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Boardwalk :: Forum List The Phoenix Quarter General Discussion

<< Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >> Concerned about Councillors   Representing the Electorate - 2006/07/22 23:19 I wonder if a Councillor, or Norman Baker MP would please leave a message on this site explaining why neither Lewes District or East Sussex County Councillors will speak to members of the public about this development.   | | You must login if you wish to contribute to this forum. John Stockdale   Re:Representing the Electorate - 2006/07/25 16:27 I was waiting to see if Norman Baker or one of our tongue-tied councillors would take up Concerned about Councillors's challenge. But perhaps they are all away on holiday. I wrote a letter about this in this week's Sussex Express and it concerns me (no, irks me) that we are paying these people to represent us and in this respect they are not doing so. I believe this is their duty under the Council's Code of Conduct. There is nothing to prevent any councillor not on the planning committee from expressing any view on any matter in the same way as any member of the public. Their views, like ours, mustn't be defamatory or deliberately misleading or expressed in an obscene or indecent way. That's all. Councillors who ARE on the Planning Committee may even be members of a lobby group (for or against) according to the Standards Board's guidelines. The Standards Board recognises that they may have been elected just because they were for or against something. They may express views on a proposal provided they do not indicate that they have finally made up their minds. Catherine Knight, the District Solicitor has told me she thinks it is perfectly in order for a member of a planning committee to express concern about an aspect of a proposal: "I am concerned about the height ..., density ..., etc". Presumably they can also say they are generally in favour of a scheme "...that delivers more houses..., etc". Parliament have allocated responsibility for planning to the local community through elected members of local authorities and not to the judiciary. So, councillors whether on the planning committee or not should expect to be asked for their views and we should no longer tolerate the excuse that they aren't allowed to speak for fear of "laying the Council open to legal challenge", because this is completely wrong. Indeed, if they all remain silent it may appear that they have been gagged in which case their decisions could be challenged from the other side.   | | You must login if you wish to contribute to this forum. Chris   Re:Representing the Electorate - 2006/07/26 20:06 Hear, hear. I one hundred percent agree with you John. It's about time our so-called representatives got off the fence.   | | You must login if you wish to contribute to this forum. Chris   Re:Representing the Electorate - 2006/07/26 20:13 On the other hand, it appears we have a new hero - David Neighbour, the recently-appointed Lead Member of LDC (see news on home page). Maybe we've finally got the result we were all hoping for?   | | You must login if you wish to contribute to this forum. John Stockdale   Re:Representing the Electorate - 2006/07/27 12:15 Yes. Very interesting. I was beginning to think the Council were just a rubber stamp. But it appears they aren't. David Neighbour clearly has to be careful what he says. But there are some positive strands for Lewes in his press release.   | | You must login if you wish to contribute to this forum. Concerned About Councillors   Re:Representing the Electorate - 2006/07/28 23:43 Well, I'm still patiently waiting...I was hoping one of our elected representatives might explain the situation from their perspective first.   | | You must login if you wish to contribute to this forum.

Boardwalk :: Forum List The Phoenix Quarter General Discussion

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