Opposition Slams Lib Dems Over Planning Plan

West Berkshire Council's Conservative opposition has criticised Liberal Democrat members after last night's Resources and Place Scrutiny Committee, saying concerns about council transparency were brushed aside.

Opposition leader Ross Mackinnon says Lib Dems admitted the Planning Enforcement Plan wasn't clear enough but still refused to send it back for improvement. The updated plan was adopted and aims to improve transparency and response times by focusing resources on the most serious breaches and introducing a new priority system to handle investigations.

Planning portfolio holder Dense Gaines hit back: "I don't agree that we don’t do any investigation at all. If we think further information is required we will go back and find it.

"We do not give it a level four lightly.

"If I look at the stats for enforcement, the lowest number of enforcements are level four.

"This is more detailed than the previous plan and is not untransperent."

The opposition wanted clearer information for residents about what happens when they report possible breaches, especially where cases are treated as lower priority. A survey found more than two-thirds of respondents thought the council was not doing a good job, and about 45 per cent said they had reported a breach of planning control.

Mr Mackinnon said: "Tonight, Liberal Democrat members effectively accepted that the Planning Enforcement Plan was not clear enough for residents," and: "But when they had the chance to do something about it, they refused to vote for it to go back to the executive. That is the worst of both worlds: admitting there is a problem, then voting not to fix it."

He added residents deserve clear answers on whether their case will be investigated, how long they may wait, and what happens if the council decides not to take action.

The opposition also raised concerns about the council's approach to buying goods and services, including whether previous policies were followed and whether local businesses and communities get a fair chance to benefit from contracts.

Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter