they don’t hold the purse strings. If planning permission is given FoSB is concerned that these community benefits may not all materialise – and there will then be nothing that we or the councils can do about it.

VOTE NO on May 10th !

4. Let's set the record straight: Who do The Friends of Stratfield Brake represent?

FoSB speaks for those who are concerned about the stadium proposal. All of FoSB’s committee live in Kidlington except one ( Suzanne McIvor) who lives in Cutteslowe, N Oxford. Over 80% of our members have an OX5 postcode and 15% live in OX2.

We urge you to VOTE NO – don’t let your future be decided by those who believe in OUFC’s plans unconditionally and try to shout down the genuine concerns of other residents.

For more information please see: https://www.friendsofstratfieldbrake.org/about-fosb/