The point of a planning committee?

What is the point of the Parish Council Planning Committee? The law says that all planning applications must be notified to the Parish Council. The Planning Authority must take account of any comments or objections received from the Parish Council. Nothing says the Parish Council has to decide anything.

The Parish Council cannot decide a planning application. Therefore it cannot Approve or Refuse a planning application. It can only comment or object.

The Planning Committee meets every 2 weeks, roughly 25 meetings a year. It makes comments and "approves" and "refuses" planning applications. See above.

When the Parish Council makes a comment or objection it must do so for material planning reasons. If the comment or objection is made which is not because a material planning reason, the Planning Authority will just disregard the comment or objection.

At a Planning Committee meeting on 12th January 2016 there was an item about the change of use on Bourn Airfield which is not within the boundary of Cambourne Parish.

What did the Planning Committee decide?

It was proposed to approve the application as there was no planning reasons to object. This proposal was not agreed.

It was:
RESOLVED to refuse the application due to the concern on the noise impact of residents of Upper Cambourne and increase in traffic at Caxton Gibbet roundabout at peak times.

The Planning Committee decided to REFUSE (which it cannot do) the application. With no valid planning reasons to object the committee simply made up some.

The first made up objection is the noise impact on residents of Upper Cambourne. What is the evidence for this? Has the Planning Committee done any investigations of noise? This could be done as the operation is moving from Alconbury. The noise from these operations therefore can be found out.

The second objection made up objection is the increase in traffic at Caxton Gibbet roundabout at peak times. Again where is the evidence for this assertion? There is no evidence to back up this objection.

With no planning reasons to object the planning committee simply made up some objections. A waste of time and money of both the Parish Council council taxpayer and the District council taxpayer.

Ron says: The Planning Committee is a useless waste of money and must be scrapped. I don't see the point of this committee. The major planning issues go to full council anyway.

Daft Budget

Cambourne Parish Council has published a Draft Budget for 2016/17. Looking at this budget the word DRAFT is across all the pages in red. This obscures the numbers underneath which makes them hard to read. This is DAFT. A DAFT Budget. Then what does CPC really care? Hardly transparent!

What is the 6 months rule?

The 6 months rule is simple. A councillor must attend one meeting every 6 months otherwise they are disqualified and are therefore no longer a councillor. There are certain exceptions. One being if the council approves the reason for absence and sets a limit usually 6 months.

Since my complaint over Laura Selway Cambourne Parish Council (CPC) has changed its procedures. As can be read in these minutes 1/9/15 CPC has approved the following:

1. APOLOGIES 
Apologies for absence were received from Cllr J O’Dwyer. An extension of the six month period of absence is requested in order that Cllr O’Dwyer may return when he is fully fit. The Council wish Cllr O’Dwyer a speedy recovery. 

It was: RESOLVED that the apologies for absence from Cllr J O’Dwyer be approved and an extension to the six months period of absence be granted.

Why did need to happen? Cllr J O'Dwyer was last attended a meeting on 7th April 2015. This would mean that if Cllr O'Dwyer didn't attend a meeting on or before 6th October 2015 he would be disqualified.

This is what did for Laura Selway. It is a pity the Council didn't do this for Laura. If they had Laura would still be a Councillor.

Draft Minutes within 28 days

I see that Cambourne Parish Council is not doing things right again. It says that Parish Councils should publish draft minutes within 28 days of a meeting taking place on there website. A Council Meeting was held on 1st December 2015. These minutes have yet to be published.

Though the Finance and Policy Committee had their draft minutes published!

Update

The minutes have been finally published.

No RoI update from Jeyur Patel

Having looked at all the others I complained about it is Jeyur Patel who is holding out. No Register of Interests so far.

Ghazala Mehboob - still a director but not on her Register of Interests

I see that Ghazala Mehboob has updated her Register of Interests. Still nothing on Innate Financial Consultants Ltd of which according to Companies House Ghazala is a Director.

Sean Masters - another company registered

I see that Sean Masters has set up another company. This one is Newbie Night Ltd. This was registered on 4th September 2015. Again this wasn't declared within the 28 days on his register of interests.

Ruth Betson - better late than never

I see that Ruth Betson has finally got her Register of Interests up.