12 May 2023
A social media campaign which targeted a prominent historical campaigner has backfired after he triumphantly returned to the role he quit last month.
Professor Tim Boatswain stepped down as honorary President of St Albans Civic Society in the wake of allegations made on Facebook group St Albans Voice.
The posts questioned the transparency of his other role as chairman of Conservation 50, now known as Conservation St Albans, highlighting website links with the Civic Society and the presence of a sitting district councillor in its ranks.
Conservation 50 was initially set up to mark the 50th anniversary of St Albans Conservation Area in 2019, run in connection with the St Albans and Hertfordshire Architectural and Archaeological Society, the Civic Society and local residents associations.
Prof Boatswain quit his role after the Civic Society agreed to remove any reference to Conservation 50 from its website, and said any emails sent by individuals holding positions in the Society should not contain a signature including a reference to that position unless it was in an official capacity.
But in the wake of an article in the St Albans Times exposing some of the rumours and conspiracy theories posted on the St Albans Voice Facebook page, it appears the situation has now been resolved.
In a statement from Civic Society chairman Freda Chaloner, published in the organisation’s spring newsletter, she confirmed that Prof Boatswain had agreed to withdraw his resignation.
“I was very sorry that Tim Boatswain resigned as President of the Civic Society. He has been actively involved in the Society for 15 years, including nine years as chairman and most recently three years as President and has made an enormous contribution.
“There have been some false social media postings which allege that Tim was forced to stand down as a result of a conflict of interest. This is completely untrue and we fail to understand what has prompted such defamatory postings– we did not want Tim to resign and were surprised and saddened when he did so.
“There were and are absolutely no conflicts of interest and I am delighted that after discussions Tim has agreed to return as President.”
Prof Boatswain himself released the following statement: “I am pleased to announce I have withdrawn my
resignation as President of the St Albans Civic Society on confirmation that my role in Conservation 50 was not a conflict of interest as was suggested in some toxic allegations made against me.”
Prof Boatswain is currently involved in the creation of a new group offering local knowledge-based advice to SADC on matters concerning maintenance and development in the St Albans Conservation Area (CA).
The role of the Conservation and Heritage Advisory Panel (CHAP) includes commenting on planning applications in the CA, evaluating heritage assets, comment on street furniture and encourage public appreciation of the CA and its value to citizens and visitors.
Meanwhile Conservation St Albans continues with its Blue Plaque campaign, and ongoing work to restore the Christopher Inn Succubus and regenerate and celebrate the city centre’s historic alleyways.
