A town meeting in Falkirk had to be abandoned after councilors were threatened with execution and branded fascists.
Anger boiled over at a meeting to discuss plans for ‘20-minute neighbourhoods' - also known as '15-minute cities' - the idea that people should be able to access all the services they need within shortish walk from their homes.
The concept is meant to ensure town planners put people at the heart of communities, while also phasing out car use in favour of joined up walking, cycling and public transport routes.
But there has been a vociferous pushback against the plan, and not just in Falkirk.
Some consider it a dangerous infringement of civil liberties, with people fearing they will be monitored if they leave their 20-minute ghetto.
Cars will be tracked, they claim, and people’s movements subject to tolls and stoppages where once they could roam free.
The Herald wants to know where people stand on this issue: Vote now in our online poll:
We’ve been following this story for a while – here's the latest coverage of this divisive issue.
Falkirk public meeting ends with 'execution' call
What are 15 minute cities and why are they part of the Culture Wars?
Falkirk District Action Group (FDAG), who helped to promote the meeting, withdrew support from Falkirk Unbound, the campaign group which organised the event, due to the nature of it.
Founder member Sharron McKean told the Falkirk Herald: "I wouldn’t call it a meeting – it was a protest. I was absolutely disgusted at the way the councillors were treated – they were thrown to the wolves.
What do you think? Have your say in the comments below.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel