An Isle of Wight Councillor has claimed he was ‘gagged’, with a ‘concerted effort’ made to stop him speaking out against the West Acre Park planning application which was given the green light on Tuesday night.
Councillor Michael Lilley, representative for Ryde Appley and Elmfield, the ward in which the development sits, has been strongly against the 473-home proposal since it was first announced. Cllr Lilley is also a chair of the planning committee who was set to determine the major scheme.
Ahead of the meeting, Cllr Lilley said he stood down as chair and from his place on the committee so he could speak against the West Acre development. He said it was an accepted practice that ward councillors could attend and voice their objections on behalf of their residents.
Cllr Lilley said monitoring officer, Chris Potter, then told him he could not attend but instead appear virtually. However, he was told on Tuesday he could only send a written statement.
Speaking about the situation, Lilley has said:
“I was unable to get independent advice and, being told I would jeopardise any future appeal, I had no choice to abide by the monitoring officer’s decision.
“I believe there has been a concerted effort to stop me talking and properly representing my residents. Preventing a democratically elected councillor from being at the meeting was a violation of democracy and human rights.
Article continues below this advertisement “I am devastated by the outcome of the meeting and for the farming family who now face the loss of their home and livelihood.
“This is a great injustice and I will be working with local residents to take this decision to judicial review.”
Speaking at the planning meeting on Tuesday, acting chair Councillor Geoff Brodie said the monitoring officer’s advice was because of the risk of prejudicing the decision of the committee.
A statement was read out by strategic planning manager Ollie Boulter from Cllr Lilley, who said it would be an overdevelopment of the area due to 1,400 other houses in the area approved to be built already. Cllr Lilley wrote:
“The council will be making the family homeless, taking away a man’s livelihood and confiscating a child’s future.
“Sheer common sense and rationality dictates human rights issues are absolutely central to this.
“If you agree this application you will be denying Island residents their human rights and breaking the council’s constitution.”
The Isle of Wight Council has been contacted for comment.
Absolutely disgusting how on this earth was this allowed as well as Pennyfeathers which is bad enough. I hope the people that wanted permission regularly get caught up in long traffic queues coming soon oh wait a minute there is already long traffic queues, added pollution, but the people profiting don’t even live on the Island. I really despair PLEASE Mr Seeley get us National Park Status before it’s too late.
it is quite clear from councillor lilley’s comments that there has been an underhanded, undemocratic process implemented to ensure that this went the way the vested interests wanted it.
there must now be a fully independent and possible criminal investigation into this and the decision reached recently must be put in abeyance until the outcome of the investigation has been made public.
Our democracy has been shown to be at risk here, by councillor lilleys indications in his comments in this article
It would seem that some of those involved may be due a court appearance and then removal from office.
Sadly, there would likely be twists & turns & little loopholes found & documents going missing & all manner of delaying & evasive tactics & probably allowing enough time for the houses to start being built until anything took place & by then would be too late as the damage would be done. I have suffered by experience of this sort of thing on a smaller & personal scale & I can say it’s quite frightening. Wheels within wheels. Little private signals pass in courtrooms, judges are not always upright and just, having witnessed it myself, if you speak out you are at risk in many ways. I hope this time something can be done & Good win.
The Masons are involved so any enquiry will get sadly no-where.
Ryde is going to look like Milton Keynes, no Esplanade and an enormous housing estate, this council will be remembered forever for going against local feelings, Ryde ‘last’ got the vote it appears.
I’d love to see the Police investigate this. Not sure if they’ve enough handcuffs though.
They would probably be warned off and told to leave it alone if they tried. Or it would go ahead and all the good people would be somehow discredited. I’ve seen so much of it in my own dealings with unscrupulous but moneyed people with the ‘right’ connections.
Perhaps we should call county hall “The Islands Kremlin”, Well done to Councillor Lilley standing up to this new regime of “f*** what the residents want, let’s do what Captiva want instead.” There should be a full police probe into this, surely it is preventing proper democratic process. Whoever this Chris Potter is, needs a good looing into as well. Shocking behaviour. Oh well let’s watch the hospital collapse soon then with all these extra people and the roads too, all those extra cars clogging it all up.
I’m sorry people but this is no laughing matter. I totally agree with isle of wighter that this whole thing stinks and should be investigated. Whether it be independent or even criminal. It really needs to be looked at and time spent uncovering all procedures even the first phase at W acre which is almost complete.
BALL should not be able to get away with this total destruction of Greenfields and Ryde.
I’m not sure how residents can get behind Cllr Lilley to support him so am relying on Island Echo and social media to keep us informed on how to do this.
Let’s just wait and see…………………………………..
Email him offering your support, as I have done. He needs us to back him up
‘Prejudice the decision’ is an unfortunate term. Cllr Lilley should have been allowed to speak and INFLUENCE the decision. Councillors are elected to listen to all the arguments and views of their constituents and then reach a considered decision. In reality, they have their own personal opinion and place their vote in line with that. The current system of ‘democracy’ is a farce.
I think the root cause that needs investigating is the fact the Holiday family enjoyed security of tenure under the 1986 Agricultural rent Act. Did Captiva persuade them to give up their tenancy by fair means or foul??
I certainly hope this whole sordid affair can be put on hold until a full investigation is carried out.
Some people in county hall will be receiving some nice brown envelopes full of money for getting this through. A sad future for the garden isle, soon to be an urban isle.
Someone get a petition running to STOP paying our council tax, if there is enough people willing to do it, I can’t see how the court system would cope with the people our lovely council would need to fine or imprison and also maybe it would highlight how corrupt this council is to the national media. Imagine the BBC and Sky news announcing “1000’s of Isle of Wight residents facing court from a corrupt council”
Unfortunately the Council can send the bailiffs in without warning or high court proceedings. This is what happened to a friends son, the mistake it appeared was the Councils miscalculation of the amount he should have paid. No apology from the Council though…
Excuse me he says he was gagged ????? Doesn’t that mean there should be an enquiry?
Totally ridiculous this housing got approved if it was based on someone being Gagged !!!!
Is there an Ombudsman that can investigate this before it goes ahead ? Sounds well dodgy a total stitch up …
I actually thought there was a tiny chance the new council would be better than the last and actually do what the people wished but it seems not, now that ward is an utterly irrelevant waste of space it would seem more councillors are using his supplier of council trousers with extra deep back pockets.
This is exactly why nobody trusts planning this proves what goes on.
I agree it must be investigated.
Where there’s big money involved the locals (and their representatives) have little chance of being heard properly.
The wheels are well in motion to whitewash any protests and silver to change hands.
Anybody who thinks the Cllr not being able to represent his own ward was circumstantial is dreaming, he was elbowed-out, the voice of locals are irrelevant to these corrupt decision makers.
I fail to understand how someone in such an important position can’t express his/her personal views; this smacks of a dictatorship
These people are hell” bent “on destroying the iow as we used to know it
Needs to go to a Judicial Review, and maybe a mass demonstration outside County Hall, and the landowners house.
Needs to go national.
If he’s to fight this, and I hope he does. then he needs to start by questioning the motives of his ‘advisors’ and to wonder if they have any hidden agenda and he needs to have his wits about him at all times and to TRUST NO ONE! I hope he has nothing at all that anyone could discredit him for ever, or they will use it if they have to. Remember, machinations, things will be going on behind the scenes, be careful of any lawyers he turns to. Where property ‘development’ is concerned on a big scale, be aware of ruthlessness, unscrupulousness, determination to get own way at no matter what cost. HE MUST BE STRONG to withstand it all.