A POLITICAL row has broken out following East Hampshire District Council's full meeting on Wednesday, September 5, when Bordon and Whitehill councillors asked to be consulted on changes to a strategy document. Senior Liberal Democrat Adam Carew proposed that: 'Whitehill and Bordon councillors should be added to the names of those to be consulted before the head of planning services agreed any late changes in relation to the area which could be required before EHDC published its Core Strategy Issues and Option paper'. His recommendation was that the addition be recommendation to full council, which would then read: 'The head of planning services in consultation with the deputy chief executive and the portfolio holder for development (and Whitehill and Bordon councillors), be authorised to agree any changes in relation to Whitehill and Bordon that may arise either as a result of the publication of the South East Plan discussions with the steering group or the Ministry of Defence, prior to the publication of the issues and options paper'. Tories facing the Liberal Democrats across the debating chamber looked unsure about Mr Carew's amendment and Liberal Democrat Jerry Janes stepped in to reassure: "I don't think it's anything to be worried about in involving local members," he said. "It is not involving them in any executive capacity that resides as things are at the moment with Daryl Phillips." Chief executive Will Godfrey was clearly unhappy about the proposed change and told councillors that although they could vote for the change: "In terms of the governance of this council, you have chosen a cabinet-style governance and in my personal opinion this decision would be a contravention of that style of governance." Whitehill councillor Lib Dem Zoya Faddy told those present, that at the last steering group meeting of the Bordon and Whitehill Opportunities, the group had emphasised the importance of involving as many local members as possible. She said: "It's the local members who will have to sell this to the local community. We have to take the local community with us and liaison is so important." Liberal Democrat leader Tony Ludlow told the meeting he believed it was essential to involve Whitehill and Bordon members in the interests of 'democracy, efficiency and getting the ship back the way we want it'. Portfolio holder for development senior Conservative Patrick Burridge said he hoped Whitehill and Bordon members had enough faith in him to know he would put forward their view in any consultation. But when it came to the vote, 12 Tories abstained. Despite this Mr Carew lost his amendment by 14 votes to 12 which left heads shaking and murmurs of "unbelievable" from the opposition benches. After the meeting Tony Ludlow issued a statement asking: "Are party and personal issues clouding judgement at the district council?" He said ruling Conservatives had voted to: "Break with an important tradition of consulting local democratically elected councillors in decisions about the communities they represent." He said the amendment had been proposed to the core strategy of the local development framework, the document which was to replace the local plan. He added: "There is a special section on Whitehill and Bordon because of the enormous consequences of the MOD releasing a large amount of land and there was a special recommendation that the decision should be taken in consultation with the committee chairman and key officers, but no mention of the local members." "In a bizarre twist the amendment threw the Conservatives into turmoil - the cabinet abstained while their back benchers voted against." "There is a long-standing tradition that the officer will take the decision in consultation with the chairman of the relevant committee/portfolio holder and the local members. "Virtually all the councils in the country have similar traditions." He continued: "As Liberal Democrats we strongly believe that local people should be represented by the councillors they elect. The council needs their local knowledge; the people have voted for them and the people expect their views to be heard. "These principles are fundamental to local democracy and should not be overturned by party politics or, worse-still, by personal prejudice. "I am increasingly concerned that the Tories are freezing out democratically elected local councillors. "I worry that party and personal issues are starting to cloud judgement at the district council." Adam Carew said: "I'm surprised and saddened at all this. "All we were asking was for all Whitehill and Bordon's democratically elected councillors to be consulted on the future of our town. "We are at a critical stage of the Whitehill-Bordon opportunity and we have been elected to speak up for local people – for some reason the Tories don't want that voice to be heard."
