Formal complaint to MS3 for misrepresenting Hedon campaign

22 March 2024 – To MS3 Networks governing body.

The Going Underground campaign (formed out of a public meeting held in September) would like to make a formal complaint to MS3 Networks for the following paragraphs appearing on its public website:

“You said you would engage with the community in my area, why haven’t you?
The safety of our staff and contractors is paramount and something which we take very seriously and assess on a regular basis.
During some engagement events coordinated in the past, our staff reported that they felt threatened and intimidated.  This is not a safe environment for our colleagues, or a safe and productive environment for those residents who attended to hear more about MS3 and our services.
In addition to the events, our colleagues began to receive malicious and threatening emails, plus some received messages on their private social media accounts, and we had colleagues being followed to their parked vehicles.
Following these incidents, we met with Humberside police who recommended we stopped engagement in these areas. Unfortunately, this meant we were unable to do what we do elsewhere and take time explaining our activity to residents face to face, and collaborating on positive ways we could support the wider community. We understand however, that it may seem unfair that the actions of a few people in a specific area has meant a halt to these engagement activities. As such we welcome contact from residents living in these areas who wish to understand our infrastructure rollout. Our telephone number for anyone who may have questions can be found on the contact page or if you would prefer to email you can contact us at community-engagement@ms-3.co.uk.”

It is inferred that these engagement events coordinated in the past, where staff felt threatened and intimidated, took place in Hedon and Going Underground campaigners acted in a threatening and intimidating manner. This has been confirmed by email by Guy Miller CEO in his statement: “Minister Lopez and her team are also aware of the reasons for our reduced community engagement in Hedon which was due to a request from law enforcement. We will always prioritise the safety of our employees.” And later: “We held a meeting at the town hall in Hedon as I’m sure you recall and our team members were followed back to their cars in a threatening manner, we have also had a number of meetings with Councillors on this email chain. To say we have not tried to engage is simply not true.”

To characterise the campaign waged in Hedon against telegraph poles as ‘threatening’ and ‘intimidating’ to MS3 staff is a misrepresentation – and an insult to those who have spent months campaigning on the issue of unnecessary and unwanted telegraph poles in the town. Rather, the resident-led campaign, given MS3 Networks’ refusal to engage via a traditional route such as a public meeting or a public survey, has provided such opportunities for residents to engage.

MS3 have never attempted any community engagement in Hedon; no consultative door-knocking, no leafleting other than the statutory 28-day notice on lampposts in September 2023 and the ‘advert’ that went through doors announcing they were coming. MS3 was met with a demonstration of 250 local people outside the Town Hall in September. MS3 was holding a private meeting with the council, not a public engagement event. The demonstration was organised at short notice and expressed the disappointment felt over MS3’s plans to use poles. In addition, by the end of that month, 1,200 households in the town had pledged to boycott MS3 and its ISPs. Within 4 weeks of that demonstration, 4,000 had signed a petition opposing poles.

By the end of September 2023, it was obvious that MS3 faced opposition to its plans, which included every single elected representative in Hedon (12 Town councillors and 3 ERYC Ward Councillors) voting against pole deployment.

Despite that obvious public outrage registered against pole deployment, and still without any public consultation,  MS3 decided to deploy poles anyway.

Rather than threaten workers, the Going Underground campaign has actually led to an improvement in workers’ rights and conditions. Following the Stop Work Notice issued on November 1st 2023 against MS3 for unsafe working practices, then the digging, pole planting and road safety contracted workers returned to work under much safer conditions than before (i.e. adequate hand, eye and head protection and better HAUC-compliant streetworks).

Most of the evidence of unsafe work practices leading to the Stop Work Notice was gathered by Going Underground campaigners and much of that was caught on video. The decision to film everything as video evidence was taken after experiencing the rudeness that residents and campaigners received from MS3’s contracted workers in early October. And of course, video and photographic evidence was collected of poor work practices. Any actual threatening behaviour came from a few of MS3’s contracted workers and has been captured on video.

There was a campaign by residents in particular areas in Hedon to engage in what could be described as civil disobedience – and Going Underground supported these actions. This involved residents parking their cars safely and legally to prevent easy access to pole lorries. This was backed up by residents out in the streets, the sheer body of numbers prevented pole lorries from planting poles. These acts were a demonstration of the public outrage that the actions of MS3 initiated. They were deemed necessary when other routes to demonstrate opposition to pole deployment were exhausted. We are unapologetic for supporting these acts that demonstrated public outrage. Even a casual look at national media reveals similar actions are taking place in other parts of the country where pole deployment is being forced through without first seeking community agreement.  

Summary:

# The section on the MS3 website gives the impression that engagement activities by MS3 were suspended as a result of staff feeling threatened and intimidated. However, no engagement activities had ever taken place.
# There is no evidence of intimidation of MS3 staff or their colleagues receiving malicious and threatening emails and messages. We only have hearsay. We say, present the evidence or remove the allegations.
# We have asked Humberside Police for information on the advice (via a Freedom of Information Act request) they may have given to MS3 and the context of that advice. We say, present the evidence or remove the allegations.
# The implication is that the Hedon campaigners have been involved in threatening and intimidating behaviour. This is not the case.  We say, present the evidence or remove the allegations.
# We believe these allegations are without foundation and are a smoke screen to hide the fact that MS3 has not carried out any engagement activities in Hedon.
# We demand the removal of the said paragraphs.  

Hedon Going Underground campaign group.