Cheshire East’s “upgraded” planning system has come under fire as one councillor said she’s been inundated with complaints from residents unable to respond to consultations online, writes Belinda Ryan.
Cllr Rachel Bailey (Audlem) said the number of complaints she’s had from Audlem residents and forwarded to planning officers “isn’t sustainable”.
Speaking at an audit and governance committee, she added: “I am receiving regular complaints, which is adding to the workload of planning officers, as to concerned residents who face difficulties either responding to a planning consultation following an application being registered, or assuring themselves that those comments have been received by the council and that the planning officer has sight of them.
“If you consider it across Cheshire East, because I believe that the problem isn’t just unique to Audlem ward, I really wonder if it’s another piece of work that audit could work on…
“It is a governance failure if it continues.
“It will be reflected in complaints, and it will be reflected, one assumes regrettably, in ombudsman matters.”
Cllr Bailey (pictured) said the problem needed to be discussed openly, in public.
“Cheshire East has no housing land supply and there is real fear in communities as to what will come to them next, and the consultation process is one of the main front-facing services that this council provides,” said the Audlem councillor.
“I really would ask that members would think seriously about discussing this in public so that our residents are aware that we are trying to do something.
“Otherwise, all members such as I are going to end up doing, which doesn’t uphold the council’s code of conduct, is directing our residents to the complaints process.”
Cllr Bailey’s comments come just a week after Tatton MP Esther McVey wrote that the council’s new IT system was “not fit for purpose” and “makes a complete mockery of the planning system”.
The Conservative MP said: ““The new software was meant to help, but my inbox is full of correspondence from angry residents wanting to have their say who cannot…
“There is a time frame to object and people are missing the deadline.”
The Local Democracy Reporting Service has also been contacted by residents since the system was “upgraded” last year, saying they had been unable to upload objections to planning applications.
Audit and governance committee chair Michael Beanland (Con) said a meeting would be held with the relevant committee chairs and officers.
It was agreed a report would then be discussed at the next meeting of audit and governance.
When anyone makes an objection they seem to never suggest an alternative. If it was left to ‘local democracy’ nothing would ever get done, over riding national democracy.
As we’ve seen its a relatively pointlesss system anyway when the law allows developers to appeal to the PI or SoS and they just override local democracy to fulfil their London bubble ideals. Meanwhile MPs on both sides do FA about it