Biddulph Town Council has released a statement following a decision to move the wheel in front of the Town Hall to become part of a new miners' memorial on Station Road.

Biddulph Nub News reported previously how residents set up the petition in opposition to moving the wheel, which has now received over 1,000 signatures.

The wheel, which was installed on the High Street following the closure of Biddulph's Victoria Colliery has been in place in front of the town hall since 1983.

Those who have signed the petition felt that moving the wheel would leave it in a less visible area of the town, and that it should remain in what they believe is a more prominent location outside the town hall.

Biddulph's mayor, Cllr Sylvia Rushton, has also explained that she was against the decision, while the family of former Biddulph mayor George Humphries, who organised placing the wheel in front of the Town Hall, said he would be "turning in his grave" due to the plans.

The council has since released a statement to address residents' concerns.

It says that several claims made on social media in residents' discussions of the decision were false, and provides more insight into the council's plans for the wheel.

The statement can be read in full below:

Biddulph Town Council is aware that residents have concerns that the mining wheel may be moved from outside the Town Hall.

Unfortunately, quite a lot of what has been written on social media is false, and is not based on decisions that have been made by Biddulph Town Council. Councillors shared some ideas with residents; these discussions have not been reported accurately.

The purpose of this statement is to provide reassurance as to the ideas that have been discussed:

1. There is no ongoing or related discussion about an 'event space'. The Town Council likes the idea of creating more areas in the town that are green and where people can sit and relax, but we have not talked about this. We have asked Amey to carry out a study of traffic flows in the town, and we'll consult on these when we receive a report later in the year.

1. Biddulph Town Council contributes financially to local environmental groups and charities including Biddulph in Bloom. We love flowers and all things green and we greatly value all the work that Biddulph in Bloom and other local groups do to create all the beautiful floral displays throughout Biddulph; it is not our intention to remove these from the town centre.

1. The taxi rank is ideally placed within the town centre; we have no plans to move this.

1. The idea of moving the wheel is to ensure that we can honour and commemorate the lives of the miners who contributed such a lot to our town and our heritage. We are not just tucking the wheel away. The plan is to give prominence to the wheel by:

- Raising the wheel onto a plinth, approximately 5 feet off the ground to ensure it can be seen from the by-pass.

- Installing uplighting so that this can be seen in the day and at night.

- Including interpretation boards so that people can understand the importance of mining in our town.

- Including the names of those who died in the mines on a plaque, paying respect to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

- Including an area where there are sponsored bricks, so that families can pay their own respects, with their relatives' names included within the fabric of the design.

1. We have agreed to move forward with this idea, but we do not have any costs for moving the wheel or completing this area of the Gardens. There have been a number of figures floating around about the cost of this development. These are false, and not based on any costings that we have received. The hope was that by moving something that exists already, we will keep costs low, but Councillors will need to consider this going forward.

1. Before any of the ideas above are considered further, we are investigating CCTV in this area. Whether we move the wheel, or not, this is an idea we would like to move forward with. Current CCTV is provided by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council in the town, but we can enhance this if we feel it's necessary.

Biddulph Town Council is the smallest Council working in the town. Our budget is small and our responsibilities are limited. Staffordshire County Council Highways are responsible for road repairs and Care, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council are responsible for refuse collection and Council Tax collection. We focus on positive projects that will enhance the town for the people who live in it.

If you have a concern about the plans, please speak to us directly. Social media is a fabulous tool, but we don't always see what you're saying or know what you're thinking.

We have had a large number of requests for sponsored bricks, and we'd love to make sure your relative or friend is included in these ideas going forward. Please also contact us in relation to any queries about bricks.

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