Letter: SCC Letter is An Example of How Support for Wisley Scheme Has Been Fabricated

Published on: 8 Mar, 2019
Updated on: 8 Mar, 2019

From Ben Paton

In response to: Deputy Leader Admits SCC Does Not Support Wisley Garden Village Proposal

The Dragon reported an exchange of letters between Surrey County Council (SCC) and Ockham Parish Council concerning a letter written by the then SCC leader, David Hodge, addressed to Paul Spooner, leader of Guildford Borough Council (GBC).

Mr Hodge’s letter expressed support for GBC entry in the Ministry of Housing’s Garden Village Competition. GBC proposed “Wisley Garden Village” as a candidate. Wisley Garden Village is, in fact, agricultural land on the former Wisley airfield that is entirely within the Parish of Ockham.

The Dragon has since published a letter from Mr Spooner under the title: “‘SCC Does Not Support’ Headline Misleading”.

Mr Spooner wrote: “The headline is misleading. I believe that Cllr Colin Kemp [deputy SCC leader] was clarifying that SCC is not in a position to support (or not support) an application but supports the proposal for funding without giving implicit support for any particular planning application.”

But exactly why did Mr Hodge write the “letter of support” to GBC? SCC provides answers in its response to my Freedom of Information request. They can be read here.

One of SCC’s disclosures is an email from a civil servant in GBC’s planning department addressed to Cllr Matt Furniss, himself an SCC councillor. The exchange can be read here.

The email from a GBC planning officer to Mr Furniss reads: “Dear Matt, Following our discussions last week, please find attached a draft letter for SCC to sign and return regarding their support for the garden village bid. You indicated you would be able to send this to the relevant person at SCC?”

These emails show that GBC’s planning department drafted Mr Hodge’s letter for him and that Mr Furniss forwarded the letter to Mr Hodge and asked him to sign it. Mr Hodge’s letter states that the Garden Village scheme “is to be considered locally led”.

That raised eyebrows at Ockham Parish Council since GBC has never consulted it. Mr Hodge’s statement that the Garden Village scheme is “to be considered locally led” might suggest there was authentic, spontaneous “grassroots” support for this scheme. The reality is very different.

Mr Hodge’s letter is an example of how GBC fabricates support for its unsustainable Local Plan. That letter was evidence created by GBC to support its prior conclusions. There was and is no grassroots support, only fake Astroturf laboriously engineered by GBC using public money.

Government divides responsibilities between different departments. Separation of roles serves to make corruption and collusion within government more difficult. As Lord Acton said: “Liberty consists in the division of power. Absolutism, in concentration of power.”

It is apparent from SCC’s responses to my FoI request that Mr Hodge did not undertake due diligence or make any enquiries into the merits of the “Garden Village Scheme”. Rather than scrutinise the Garden Village proposal, SCC just rubber-stamped it as a favour to its Conservative colleagues in GBC.

Share This Post