Breaches Of Planning Law Upset Lib Dems (Statement)

SODC?s Tories fail in Planning Enforcement.

PARISH and Town Councillors, as well as those at the District level, devote many hours of service carrying out local consultations in respect to every planning application referred to them. But to what avail? The Council has allowed its enforcement service to languish with a hopelessly inadequate staffing compliment, despite budgeting the resources for a team of officers.

This blatant lapse in council service has allowed SODC to become the laughing stock of cynical developers who know full well that breaches of planning permissions will be met with a blind-eye by the authorities. Meanwhile, conscientious citizens continue to follow the rules at their own cost.

The Liberal Democrats are currently informed that of a backlog of 900 outstanding cases, 40% are considered ?not worth pursuing? which leaves a mountainous 500 plus cases to be determined.
To avoid a culture of total contempt it is essential that vigorous action be seen to be forthcoming from SODC. When it is evident that blatant breaches of planning law are overlooked Councillors feel that their involvement in the planning process is entirely in vain.

The Liberal Democrat Opposition Group has been campaigning for action for the last year and the inaction of the ruling Tory group gives rise to questions: Are they simply ideologically opposed to the control of development, or, are they so blinkered by their obsessive penny pinching that they cannot see the reality of their inaction?

Cllr. David Turner
Leader SODC Liberal Democrat Group