Sir, – Not so very long ago Liberal Democrats and Conservatives came together at Westminster and at EHDC to oppose the then Labour Housing Minister Yvette Cooper's plans to take away developers contributions from their local areas and redistribute them elsewhere (probably Labour key marginals in the Midlands and the North).
Thankfully the Government were defeated.
Unfortunately it now seems our Conservative run district council has plans to do the exactly the same just at a more local level.
Last week at EHDC full council budget debate, after the press had all gone home a remarkable thing happened. For the first time in this current administration's history the Tory leader and cabinet were defeated by a coalition of Liberal Democrats and disaffected back-bench Conservatives.
What caused this historic event was the Tory cabinet's outrageous plans to skim off parishes developers contributions and use them for so called strategic projects elsewhere in the district.
Traditionally developers' contributions such as 106 and 278 agreements are paid (like a tax) by developers for improvements in the parish where the development takes place. Often they are used in conjunction with a specific development such as a new cycle lane, a set of traffic lights or money towards public open space.
We have always had a principle at EHDC that this money is "held in trust" by the district council as the local planning authority for the communities in which the development has taken place – the parishes have had "the pain", they should have "the gain".
When a parish or town council wants to use its some of its contributions for a community project such as sports pavilion they can apply to EHDC and the matter comes to area committee/forum for discussion and approval.
Not only will this new Tory proposal see money being effectively being "skimmed off the top" and used for strategic projects across the district rather than being spent in the communities where the development has occurred, but it will give the all-powerful Tory cabinet power to determine where this money should be spent, rather than parishes or area forums.
This proposal is wrong a number of reasons.
Firstly, these developers contributions are held in trust by EHDC for the parish where that development has taken place – it morally belongs to that community and should not be there for the district council to use elsewhere. The legality of this is also questionable. If EHDC is short of cash for so called strategic projects it should not have put itself in a financial strait jacket in the first place.
For example it would be quite wrong to take developers contributions from Whitehill-Bordon or Kingsley and redistribute it to provide a strategic cycle link between Horndean and Rowlands Castle or vice-versa.
Finally area committees are the best placed to consider applications by parishes for release of developers contributions. Local district councillors are far more in touch with the communities they represent than an all-powerful over-centralised Tory cabinet.
In the end the Tories' proposal was amended rather than totally defeated – the matter will now be discussed at the area forums – the battle is far from over but East Hants Liberal Democrats will fight this appalling proposal tooth and nail.
Once again this unlistening Tory administration has show how totally out of touch it is with public opinion – firstly we had the sale of public open space, then increased car parking charges and Sunday parking and now this.
If you feel as strongly about this issue as the Liberal Democrats do please contact your district councillors and let us know.
Enough is enough. Its time to stand up and be counted!
Adam Carew, prospective MP – East Hampshire (Liberal Democrat), county councillor, Whitehill, Bordon and Lindford, district and town councillor, Whitehill Walldown, Forest Road, Whitehill