Listen: Norton Half Pipe campaigners plan protest – after meeting goes ahead without town council

The Mayor of Norton on Derwent, Ann Spencer, has been defending the decision to cancel the extraordinary meeting to discuss the future of the Half Pipe at the town’s skateboard park.

It went ahead anyway on Wednesday night – and now campaigners plan a protest.

Mayor of Norton, Ann Spencer told YorkMix Radio that councillors were divided over the issue and they want more time to come to some agreement.

Listen to reaction and an interview with the Mayor of Norton on Derwent here.

District and town councillor Di Keal says the decision is another example of the town council “shooting itself in the foot.”

Campaigners and residents who came along tonight had to have a whip round to pay for the venue, Ryedale Indoor Bowls Club, as the council had cancelled at the last minute.

Ryan Swain from the #RescuetheRamp campaign said that it had been agreed to hold a peaceful protest outside the next town council meeting in Norton on Monday.

He said people who came along tonight were very angry and upset at the Mayor’s decision and they just wanted answers and they would never give up.

Mayor Ann Spencer told David Dunning’s YorkMix Late Show: “We are divided (councillors) at the moment and we felt to go this evening and be arguing in front of a whole crowd of people was not on.

“It’s better that we sit down around the table and hopefully come to an agreement.”

“There’s been a lot of rumours going around that the town council intended to close the skate park. That has never been our intention at all.

“It is closed at the moment because some of the equipment was found to have faults, which could injure children. So we’ve had to close it on safety grounds.

“If the Half Pipe is refurbished, our only concern is the health and safety aspects of it.

“It’s there 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is unsupervised. It’s alright saying well, children find their own level on it. I mean, even Sky Brown (An 11-year-old Olympic hopeful) had an accident on one and they said she fractured her skull and broke her wrist and her own Father said she was lucky to survive.

“And this is the sort of thing we are trying to avoid.”