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Council Officers Avoid Implied Accusation They Did Not Communicate on Wisley Bid
Published on: 8 Nov, 2018
Updated on: 9 Nov, 2018
GBC’s head of planning Tracey Coleman and managing director James Whiteman
On November 2 (2018), Cllr Spooner responded to a query from The Guildford Dragon NEWS by saying we would have to ask the officers involved regarding the non communication of his August decision to approve make a bid to obtain government funding for the preparation of a plan for a “Garden Community” at the former Wisley Airfield.
So we addressed the following questions to the specific officers involved, Tracey Coleman, director of planning and regeneration and to her boss, managing director James Whiteman.
1. Do you agree that it was your responsibility, or that of officers working to you, to inform other councillors of the decision to propose an application was made to the government’s Garden Communities scheme?
2. If you do, why was it not done at the outset (ie in August) and why was it not done until 29 October?
3. If Cllr Spooner informed you, or your subordinates, on October 15 that he did not wish to use his delegated powers, why were the consequences of his decision, ie the impact on the process timetable, consultation and Executive approval, not considered and acted on?
4. If Cllr Caroline Reeves [chair of Overview & Scrutiny committee] had been informed on October 15, could she not have called an extraordinary meeting of the committee to consider the proposal to apply before the Executive met on October 30?
This is the answer we were sent by Carolyn Patterson, the council’s communications and PR manager. We have spared readers some of the usual blurb.
“We followed the usual process that we take for the many different bids made by the council each year to apply for relevant national or regional funding. Officers take their direction from councillors and we contact the appropriate lead ouncillor and leader of the council when a potential bid is available.
“For Wisley Airfield, and any past applications to bid for all types of external council funding, agreement and support from the lead councillor and leader is sufficient. It is not usual or necessary to seek Executive or wider council approval before submission.
“Wisley Airfield is a strategic site proposed in our Local Plan, so Cllr Spooner is also the appropriate lead councillor. Although Executive approval was not necessary for this decision, Cllr Spooner wanted to have an open public debate, so a report about the bid came to the last meeting before the submission deadline.
“It is important to note that a bid to the government’s Garden Communities programme is not part of planning procedure or a guarantee of funding. Like all proposed sites, Wisley Airfield will still be subject to the usual planning application process, with or without garden village status.
“If our bid is successful it will help deliver the wider infrastructure and sustainable transport that our area needs, with extra cross government support, expert Homes England advice and improved design quality for a new garden community.”
See also: Lib Dems Tackle Lack of Openness at GBC in Wake of Revelations
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Responses to Council Officers Avoid Implied Accusation They Did Not Communicate on Wisley Bid
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John Perkins
November 8, 2018 at 9:43 am
The final paragraph is the usual circular, self-serving nonsense.
Shanks’ pony is the only truly “sustainable” transport and even then only if numbers are limited.
David Roberts
November 8, 2018 at 11:43 am
Officers’ brains were clearly not switched on to the political sensitivity of the issue. Mr Whiteman needs to sharpen up their act, please.
But it is disgraceful for Cllr Spooner to blame officers and say he is not responsible for their actions or omissions. He is. That is what being politically elected as leader is all about.
All very Trumpian.
Ben Paton
November 10, 2018 at 11:54 am
Given the high turnover of senior staff at GBC, it looks as if an officer who has any brain and uses it risks not being an officer for much longer.
Mr Whiteman’s main qualification for the job might have been his willingness to go along with whatever the political leadership considers expedient.
Officers are supposed to be independent and to uphold the rule of law. At GBC officers’ loyalty appears to be less to the truth (eg the facts about particular sites and developers), to law (eg the NPPF), to values (eg the Nolan Principles) than to people like former Clls Mansbridge, Juneja, and current Cllrs Spooner and Furniss.
Not long ago the former chief executive went to the Old Bailey to give a character reference for Monika Juneja. Last week ‘James’ leapt into the breach to apologise and take the rap for the failure to give councillors any notice of the ‘Garden Communities’ bid.
Isn’t it time that civil servants got their priorities right and were loyal to the electorate rather than these devious politicians?
Frank Phillipson
November 8, 2018 at 10:23 pm
Never heard of “Homes England” so looked it up:-
“What Homes England does.
“We’re the government’s housing accelerator. We have the appetite, influence, expertise and resources to drive positive market change. By releasing more land to developers who want to make a difference, we’re making possible the new homes England needs, helping to improve neighbourhoods and grow communities.
“So we welcome partners who share our ambition to challenge traditional norms and build better homes faster. Join us in breaking new ground to make this happen.
“Homes England is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government.”
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/homes-england
Anna-Marie Davis
November 9, 2018 at 11:37 am
This response is lame.
Why was Cllr Paul Spooner’s decision not acted upon indeed? That is the question. I would suggest because Paul Spooner’s decision, taken with the officer’s knowledge and advice, was to publish at late notice to avoid call-in. How could that not be the case? If everyone is telling the truth, they had plenty of time to do it properly.
This response ignores the questions, which are astute and probably incriminating if answered honestly.