Mr Jim Kenyon (Independent) – Chair of Hemsworth Town Council and Mr Ian Womersley (Independent) Wakefield District and Hemsworth Town Council Councillor, would have the residents believe that Hemsworth is at the epicentre of a high air pollution nightmare.
In a meeting with residents on 5 August 2021, Mr Ian Womersley stated “that Cross Hills had high levels of air pollution”.
Mr Jim Kenyon continually claims the same, in 2019 he was seeking funding to make a legal challenge in the courts. Here is the link in case anyone wants to read it:
www.crowdjustice.com/case/hemsworths-silent-killer/
He claims that 40,000 premature deaths a year are caused by air pollution.
In the UK, with an estimated population of around 67.1 million, this doesn’t seem that high to Ferret.
Mr Kenyon managed to raise a total of £296 of his £2500 target from 7 pledges.
The Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 require that the annual mean concentration of NO2 must not exceed 40 µg/m3.
Ferret has read the most recent report from Wakefield Council (2020) which is available here:
The information related to Cross Hills in Hemsworth is on Pages 41 to 42 which states:
In 2019 the annual mean concentration of NO2 in the atmosphere at both these monitoring points remained below the AQOL (Acceptable Quality of Life) at 32.6 μg/m3 at site 143-R and 35.3μg/m3 at site 193-R.
Three things Ferret would like the readers to take note of from this post:
1. The level of air pollution at Cross Hills in Hemsworth is not high.
2. The solicitors chosen by Mr Kenyon to personally represent him in this case: Richard Buxton Solicitors of Cambridge – yes them again!
3. The largest pledge made to his case for £170 was from Hemsworth Community Forum.
This is the same Hemsworth Community Forum that paid election expenses to all of the Independent candidates that stood for the Town Council election in 2019.
