Councillors consider legal challenge over mosque decision
Twm Owen, local democracy reporter
Three councillors who failed in a bid to overturn a decision paving the way for a county’s first mosque could launch a legal challenge.
The two Conservative county councillors and one independent, as well as a local resident, are threatening to seek a judicial review of the decision to lease a disused former library to the Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association who intend using the 120-year-old grade II-listed building as community centre and mosque.
Councillors Louise Brown, Rachel Buckler and independent Simon Howarth, along with local resident John Hardwick, are being supported by the Christian Legal Centre after contacting advocacy body Christian Concern.
The non-profit Christian Concern said the four have formally notified Monmouthshire County Council they intend seeking a judicial review unless the council withdraws the 30-year lease and initiates, what it calls, “a new, transparent tender process”.
Questions
A statement issued by Christian Concern details questions over the £6,000 a year lease which were answered when a council committee considered the “call in” the three had requested of the Labour-led cabinet’s decision to grant the lease.
It has also quoted Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, who said: “This case raises serious questions about transparency, fairness, and the proper use of public assets. The people of Abergavenny deserve to be heard, and their concerns must not be brushed aside. We will stand with these councillors as they urge the council to be democratically accountability and to abide by the rule of law.”
According to the statement the only issue raised in the pre-action letter, signalling their intent to pursue a legal challenge, that wasn’t considered during the call in review are “concerns over religious impartiality”.
Cllr Brown, who represents Shirenewton near Chepstow, is quoted as saying: “Council taxpayers need to know that the council is adhering to its values of openness, transparency and fairness in its use of limited council resources and not operating in a hidden unaccountable secretive way.”
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Christian Concern does not represent Mainstream Christianity.They are a Right Wing Evangelical Fundamentalist group that dislikes anything that doesn’t fit their narrative.
Religious bigotry masquerading as concern for the proper use of public assets. If it was an Evangelical Christian outfit, you probably wouldn’t hear a peep out of them.
I never implied that all Evangelicals are bad people,I know very many genuine such people.
Yet Christian Concern parrots the Evangelical Right Wing in the USA.
They are cut from the same cloth as the Late Pat Robertson and John “I Love Israel” Hagee.
I would change into a wellness centre, i have just done invested in barry south wales setting up a veteran friend which helping the community, our blue light services, veteran,mental health who just looking to talk, which if they fancy contrast therapy finnish sauna infrared sauna and ice Plunges which would benefit locally.have a look its called the Health Hwb
The problem with groups like that is that they spread division. They make Muslims think that Christians hate them when actually it’s just these groups of nutters who hate them, and frankly, they pretty much hate everyone who isn’t part of their little group – often including other Christians that they don’t believe are Christian enough!!! Extremists are getting far too confident in this country and they are starting to think that their filthy ideology is mainstream and what “most people really think but are too afraid to say”. People need to be more open, more vocal, and much more… Read more »
Well said!
Christians versus Muslims. And the Muslims are the losers.
We’re all equal in the eyes of God, unfortunately there are those who think they’re more equal than others.
Apparently there are ‘The Crusades’ board games on the market, a bit of research I would not have engaged in were it not for your comment Amir…
I wish you well…
Not yet. Keep up hope. These challengers are right-wing nutters and, as long as the lease granted was all legal and above board, they won’t get their way and the judge will tell them to get lost.
Personally, I think the Muslims will win this battle. Don’t give up.
When I lived for a few years in Abergavenny in time gone by – rather more than fifty years ago now! – I doubt whether any sort of Muslim venture would have been feasible there, given that in those days the town and its surrounding areas had virtually no ethnic minority population. But by now it might well be that the Abergavenny area has changed, because certainly other places that I know have certainly done so. If the town’s old library is now redundant in terms of its original purpose, it might as well be used for something. Would these… Read more »
I’m afraid that these sort of people really would rather that the building rot than let Muslims use it – that’s what being filled with hate teaches you sadly 🙁
Well hopefully their legal challenge costs them lots of money, and the council gets to claim it’s costs back on the grounds that it’s certainly a nuisance claim. And then hopefully the Mosque and community centre can go ahead because community is important and I too hate to see lovely buildings go derelict for no reason. 🙂
Maybe Yaxley-Lennon could point them towards a willing funder, given that he appears to have secured ample such support for himself from across the pond?!
I wonder if any of these Christian Concern people ever visit ‘Indian’ resteraunts? There is a major dissconnect amongst many people who love a good curry but the day after love to berate muslims, presumably ignorant of the fact that the very people who cook their favourite dishes are themselves probably muslim.
Or even visit loved ones in hospital who have been treated by Muslim doctors.
I have known people who dislike Muslims yet at the same time They are only too happy to visit their local Muslim shopkeeper to buy batteries on Christmas Day when their gifts say batteries not supplied.
Ah, the Shirenewton mafia poke their heads up again. At least it makes a change from them slating the Welsh language and being openly racist towards us.
Dr Khalil, Dr Pervez, Dr Asif – and in homage to Dylan Thomas Dr Khan 1 and Dr Khan 2.
Those are the names of the doctors who – along with other people from many places and backgrounds, saved my life when I was given chemotherapy for my cancer.
I rather think diversity trumps prejudice.
Dave Gray