‘Stop mangling our motions!’ Councillors clash over local democracy and planning reforms

But Tory Councillor Andrew Eade’s perspective was challenged by the Labour leaders of Telford & Wrekin Council when the parties clashed over the future of the planning system.

The two parties also butted up against each other after several oppositon motions were “amended” substantially.

Councillor Eade (Church Aston & Lilleshall) had proposed a motion “resolving to oppose top-down imposed housing targets” and to defend local democracy at last week’s meeting of the full council.

Councillor Eade said Labour was an “authoritarian government hellbent on concreting over everything we hold near and dear”.

It would be akin to a “Marxist state” if it imposed mandatory housing targets while removing local discretion, he said.

He said later that the council has “rolled over and had its tummy tickled” by the Labour Government.

He also slammed the ruling Labour group for changing his motion which he accused them of “dumbing down and turning on its head”.

Tory group leader Councillor Tim Nelson (Newport North) spoke of the planning system being a “cornerstone of our democratic freedoms which are under assault and we must resist.”

Councillor Nelson also accused the ruling Labour group of “mangling” his group’s motions and using the power of their large majority on the council.

The issue of changed motions cropped up several times during last Thursday’s meeting.

Labour councillors denied that they were doing anything wrong and on a different motion, Deputy Mayor Councillor Eileen Callear, (Labour, Hadley & Leegomery) said if the opposition “constructed a motion that we could support, we would not need to amend it".

“It means that we are doing your job for you,” she added.

Labour currently holds 38 of the 54 seats on Telford & Wrekin Council, a large majority over the combined 16 seats of the Conservatives (seven), Liberal Democrats (six) and the three independents.

The Labour group had amended the Eade/Nelson motion to create one of their own to “welcome the Government’s commitment to consult on changes to the national planning system designed to resolve the chronic housing crisis".

The amendment, proposed by Councillor Carolyn Healy (Ironbridge Gorge), went on to say that “housing figures determined locally in Telford and Wrekin to meet housing need do align to the new housing target formula” and they would work with other councils to ensure future targets are “practical and appropriate”.

Councillor Healy, the cabinet member for neighbourhoods, planning and sustainability, said changes would give councillors the ability to “dedicate their energy to scrutinising the most complex and contentious applications”.

Councillor Healy said a government focus on planning would build “more desperately needed social housing”.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Thomas Janke (Newport South) recalled reforms proposed by former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson which were condemned as “anti-democratic”.

But he added that the “housing shortage is a very real thing” and that the issues “must be debated and not thrust upon us.”

Councillor Stephen Burrell (Conservative, Edgmond) said that the Government wants 1.5 million new homes but already has 1.2 million locked up in planning consents already given across the country.

“What needs to be done is to get the developers to build these out,” he said.

Councillor Nigel Dugmore Councillor (Conservative, Muxton) feared that “socialist planning” could lead to “ghettos”.

He said that planning was becoming a “rubber stamping exercise” and was creating a system comparable to “North Korea”.

In summing up the amended motion Councillor Healy said the council has control over developments and uses a system of delegation so that “we do not need to be holding up simple applications".

“The Government is challenging that,” she said.

The amendment was duly passed.