Edward has written to the Leader of the Green Councillors on Charnwood Borough Council, following recent flooding, to press them to reconsider their decision last year to vote with Labour Councillors for changes that in his view effectively reduce the potential opportunities to scrutinise planning applications for new developments in our area.
He wrote: "I'm writing to you as Leader of the Green Councillors on CBC about a matter which causes very significant concern to local residents, and on which the recent severe floods have added to local concerns and prompted this letter adequate scrutiny of planning applications for additional development in our area.
I think we all recognise the need for the right housing, of the right sort, in the right place to meet our local housing needs, but I think everyone would also agree it is right that any applications for development go through rigorous and full scrutiny, ensuring local people, and local councillors, are able to ensure the Plans Committee hears their views fully as it considers its decisions. This is currently particularly relevant in ensuring that all flood risk implications are fully aired.
That is why I, councillors, and local residents were concerned and disappointed when late last year CBC's Labour and Green Councillors were united in voting for measures that in my view reduced the level of scrutiny, potentially making things easier for developers, by changing the Chair's powers over call-ins, and by reducing the time for individual oral representations to the Committee. Given this is about scrutiny, and ensuring local voices are fully heard by the Plans Committee, when a development that may affect their community is proposed, I hope you'll confirm that were there any opportunity for councillors to vote to reverse these changes and go back to the previous approach that provided greater scrutiny, then Green Councillors will vote for scrutiny, and vote to reverse the changes?"
Edward said: "Given the promises the Greens made to get elected, surely its not too much to ask that they rethink their alliance with Labour when they voted on this issue previously, and back any opportunity to reinstate the former approach to scrutiny for planning applications in Plans Committees for new developments, by reverting to the length of time to make oral representations to the Plans Committee that was previously in place, and to reverse the increase to the Chair's powers over what goes to Committee. This is quite simply about ensuring local residents' and councillors' voices are able to be fully heard"
