York Potash Petition Faked

A petition in support of the proposed York Potash polyhalite mine near Whitby is being investigated by the North York Moors National Park Authority after it emerged that the names of Whitby and Scarborough residents were falsely added.

Two contributors to this site had their names added to a 38 Degrees petition in support of the York Potash Project. The petition was started by Phil Waddingham, a regular poster on the iii investor bulletin board.

Perusal of other names added to the petition reveals that well known pseudonyms of other iii regulars have been added to the petition, as well as what is thought to be their real names.

The 3,000+ e-signature petition in support of the York Potash Project polyhalite mine near Whitby was initially displayed on the North York Moors National Park Authority website as third party correspondence in support of the planning application.

In the wake of allegations of faked names being added to the petition in support of the mine, the North York Moors National Park Authority has now removed the petition from the Planning Application documentation whilst they investigate further.

The underhanded methods in which support for the mine had been gathered can only reflect badly on the York Potash Project as a whole. This clearly needs investigation and it is now a matter for the North York Moors National Park Authority to determine the validity and credibility of the petition.

Article first posted to Real Whitby on May 31 2013.