Madam, Reported is the bulldozed through decision to dispense with the Northern, Central and Southern Herefordshire area Planning Committees which currently decide the less than 5% of planning applications that need local Councillor votes.
The Conservative Leadership has decided to end the system that involved all 56 Councillors and just leave decisions to 19 Councillors on one strategic planning committee. In addition more applications will be decided by officers alone.
The Conservative leadership claim the new system will be more efficient and democratic! Just how they work that out is not apparent to non-conservative Councillors.
The existing system has worked well in Herefordshire for many years but it is less than two years to the next Council elections so will it help the Tories or will it be another nail in their coffin?
In the Ross-on-Wye area the impact of the independent councillors remaining on the sole planning committee will be crucial to good decisions as it is clear that 'whipping' of Conservative councillors cannot be ruled out.
It was a 'whipped' vote at the Shirehall on July 24th that ensured this deplorable situation despite four Conservative Councillors telling me they would not vote for it!
I can promise that independent Councillors, who have no political whip, will be even more vigilant in planning matters and continue to apply their local knowledge.
Councillor Bernard Hunt (Bromyard), deputy Independent Group leader