CountyWatch
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CountyWatch is a direct action group in the United Kingdom that was set up in 2004 to remove what they consider to be wrongly-placed county boundary signs that do not mark the historical or traditional county boundaries of England and Wales. Since 2005, Count Nikolai Tolstoy has been Patron of County Watch. To date County Watch and its supporters claim to have removed, re-sited or erected 80 county boundary signs in Somerset, Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, Lancashire, Dorset, Hampshire, Yorkshire and County Durham.
Another prominent member of the group is Anthony Bennett, who was prosecuted for removing road metric road signs which he claimed were illegal. Initially found guilty, his conviction was partly overturned on appeal. [1] [2] The group's media spokesperson is Harry Cichy.
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[edit] Beliefs
CountyWatch sees the abolition of democratically-elected county councils in the UK as part of a long-term project to weaken the constituent nations of Europe, notably the UK and to concentrate power at two levels: Brussels (the European Commission) and the 'regions' within countries. CountyWatch believe in taking direct action within the law to counter aspects of this project. [3]
[edit] Direct action
[edit] Somerset
- August 2004: Their first action, the removal of five signs saying 'Welcome to the County of Somerset', on the northern border of the non-metropolitan county of Somerset with either Bath and North East Somerset or North Somerset, was reported by Christopher Booker in the Sunday Telegraph. Although he described them as a 'shadowy organisation', he went on to say, referring to their recent actions, 'No doubt Somerset county council views this as a disgraceful and illegal act. But it was really no more illegal than putting up its untruthful signs in the first place'. The signs were taken down by County Watch members and relocated on the historic borders of Somerset with neighbouring traditional counties Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.[4]
[edit] Lincolnshire
- The group was reported by the Lincolnshire Echo (28 July 2005) and Yorkshire Post (28 September 2005) as having removed 16 signs stating: "Welcome to the County of Lincolnshire" which the local authority had placed on its northern borders with the unitary authorities of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire (and therefore away from the current ceremonial county border). The signs were deposited in a council depot after being removed.
- 27 July 2005: The group were featured on the BBC TV "Look North" regional news programme, filmed in the act of removing a "Welcome to the County of Lincolnshire" sign near Brigg. Lincolnshire County Council Area Highways Manager Eric Jorgensen described the group as "self-appointed and unelected" and stated that taxpayers would be forced to pay for the signs to be resited.
[edit] Lancashire
- 29 September 2005: An article in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph stated that County Watch intended to remove and re-site several dozen "Welcome to Lancashire" signs.
- November 2005: County Watch started direct action in Lancashire to remove and re-site "Welcome to the County of Lancashire" signs. Their actions were filmed by the BBC TV North West region and subsequently the County Watch Secretary, Tony Bennett, was asked to attend Blackburn Police station. He did so on 22 November but to date has not been charged. The group removed a total of 35 'Welcome to Lancashire' signs from Blackpool to Rochdale, placing all of them on the historic Lancashire/Yorkshire border at Blacko Bar near Nelson, where they telephoned the Council's Solicitor. Officials from Lancashire County Council later recovered them all and some months later re-erected most of them. When the event was reported on BBC North-West Tonight, the newsroom received their largest ever influx of telephone calls and e-mails, 90% of which favoured County Watch's actions.
- 7 December 2005: On the BBC Radio 4 You & Yours programme Tony Bennett, Secretary of County Watch, was asked "What is your defence?" regarding his recent boundary activity in Lancashire and Yorkshire. Lancashire Labour Councillors were reported as 'seeing red' over Mr Bennett and County Watch activity but some supported his action.
[edit] Berkshire
- April 2006: The group set up "Royal County of Berkshire" signs on the traditional border between Berkshire and Oxfordshire. The signs were quickly removed. The Mayor of Wantage, one of the affected towns, was quoted as saying that "They need to face reality", further noting "I know there are many older people in Wantage who still think of themselves as Berkshire people, but the reality is that time has moved on and we can't go backwards." The Mayor of Faringdon said that "Faringdon should stay in Oxfordshire" noting that "county hall in Reading was so far away. It's much better for us to get into Oxford.". [1]
[edit] Dorset/Hampshire border
County Watch supporters have to date removed three 'Dorset' signs placed on the current administrative boundary between Dorset and Hampshire – one at New Milton on the A337, one between Christchurch and Hinton on the A35, and one at Bransgore. Two have been re-affixed on the historic Dorset/Hampshire boundary at the border between Poole and Bournemouth. Two 'Hampshire' signs – one on the A35 and one at Bransgore – have also been removed. One has been reaffixed on the main A35 entering Bournemouth from Poole. [5]
[edit] Durham
- 25 May 2006: County Watch gives notice that it will be relocating County Durham signs from the border with the unitary authority of Darlington to the historic, and current ceremonial, border with Yorkshire on the River Tees [2]
- 26 May 2006: The BBC film County Watch removing boundary signs at Royal Oak. Tyne Tees Television also filmed the event. Twelve signs saying: 'County Durham: Land of the Prince Bishops' were removed and three of them re-erected along the traditional border between Yorkshire and Durham – the River Tees - also the current ceremonial border. The Council were informed by County Watch of the location of the other signs they removed. Durham County Council issued a statement saying that County Watch's actions were "equivalent to those who vandalise telephone boxes". According to County Watch's own website, Northern Echo reporter Daniel King told the group that the newspaper had received a number of letters in support of their actions, five of which were printed.
- 31 May 2006: A subsequent editorial in The Northern Echo praised the group's actions, calling the council's statement "a trifle wide of the mark" and ending with the exhortation: "Carry on CountyWatch".[6]
[edit] Tony Bennett arrested in Oldham
On 28 May 2006 Tony Bennett was arrested on the Tameside/Oldham boundary at 7.00 pm and taken to Ashton-under-Lyne police station for questioning on suspicion of causing criminal damage to a road sign in Saddleworth. Saddleworth is now administered by Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council in Greater Manchester, but was originally administered as part of the West Riding of Yorkshire before Edward Heath's 1974 local government reforms. Derek Norman, Chairman of CountyWatch, reacted to the arrest by saying: "It is a total disgrace". Bennett was later released without charge but was bailed to attend Ashton-under-Lyne police station on 27 July 2006.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ 'Imperial vigilante' guilty of theft - BBC News - 22 May, 2002
- ^ 'Imperial vigilante' wins legal appeal - BBC News - 31 October, 2002.
- ^ Tony Bennett, "The Counties" Association of British Counties newsletter, Spring 2006
- ^ Christopher Booker's notebook 22/8/2004, The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ A sign of disapproval, Dorset Daily Echo 12 November 2005
- ^ Defending the land of our fathers, The Northern Echo 31 May 2006
