Not allowed to speak

Today Conservative Swale Cllr Gareth Randall, who isn’t our ward councillor, has very kindly sent along his newsletter so we could read his views on the Kent Science Park. Cllr Randall comments that members of the public have rightly asked why other Conservative councillors, and indeed Swale Borough Council as a whole, have not said much about the proposed expansion of the park.

He poses the following question and answer in response.

Q. Why are Conservative councillors not speaking out about the plans for the Kent Science Park?

A. Local councillors have been effectively barred from speaking about issues that they might have to vote on in the future, due to anti-democratic regulations brought in by the Labour Government. They face being excluded from voting on a planning application if they have an “interest”, which includes having expressed previously a point of view on that planning application. We believe Labour introduced these regulations deliberately to make Conservative councillors look bad, as a prelude to concreting over the South East.

Our response

Firstly I’ll make it abundantly clear that the Five Parishes Opposition Group is politically neutral organisation. FPOG have received both support and opposition from various members of the all main political party elements. We will continue to lobby all bodies at all levels of government and local authority because we do not see this as a political argument where one party is in the right and the other wrong. We also have no wish to become embroiled in futile political point scoring match which would detract from the debate at hand.

Now let me explain why this statement is utter rubbish and the same standard response we’ve heard from one or two other Swale councillors.

Fact 1. Not all councillors are on the planning committee and therefore the above isn’t applicable. Don Jordan our own ward councillor was forced to own up to this at one of our meetings, but proceeds to remain quiet on the subject.

Fact 2. There isn’t going to be a vote. By the time it’s at planning application stage there won’t be anything councillors will be able to do to stop it. This isn’t a regular development and therefore the process isn’t the same as say a house extension. The Kent Science Park has sought to include the expansion in both the Kent & Medway Structure Plan and Swale Local Plan. If it makes it through to the Local Plan the planning committee can not prevent it. This is why we have campaigned to stop it now before it gets this far. Swale Borough Councillors neither had the chance to vote on it, nor made any attempt to join our campaign to prevent it.

Fact 3. Even councillors on the planning committee could choose to forgo their vote and instead support the views of their ward and prevent the scheme from reaching planning application stage. Yet not one single councillor has done so.

Fact 4. Swale Borough Council have already agreed to and promoted via their Transport Strategy “that access to Kent Science Park is improved, in a manner that enables a significant expansion of the site”. Councillors had a chance to vote and voted in favour of a significant expansion and A2/M2 link road.

Fact 5. Andrew Bowles leader of Swale Borough Council has already made his view public and supports the expansion and A2/M2 road link.