Sonja calls for Odeon Referendum

UKIP Candidate for Bradford West Sonja McNally has spoken out about the ongoing saga of the Odeon demolition.

Speaking to the Bradford Telegraph and Argus, she called for a Bradford-wide vote on the future of the building:

"As someone who has been in the past an usherette at the Odeon, for me the Odeon is part of Bradford and it belongs to the people of Bradford and it’s up to them to make the decision."

We want to put the future of the city in the hands of the Bradford people. The best way to get regeneration moving in Bradford would be to have a district wide vote on the Odeon. This would get people involved with the rebuilding of our city and give the Council a popular mandate to act...and act quickly!

The Council and previous "regeneration" organisations have systematically left the iconic Odeon to rot, with the express desire to demolish.

UKIP activists also attended the "Hug the Odeon" event, in which many local people came to protest about the demolition of the building.

We would like to retain the Odeon or at least the facade - we don't want our city to look like any other generic city in the UK - and with the Alhambra, it shows Bradford as a distinct place with our own history and culture. But ultimately the future of the city should be decided by the people of Bradford themselves.

We have been campaigning for a referendum on the future of the Odeon for years. Back in 2007 UKIP was the only party to call for a referendum and attacked the failed regeneration policies of the Council:

T&A (UKIP call for referendum 2007):
http://bit.ly/xeuzAi

Yorkshire Post (UKIP demand resignation and referendum 2008):
http://bit.ly/yeHyDs

T&A Letter (UKIP - how a referendum could work 2009):
http://bit.ly/yc0tlh

"Hug the Odeon" event:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0CzbN1PX7o