Independent councillors say a motion calling for Cheshire East Council leaders to quit over the Local Plan fiasco has been blocked.
Councillor Arthur Moran, of Nantwich North, and Cllr Brendan Murphy constructed the motion to be tabled at a full council meeting this Thursday.
They planned to table an official criticism over the costly £3.7million Local Plan “debacle” and the appointment of three Tory councillors from Knutsford as the new “taskforce” overseeing the Plan.
It also calls for the resignation of Cllr David Brown, deputy council leader, and for council leader Cllr Michael Jones to admit a “failure to lead” over the issue.
It comes after a planning inspector found flaws and inconsistencies in the council’s Local Plan Submission, which has led to a further 6-month delay.
But Independent councillors say they have been told their motion will not be allowed as it “contained content that could bring the council into disrepute”.
Cllr Moran (pictured) told Nantwichnews: “The inspector’s decision could add over £1 million to costs already incurred.
“It is an absolute disgrace we find ourselves in this mess and it is something councillors ought to be discussing openly in full council on Thursday (December 10).
“It is not good enough for the council leader to appoint three Tory councillors from Knutsford (Peter Raynes, Jamie Macrae and George Walton) to look into such an inexcusable outcome.
“It affects the whole borough and I want a cross-party investigation into how this debacle came about.
“Our motion calls for the political leadership to ‘carry the can’.
“More than £80,000 in Special Responsibility Allowances has been paid to these councillors to get these things right.
“And it is wrong for them to pass the buck. The planning officers cannot be made scapegoats for political decisions.
“We are not criticising council officials for blocking the motion.
“It is for the Mayor to decide whether a motion can be discussed or not and the notice of motion was served on him. That makes it a political decision.”
Their motion called for a new Local Plan to be completed by end of March 2015 so residents can air their views in the 2015 local elections.
They want the new “task force” to be representative of the council’s political and geographic diversity and should report directly to the Strategic Planning Board.
They also called for Council Leader Cllr Michael Jones to “acknowledge his overall responsibility for this turn of events and admit he has failed to discharge his leadership responsibilities with due diligence”.
A Cheshire East Council spokesperson said the motion proposed had “failed to meet routine tests of acceptability”.
Anita Bradley, Cheshire East Council’s Head of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer, considered whether the motion was factually accurate and legally compliant.
In a statement, the council said there was “concern that the motion did not accurately reflect the correct legal position with regard to the public examination of the local plan”.
“It was also considered that some of the content of the motion could bring the council into disrepute,” added the spokesperson.
“A meeting was held with Councillors Murphy and Moran at which an alternative wording was suggested, but they declined to make the changes proposed.
“Accordingly, the Head of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer did not put the motion forward for inclusion on the agenda.
““It is perfectly reasonable to put forward a motion discussing the progress of the Local Plan, but it must be framed in a manner that is accurate and it must not bring the council into disrepute. Sadly, this motion did not meet those criteria.”
In response to Cllr Corcoran, your comment above is what would be referred to in boxing parlance as a ‘cheap shot’; political point-scoring at its very worst. As for the sentence that starts ‘Don’t worry – the Labour councillor’s…’ I hardly think that you and your Labour chums are going to be like the cavalry in a western- arriving to save the day before riding off into the sunset…
Instead of criticising the Independents, why don’t you support and work with them? OK, their timescale to have a new Local Plan in place by the end of March next year is not achievable, but can’t you see they are trying to inject some much-needed urgency into proceedings?
Tight deadlines need to be imposed on the additional work that is necessary, otherwise there is the distinct possibility that the Council will not have an adopted Local Plan until 2016. Don’t forget, it has already been more than 4 years in the making- the time has come for decisive action and delivery. So please- park up your party political agenda and focus on getting the Local Plan adopted ASAP.
Commenting on the article, it would be undemocratic for 2 (or maybe 3?) councillors from only one town (Knutsford) to be responsible for the delivery of a Local Plan which applies to the whole of Cheshire East. The Independents are right in wanting the “task force” to be representative of the council’s political and geographical spread and that they should report directly to the Strategic Planning Board.
However, taking a more balanced and objective view, the task force is being led by two councillors who are experienced in financial management and planning/development so on first inspection they appear to have the requisite background and credentials to deliver a successful outcome.
Or perhaps Cllr Corcoran would like to nominate a Labour councillor or two to lead the task force? Answers on a postcard!!
How is it possible for a governing body to be able to block a motion which may bring it into disrepute when that is what has happened with the fiasco in the first place. This is as if someone has been invited to a disciplinary hearing and decided their employers can’t discipline them because the outcome may make them look bad. The employers are then stuck with an unsuitable employee who they cannot touch. This in itself is a disgrace and another opportunity for the council to open themselves for ridicule. Wel at least we have an election looming.
Thank goodness for Councillor Moran. It takes a sensible independent Official to expose this. There are definitely questions to be answered here. If the elected party representative refuses to be open, then what are we supposed to think. Of course it will bring the Council into disrepute. It’s not rocket science, the Council IS disreputable. I am very worried for the electorate, because if the elected representative Mr Moran is denied a voice over something that blights our quality of life then what chance do we have in this so called democracy. I support Arthur Moran wholeheartedly.
Don’t worry – the Labour councillors have got motions on the agenda for Thursday about the Local Plan and Lyme Green. It took a bit of careful wording and some political sensitivity. The demand from the Independents that they want a new Local Plan to be completed by March 2015 shows a lack of realism – a new Local Plan would take 2 years to produce.