Le Journal de Montreal article
Le Journal de Montreal publishes an article with the subheading ‘Committed citizens of a small town feel they have been betrayed by the Quebec processor”. The article contacts Saputo Inc. in Montreal who issue their standard statement. The article concludes “At Saputo, the top five executives saw their salaries and bonuses jump by more than 20%, to $23.94 million, in fiscal year 2021 compared to last year”.
South Hams District Council declares housing crisis
South Hams District Council declares a housing crisis. In a statement they write “Due to a number of factors, including the lack of rented accommodation which is available for longer than six months, an excessive rise in house prices due to second home-owners, the conversion of properties to Airbnb’s and people moving into the District since the pandemic: South Hams District Council has no choice but to declare a Housing Crisis”.
Atmos for Totnes update community via a public meeting
A well-attended public meeting is held by Atmos for Totnes to update the community on progress, at which members of Totnes Community Development Society, a representative from Altair Ltd and our Design Team present and answer questions. https://youtu.be/2q_QlT-AQQw
George Monbiot writes about Atmos in the Guardian
George Monbiot publishes an article in the Guardian entitled ‘England’s right-to-build laws are tokenistic and feeble – just ask the people of Totnes’, which reveals for the first time that Saputo UK’s COO and President Tom Atherton and Patrick Gillies, broker of the deal and now the self-proclaimed ‘designer and developer’ of the site, were in fact brothers-in-law when the sale of the site to Fastglobe was done. He writes: “None of my questions – [...]
TCDS commission Altair Ltd to update financial modelling
TCDS commission Altair Ltd to work with them to update their financial modelling for the Atmos development to reflect the current conditions on the site and rising construction and material costs.
Saputo Inc. responds to TCDS’s letter
Saputo Inc. responds to TCDS’s August letter, ignoring all the evidence of the breaching of their corporate ethics by Tom Atherton, but instead insisting that the behaviour of their UK operation was legal, something TCDS had never questioned. They state: “Although Saputo is reviewing your concerns relating to Mr. Atherton’s conduct, we believe that the sale of the site is legal, executory and has been validly and legally completed for all purposes and cannot be [...]
Montreal-based supporters of Atmos visit the Saputo office
Montreal-based supporters of Atmos visit the Saputo offices in Montreal, to hand deliver a gift from the people of Totnes. The gift is never acknowledged, or responded to in any way. https://youtu.be/yB-PyXs1vgk
Letters to Lino A. Saputo
Direct letters and correspondence to Lino A. Saputo, CEO of Saputo Inc, also go unanswered, in spite of a huge and very well-supported online campaign, co-opting Saputo’s #SaputoPromise hashtag, to bring pressure on Saputo Inc to actually live up to their ethics and to intervene to put right the mess their actions have created in Totnes.
TCDS Newsletter 11 July 2021.
Who are Totnes Community Development Society? As well as being posted here, this newsletter is sent out to members of TCDS - the organisation set up to bring forward the community led redevelopment of the old Dairy Crest site in the town, but with the broader objective of holding land and buildings in community ownership to meet local need. The work of TCDS is governed by five Directors with a mission to ensure these spaces [...]