'At no point was Cllr Allen threatening or bullying' says tree planting witness

The fallout from last week's incident at a tree planting ceremony continues after a witness came forward to add another account of what took place.

On Wednesday of last week, a tree planting event on Littletown Green was due to take place, with children from the local primary school expected to take part. The planting - which the protestors believe is illegal - was cancelled after a protest by an East Devon District Councillor named Cllr Mike Allen. Cllr Allen is not part of Honiton Town Council.

According to Honiton Town Councillor and fellow East Devon District Councillor Jake Bonetta, Cllr Allen ripped up prepared bamboo shoots, argued with councillors and threatened to take photos of the children who were due to attend.

Cllr Allen has dismissed these claims as a 'storm in a teacup' and 'blown out of proportion in an election year to discredit someone who has served the community for over a decade.'

Now a witness has come forward. Alan Kimbell has been a neighbour of Cllr Allen for 15 years. He told Nub News: "I've never socialised with Cllr Allen and his wife, but have quite often spoken with them, as one does with good neighbours." 

"I've never supported Cllr Allen's party (or any other political party) but I respect the work that he does for all members of the local community."

He told Nub News: "I am appalled at the collection of distortions from Councillor Jake Bonetta in his attack on Cllr Mike Allen and what he alleges happened on Littletown Green last Wednesday.

"Jake Bonetta appears to claim that he was present during the events he says he saw taking place on the green last Wednesday. He claims that he saw Cllr Allen bullying council employees - that is simply not true. 

"I was on the green, speaking with those employees, from shortly after 9am that morning and throughout the time that Cllr Allen was on the green. 

"At no point did Cllr Allen, or anyone else, approach these employees in a way that was threatening or bullying. 

"I had already spoken to several council employees the previous day when I explained that digging up the green was a criminal offence and asked them to stop digging. They appeared to willingly stop digging and left the green.

"However, the following morning (Wednesday) they were back again and doing more digging. I immediately went out and again asked them to stop digging, again explaining it was a criminal offence to dig up the green. 

"I explained that they risked prosecution if they continued to dig. They made it clear that they were not intending to stop and they actually continued to dig as we talked.

"During the conversation I discovered that one of the employees was an 'events officer' and intending to involve local school children in the planting, even though they had been warned the previous day that digging up the green was a potentially criminal offence. This seemed to me to be somewhat irresponsible. 

"So, I asked if the school, the teachers or the parents were aware that the children were to be involved in what was potentially a criminal activity. The employees appeared to see no problem in doing this.

"During this conversation, Cllr Allen, who was walking his dog, joined the discussion and supported what I was saying. 

"Cllr Allen only took action to remove the bamboo canes when it became clear that the employees were intending to ignore what they were being told and were continuing to dig up the green. 

"I decided to join Cllr Allen in removing the canes as it seemed the only way to prevent further criminal damage to the green. The canes were not damaged and nobody was threatened as they were removed. I collected the canes and placed them where they could be retrieved. I then went back to the employees to tell them where to find the canes. 

"It was at this point that Jake Bonetta appeared. Despite Cllr Bonetta's claims to be present at this time, he did not actually turn up until after the council employees got out their mobile phones and started making calls after the canes were removed. 

"I was present during the whole time that Cllr Allen was in conversation with the council employees and he did nothing that could be regarded as bullying. 

"At no time did Cllr Allen say that he intended to take pictures of children. He was walking away from the employees when he began to remove canes and he simply tossed them onto the grass as he walked away. 

"The fact that an 'events officer' was involved suggests that the planting was intended as a photo opportunity for Cllr Bonetta and the school and I can see that it's collapse must have been disappointing for all concerned.

"However, the main responsibility for this fiasco is with the council politicians and senior officers who failed to take notice of the legal status of Littletown Green and its local history. 

"Cllr Allen is one of the few councillors with a genuine integrity and Jake Bonetta's warped campaign against Cllr Allen is undeserved and once again dragging local politics through the mud. 

"It is also a further unpleasant example of political sour grapes."

Cllr Allen and Mr Kimbell, who live close to the green, believe that the planting of more than 200 trees should not take place on the green because it has been designated an 'open space', and the trees would eventually turn a third of the land into a forest.

The trees would block out the street lights and conceal the green from passing drivers, leaving people feeling unsafe.

Mr Kimbell explains: "Littletown Green is one of the very few truly open spaces where local people feel they can walk safely at most times of day. This is because users of the green know that passing drivers on Honiton Bottom Road can see all parts of the green. In addition, the nearby street lights on this road make the green usable even on dark winter mornings and evenings. 

"East Devon's planned planting of a wide strip of woodland along the edge of the green, adjacent to the road will, once the trees are fully grown, remove this important safety feature. The green was originally given to the Council on the undertaking that the land would be kept as public open space.

"Also, as a town green, Littletown Green has special legal protections. The Council were warned well before they began this foresting project that the legal protection would make digging more than 200 holes in the green a criminal offence.