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Call for more powers to local councils., As if we didn't have enough to worry about! |
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Nov 30 2014, 04:52 PM
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30266834I have to say, as far as I'm concerned, this would be the biggest downside to the devolution no vote. Whilst logically, it might seem the right answer to restore and give back powers to local councils, their antics round here suggest that they can't cope with the power they have already. We do have a model, Newbury Town Council was restored, after a period of abolition, but it's been an unmitigated disaster. Equally, WBC was created (in reality) by giving a district council far more powers than they had previously. Again, that Council has hardly covered itself in glory. In spite of the large number of councillors, at local level, we seem unable to find effective leaders at any level. I can't see that we'd correct that simply by giving the Councils even more power. Yes, there needs to be an English counter to the devolved 'governments' elsewhere, or we'll end up with a Charter Trustees model; a convenient milch cow to subsidise spending. But this proposal is surely the wrong answer.
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Know your place!
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Replies
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Dec 2 2014, 10:12 PM
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QUOTE (MontyPython @ Dec 1 2014, 08:25 PM) Whilst I would like to see more powers devolved locally not to WBC or NTC please neither of which seem to have the competence to run anything. Please let us have our local services merged with Wokingham and possibly Windsor & Maidenhead too. Then we may get some competent officers to run the authority. You want Planning decisions for W Berks influenced by Councillors from Windsor/Maidenhead etc? Really?
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Dec 2 2014, 11:18 PM
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QUOTE (NWNREADER @ Dec 2 2014, 10:12 PM) You want Planning decisions for W Berks influenced by Councillors from Windsor/Maidenhead etc? Really? They wouldn't be - planning decisions are decided by council officers and Whitehall inspectors - councillors have almost no influence whatsoever. If a council planning committee goes against the officers recommendation odds are that the inspectors will overturn the decision on appeal.
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Dec 4 2014, 10:22 AM
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QUOTE (blackdog @ Dec 2 2014, 11:18 PM) They wouldn't be - planning decisions are decided by council officers and Whitehall inspectors - councillors have almost no influence whatsoever. If a council planning committee goes against the officers recommendation odds are that the inspectors will overturn the decision on appeal. I think you'll find that only applicants/developers have the right of appeal.
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Dec 4 2014, 10:49 PM
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QUOTE (Lolly @ Dec 4 2014, 10:22 AM) I think you'll find that only applicants/developers have the right of appeal. Exactly - and if an officer's recommendation to approve an application is ignored by a planning committee it is pretty much inevitable that the applicant will appeal and the odds are pretty good that they will win the appeal. Only the applicant can appeal via the planning inspector (a huge bias towards developers). However, anyone can appeal through the courts with a legal challenge - which has to be an appeal against the process through which the decision was reached. Needless to say councils main interest is avoiding such expensive appeals, so they employ professional planning officers to ensure that the correct process is followed. Which makes any instance where councillors overide officers vulnerable to appeal through the courts. We might as well give up having planning committees.
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Dec 4 2014, 11:00 PM
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QUOTE (blackdog @ Dec 4 2014, 10:49 PM) We might as well give up having planning committees. I agree, and I've made the point several times before. Councillors have almost nothing useful to bring to the party. Councils should have development guides that mandate the quality and vibe, and then every planning decision should be a technical decision taken by professional planners, and if the application meets the planning guide and is sustainable then it passes. No need at all for elected amateurs in that process. And when I say councils, there's no good reason to have the planning function under the control of local government at all. It would be much better off under a national agency. We could have a Development Agency in the same way that the HSE look after industrial health and safety and the Environment Agency look after the natural environment. The tricky bit is to get a really good design guide, and that might well need some local knowledge, but a national agency could probably knock up a pretty good one just by having a poke about with an eye for local vernacular and character.
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Right an injustice - give Simon Kirby his allotment back!
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Posts in this topic
On the edge Call for more powers to local councils. Nov 30 2014, 04:52 PM Simon Kirby The Local Government Association is the trade body... Nov 30 2014, 07:19 PM blackdog QUOTE (MontyPython @ Dec 1 2014, 07:25 PM... Dec 2 2014, 01:14 AM Andy Capp QUOTE (Lolly @ Dec 4 2014, 10:22 AM) I th... Dec 4 2014, 12:50 PM Lolly QUOTE (Andy Capp @ Dec 4 2014, 12:50 PM) ... Dec 4 2014, 09:53 PM On the edge QUOTE (Lolly @ Dec 4 2014, 09:53 PM) Mayb... Dec 4 2014, 10:08 PM Cognosco The main criteria is to make any local Councils ac... Dec 1 2014, 07:48 PM On the edge Not totally convinced that it was all the fault of... Dec 2 2014, 08:03 AM MontyPython QUOTE (On the edge @ Dec 2 2014, 08:03 AM... Dec 2 2014, 04:26 PM Simon Kirby QUOTE (On the edge @ Dec 2 2014, 08:03 AM... Dec 2 2014, 05:58 PM blackdog QUOTE (Simon Kirby @ Dec 2 2014, 05:58 PM... Dec 2 2014, 11:14 PM Simon Kirby QUOTE (blackdog @ Dec 2 2014, 11:14 PM) W... Dec 3 2014, 05:05 PM NWNREADER QUOTE (Simon Kirby @ Dec 3 2014, 06:05 PM... Dec 3 2014, 09:23 PM MontyPython QUOTE (NWNREADER @ Dec 3 2014, 09:23 PM) ... Dec 3 2014, 10:06 PM Lolly QUOTE (MontyPython @ Dec 3 2014, 10:06 PM... Dec 4 2014, 10:49 AM Andy Capp All Councillors can do is organise protests or pet... Dec 3 2014, 01:44 PM Cognosco QUOTE (Andy Capp @ Dec 3 2014, 01:44 PM) ... Dec 3 2014, 03:59 PM Andy Capp QUOTE (Cognosco @ Dec 3 2014, 03:59 PM) S... Dec 3 2014, 05:20 PM Cognosco QUOTE (Andy Capp @ Dec 3 2014, 05:20 PM) ... Dec 3 2014, 06:04 PM blackdog QUOTE (Cognosco @ Dec 3 2014, 06:04 PM) .... Dec 3 2014, 06:58 PM Simon Kirby QUOTE (blackdog @ Dec 3 2014, 06:58 PM) W... Dec 3 2014, 07:15 PM On the edge I'm with Simon K on this. The party constitut... Dec 3 2014, 10:27 PM Andy Capp The 'shareholders' keep voting for the sam... Dec 3 2014, 10:40 PM On the edge Let's eliminate this pointless charade then. I... Dec 3 2014, 10:45 PM Andy Capp QUOTE (On the edge @ Dec 3 2014, 10:45 PM... Dec 3 2014, 11:16 PM Andy Capp That idea works well in China, Russia, etc... Dec 5 2014, 12:36 PM On the edge QUOTE (Andy Capp @ Dec 5 2014, 12:36 PM) ... Dec 5 2014, 03:33 PM Cognosco QUOTE (On the edge @ Dec 5 2014, 03:33 PM... Dec 5 2014, 04:16 PM Simon Kirby QUOTE (Cognosco @ Dec 5 2014, 04:16 PM) S... Dec 5 2014, 07:17 PM Cognosco QUOTE (Simon Kirby @ Dec 5 2014, 07:17 PM... Dec 5 2014, 07:55 PM Simon Kirby QUOTE (Cognosco @ Dec 5 2014, 07:55 PM) P... Dec 5 2014, 09:36 PM Lolly QUOTE (Simon Kirby @ Dec 5 2014, 07:17 PM... Dec 5 2014, 08:03 PM x2lls There has to be a public interest in regard to thi... Dec 5 2014, 09:43 PM
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