Letter: It’s Time For Councillors to Stop Toeing the Party Line

Published on: 6 Aug, 2016
Updated on: 6 Aug, 2016

From Ben Paton

How many times can the passengers on a train vote to move on to the next station before they arrive at their destination?

The chorus from councillors for the past three years has always been let’s vote to move on because the train can’t wait. Never mind the destination, let’s get going.

That’s not good enough. These people are not the passengers in this process. They are supposed to be driving the train.

Hiding behind ‘officials’ (many of whom are on temporary contracts, it seems) and cheering on the driver when the train is about to hit the buffers is plain irresponsible.

It’s time councillors stopped taking the party line for granted and consulted the map for themselves.

Responses to Letter: It’s Time For Councillors to Stop Toeing the Party Line

Bernard Parke Reply

August 6, 2016 at 11:28 am

I was led to believe that the party line was as stated in their election address: “GREEN BELT TO STAY”.
Jules Cranwell Reply

August 6, 2016 at 1:34 pm

Since that was the case, and they are now proposing to sacrifice the green belt on the altar of growth, did they lie to us?
Chris Dick Reply

August 6, 2016 at 3:19 pm

It may be worth repeating the article in the Effingham Resident’s Association website that recently reported that our local MP, Sir Paul Beresford, has stated:

“The position of central government with regard to local planning and development on the Green belt is clear. Residents have heard in the past comments to the effect of ‘it is the government in Westminster which is forcing us to do this…’ This was not true then and it is not true now.

I have met with ministerial colleagues on multiple occasions and corresponded with the Department for Communities and Local Government at length on the questions of local planning and green belt policy.

The Conservative government is absolutely committed to green belt protection, I would urge the leadership and planners at Guildford Borough Council to closely study both the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the various ministerial statements published on this topic.

The only message one could draw from these needs re-emphasising. There is nothing in national policy which supports, encourages or condones any development on the green belt save for the most exceptional – and housing need is acknowledged as not falling into this category.”
Nick Norton Reply

August 6, 2016 at 11:45 pm

The NPPF is contradictory. On the one hand, there are protections for green belt in Section 9 but in the same section it also allows planning authorities, during a Local Plan creation or review process, to consider if they need to change green belt boundaries, including the “insetting” of villages. But it is contingent on “exceptional circumstances” being proven in each case.

In the Regulation 19 proposed submission Guildford Local Plan 2016, Guildford Borough Council prefers not to include an explanation of the “exceptional circumstances” it might bring forward on a site-by-site basis, effectively passing the responsibility for identifying the “exceptional circumstances” in each case to the planning inspector who will assess the plan during its “Examination in Public”.

At which point, I suspect, the council will be able to act like Pontius Pilate and wash its hands of any responsibility.
George Potter Reply

August 8, 2016 at 4:37 pm

A fine letter but, the last time I checked, all of the opposition parties at Guildford council don’t impose any sort of “whip” on their councillors, allowing them to vote with their consciences on all issues. And there have certainly been enough councillors amongst the Conservative group who’ve rebelled against the council leadership to show that any Conservative “whip” clearly can’t be very effective.

So what exactly could the “party line”, which Mr Paton implies the councillors are all following, possibly be?
Adrian Atkinson Reply

August 8, 2016 at 6:01 pm

In response to Mr Potter, he is right in one way, the Conservatives are not toeing the party line on protecting the green belt as they all seemed to claim when they were begging for votes.

Seems they all have changed their tune en masse apart from a few exceptions. Is there a whip? I think so.

It’s about time all these councillors stood up for what they stood for at the election rather than some unmandated excessive growth agenda driven by… who exactly?
Bernard Parke Reply

August 8, 2016 at 6:22 pm

In my day if a councillor stepped out of line he/she was certainly taken to task.

Unless, of course, permission was given to break ranks on a particular issue which could well effect his/her ward support.

Former borough councillor and Mayor of Guildford.