Local Plan recommendation – reaction
Angry opposition politicians have slammed a decision to not allow them to speak at a cabinet meeting where a key recommendation on adoption of their borough’s Local Plan was being made.
Calderdale Council’s cabinet agreed to recommend to all councillors the borough’s draft Local Plan be adopted when they debate it at a meeting of the full council on March 22.
The Local Plan, which has been controversial, will be the framework shaping where new homes and businesses might be built in Calderdale over the next decade.
Opposition groups hoped to speak about the plan, and planning inspector Katie Child’s report which said it was “sound” providing main modifications are incorporated, but were not allowed to before cabinet members voted unanimously to make the recommendation.
There is no right for them to speak at cabinet meetings, but they have often been allowed to.
But council leader Coun
Tim Swift (Lab, Town) said cabinet had taken
“very careful advice” about how the meeting should be conducted and its purpose was simply to decide whether or not to recommend the plan to full council.
After the meeting, Conservative group leader, Coun Steven Leigh (Ryburn) and Liberal Democrat group leader Coun James Baker (Warley) both condemned not being given the opportunity to peak.
Coun Leigh said: “I frequently attend cabinet meetings at which I am usually allowed to speak with the consent of the council leader.
“I was extremely disappointed that I was not extended the opportunity at tonight’s cabinet meeting, as one of the most pressing issues for this council.
“In the interests of
transparency and open local democracy surely the right think to do for the cabinet
was to analyse and debate this hugely important issue. “Cabinet chose not to invite
comments nor discuss it, though it was a very short meeting indeed. “Yes, the council will follow the democratic process at the forthcoming council meeting but this is another example of the abject denial of any opinion except their own. “Calderdale residents, through their elected councillors, have been denied the opportunity to have their say – this is hardly the action of a confident cabinet, on the contrary it is rather pathetic.”
Coun Baker said: “It’s disappointing that the cabinet voted through a recommendation to accept the Local
Plan without allowing opposition groups to speak on the item.
"It was reminiscent of Labour’s unilateral decision to opt for higher housing and growth figures back in October 2019.
“Our group will not support a plan that creates such an over-provision of sites.
“We believe it will have a detrimental impact on congestion, green spaces and is not compatible with our climate change goals.” All councillors will be able to vote on the Local Plan’s adoption when it meets later this month.