A row has broken out over a key Isle of Wight Council meeting to approve the draft Island Planning Strategy (DIPS)…the document which will shape housing targets for years to come.
Council chair Claire Critchison is facing a growing backlash from the community and councillors over the date she has set for an extraordinary meeting of the council — although she says it is in Islanders’ best interests to hold it sooner, rather than later.
Following the Queen’s death earlier this month, the national mourning period saw council meetings postponed or cancelled.
Among those was the full Isle of Wight Council meeting that could have seen the approval of the DIPS — which will set the housing targets and planning policies until 2038. A new date has been set for 5th October but many councillors say it is a date they cannot make.
Many have urged Cllr Critchison to think again.
Leader of the Tories at County Hall, Cllr Joe Robertson, had highlighted before the final decision was made, it was an unsuitable date as the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham was on.
National rail strikes are also taking place, making it difficult to get back to the Island in time for the 18:00 start. He said the only plausible explanation of why that date was chosen was to ‘advance the political objective’ of the mixed-party ruling Alliance group of the Isle of Wight Council.
Cllr Robertson urged Cllr Critchison to think again, ‘upholding the political neutrality of the chair’, and not hold a meeting on a date when the Conservative Group, along with three other councillors who have all expressed reservations about the DIPS, could not attend.
Conservative Cllr Peter Spink said, in an email to Cllr Critchison, he concluded October 5 had been chosen to ensure the smooth passage of the DIPS. Cllr Spink alleged the meeting was in breach of the council’s constitution, highlighting a section that states when deciding whether to hold an extraordinary meeting consideration should be given to maximising the attendance of councillors.
Cllr Geoff Brodie, who was chair before Cllr Critchison, said in his 18 years on the council party conferences had always been avoided for meetings. He said if he had been in the position, he would have avoided 5th October.
Alliance member Cllr Chris Jarman is another councillor who is unable to attend the October 5 meeting — despite submitting a motion, although he said it was very challenging as there was no agenda or papers to submit a motion on.
Community action group Sustainable Freshwater has said the extraordinary meeting, according to the constitution, can only be called if the matter could not have been foreseen or was urgent, but the DIPS has been around for years and an extra month would seemingly not make a difference.
Responding to concerns, Cllr Critchison said it was important the full council meets to discuss and determine council business without further delay.
She said between now and mid-October there were very few days suitable for an extraordinary meeting but October 5 was the first available and after ‘considering all options and logistics’ it was decided in the ‘interest of putting residents first, the soonest date was chosen’.
The urgent need to adopt the planning strategy has been highlighted by many councillors and the Local Government Association (LGA).
The LGA said the authority needed to urgently finalise and adopt the strategy because without one it was possible developments could happen that are ‘deemed not in the public interest and outside the needs of local people’.
If approved, there would be further opportunities to consult on, and make changes to, the plan as it is sent to the Planning Inspectorate for approval.
No small wonder that the public feel the Council are not to be trusted, for they all seem to have their own agendas and private interests place well before what is best for the Island and it’s indigenous residents.
That applies to politicians in general.
Generally their priorities are.
Missed one out Smiffy, The supply of brown envelopes.
This meeting does need ti be held quickly, and frankly if you are a resident concerned about planning, who cares about a Tory or other party conference
Omg what the heck do these councillors actually do ?????
(Apart from moan )
No problem just do a ZOOM meeting!!!!! Pretend it’s lock down!!!!!!!!!
This is an important meeting that affects the whole island ,who by the way in case you don’t know you are supposed to represent!!!!
But hey I expect you are washing your hair !!!!!!!
Waste of space ,and you wonder why nobody respects you ….
Ask the audience ……
Someone’s power pi$$ed!!! Do it on her date or she’ll stamp her feet. Pathetic.
All political parties should be there as its a big decision & it is a multi party leadership. She is NOT acting neutral and as chair she should be totally neutral.
Sort it out IWC. Remember, you work for us islanders!
Similar thing happened with the selling off of public land at Ventnor industrial estate, to a company which had already wrapped the Council around its little finger! Cheetah marine approached the council with its proposal to purchase the land & quoted the amount they believed it was worth & how much per month they would pay for it, over many many years. When a councillor objected, stating the council should have it valued & state the payment terms. IE 100k one off payment can be put to greater use than £2.88 per week for decades. They just waited for the councillor to go on holiday & pushed the deal through. The land was never valued or advertised to give anyone else a chance & opportunities. DISGUSTING
It seems to me, those that cannot make it to a meeting which concerns their constituents, and the whole of the Island, then they need to be removed. Their main interest is not this Island or the people.. also why travel to watch a meeting on mainland… ??? Can easily watch it on their Ipads !!! And if there are rail strikes that day.. why are they even going ???
Very POOR representation of the Island… !! Obviously they do not care.
I say go through with it and pass it, sod those that do not attend. Remove those people from our Island… and out of our council..!!
It’s not a strategy.
They’ve just come up with a number which is less than the government target because they can’t meet the target.
Tory boys are in a tiff cos they want their Bembridge/Freshwater exclusion.
Absolutely spot on, this is all about Freshwater and Bembridge trying to move development to any part of the Island they can other than in thier back yards, that’s why Sustain My Freshwater House Price group posted about 5 pages on the CP website in the hope that there false spin and accusations will influence this, let’s move forward and get this adopted and finally have a plan to deal with so many issues
I’m a freshwater resident, I’m not well off, but I can see how the increase in 127 houses (255 houses if you count all sites in freshwater) will badly effect the carbon emissions on the island…. There is no infrastructure in freshwater, where will all these people work? They will end up having to commute… Furthermore, these building plans are all on green agriculture fields… When are we going to realise once our beautiful landscape is lost it cannot be returned… I have no issue with developments in freshwater… But those developments need to be sustainable and they need infrastructure behind them to support the local community. They need to meet the demands of our Islanders not just more second homes… That are not affordable.
IW Council could not plan a p*ss up in a brewery.
For years now double yellow lines, speed camera’s / sleeping policeman
need installing down Great Preston Road Ryde
Vehicles travel along this Dangerous Road 50mph+
“Nothing ever gets done”
Not only is this council clueless, they are useless.
Luckily one resident has decided to do something about the speeding cars at Great Preston rd.
He parks his van half on the pavement and half on the road to help slow the speeding cars.
Yet people still moan about that.
You can’t please everyone I guess.
If you’re that committed to the outcome of this meeting then don’t go to conference, make up your mind what comes first in your work.