PM urged to intervene over Stoke mosque

Campaigners are calling on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to intervene in controversial plans to build a new mosque and community centre. Residents angered by Stoke-on-Trent City Council's decision to rent a plot of land in Shelton to Muslim developers for just £1 a year, amid suggestions it could be sold to them for £72,000, have launched an online petition.

They want the Prime Minister to order a full public inquiry into the handling of the mosque development, in Regent Road, Shelton, which they claim does not make financial sense. The concerns have already been exploited by BNP councillors in the city, who are distributing thousands of leaflets criticising the council's handling of the issue.

Stoke Sentinel, 18 February 2008