Monday 9 May 2016

Propriety of Butt's conduct on double planning meetings questioned

Claims emerged over the weekend that Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt sought the agreement of his allies on Brent Planning Committee before timetabling two Planning Committee meetings this week ahead of the Labour Group AGM on Saturday.

A reader commented:
It is totally unreasonable to expect Planning Committee to be able consider properly two full agendas, involving major proposed developments, within the space of 48 hours!

Rumour has it that the Chair of Planning Committee, Sarah Marquis, objected to having two meetings so close together, but that the Leader of the Council went behind her back and persuaded some of the other Committee members to agree to it.
The question arises as to whether the Committee can make informed and robust decisions in the limited time available on proposals that will make an impact on Wembley for decades to come and have major repercussions for the country's national stadium.

As the Planning Committee is statutorily independent questions also arise over the propriety of Muhammed Butt's intervention.  I would think that the chair would be entitled to seek independent advice on whether the double meetings are reasonable and enable the Committee to cary out its statutory duties effectively and fairly.

The Members Code of Conduct and Planning Code of Practice are relevant LINK

1 comment:

Philip Grant said...

I would have thought that there is no question about it!

However able and conscientious the committee members might be, there is no way in which so many complex and important planning decisions can be fairly assessed by Planning Committee in the space of a couple of days.

I hope that the Chair will propose at the meeting this evening, and that her committee will support, a resolution that the next meeting planned for 11 May be adjourned until late May 2016 at the earliest.

Philip.