Letter: Personal Ambitions Should Come Second

Published on: 27 Apr, 2019
Updated on: 27 Apr, 2019

Simon Mason

In response to: I Hope Ballot Box Retribution is Swift

Having praised Cllr Hogger in one of my earlier posts to The Dragon about the contribution she makes to planning committee meetings, I was extremely disappointed that she decided to abstain from the Local Plan adoption vote.

She is one of the most knowledgeable councillors on the subject of Local Plan and yet decided to abstain, no doubt worried about the ballot box next week.

I think everyone has had enough of politicians who put their personal ambitions ahead of all else and this was clearly the case here. It is interesting to see that Ben Paton is standing against her in Effingham next week and from following his letters and comments I know he is a man of conviction and wouldn’t have wasted his vote for political gain the other night.

On another note I would like to congratulate all those involved from the GBC Planning Policy Team on all their work. It must have been a very difficult task, carried out under enormous pressure in a very transparent way. We must remember how lucky we are to live in such an open and transparent democracy.

I am pleased the Local Plan has been approved and hope that our communities can move on and heal the division that it has caused throughout the borough.

I think it would be a shame for it to be dragged through the courts at further financial and emotional cost to everyone thus extending the misery.

I am now looking forward to the soap opera of next week’s local elections!