Councillor, when you are in a hole – STOP DIGGING!

I am not unsympathetic to the issues Councillors face. I served on a Council myself for a long time. A very big, busy unitary on the outskirts of London where we had all the pressures of development both on Brownfield Regeneration and on Green Belt. Train connections, roads that need improving, closing libraries, oversubscribed schools, full GP surgeries, potholes, hedges, rubbish collection, adult social care, streetlights… 

Last week I pontificated about budget season and how you as Councillors need to count the pennies to deliver on your statutory obligations and then to find money for your political promises… 

So this week I want to tell you about a Planning Committee who decided that they are so flush with cash at their Council that they can waste it on appeals. I can but only assume they have buckets full of money to spend on silly decisions. 

But let me set the scene: There is an allocated site in a Council on the outskirts of London… on the Lizzy Line and close to major roads etc. They haven’t got a 5YHLS or an up-to-date Local Plan (i.e. in June they will have to demonstrate a 6YHLS). 

The site had been through Planning before, was refused and then appealed. The Appeal was partially dismissed but cost was awarded (a large five-figure sum) and the remaining points left to be resolved (quite easily) by a new application. This application was launched and the officers gave a very strong recommendation for approval. Fast forward to the Planning Committee and the Chair of the Housing Committee rocks up and says at the beginning of the meeting that his committee has changed their mind and is now objecting to the application. (We are currently awaiting answers on exactly how this decision was made and when and where the public minutes are). 

The committee then proceeded to refuse that application. This is against the partial award of costs and the clear advice from the inspector that if the final points are resolved that permission should be granted on this ALLOCATED site. 

Now of course this is now going to be appealed. The Council already incurred substantial costs and the applicant knows that the reasons in the appeal has been fully addressed so this is going to be an open-and-close case. This will then result in the dear old Council having costs awarded against them AGAIN and this time is I likely to be quite a bit more… 

Now it beggars the question: Did the Councillors know the implications of the Inspectors initial findings? They have had costs awarded to the sum of two Librarian salaries or two Teacher’s salaries. They are now going to have to fire another three or four staff or scrap the spring programme of pothole filling. This is going to make them immensely unpopular. 

When you are in a hole Councillor… don’t dig downwards! 

Until next week,

Henry 

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