Congratulations to Rayleigh Town Council for winning ?Council of the Year? by the Essex Association of Local Councils. This award was presented at the EALC?s Annual General Meeting last week when the Chairman Councillor Eddie Dray and Town Clerk Kerry Cumberland were presented with a certificate and silver platter. We understand that the Chairman of the EALC, Sheila Jackman MBE, remarked in her speech that the EALC includes all 274 Parish and Town Councils in Essex and Rayleigh Town Council won this award by a long way.
The Christmas Lights, and annual visits by schools councils (who are invited into the Council Chamber to ask the Chairman questions), were apparently two of the big points in Rayleigh’s favour.
This is all nice and dandy, and congratulations to all at RTC, BUT what are they doing about the overdevelopment of Rayleigh and what lobbying?influencing are they doing to get improved infrastructure to support the new homes ????
Is it April the 1st then ?
Perhaps people do not realise that quite a few Town Councillors are also District Councillors. Ron being one.
How come Chris and Ron have to limit their for/ against views for fear of being unable to vote on OPA when the architects of the scheme ( the Cabinet ) who are obviously in the Pro camp – are allowed to vote , they have clearly expressed a for viewpoint in advance of the application hearing ?????
I think it’s because every Councillor is supposed to come to the Planning meetings with an open mind and judge each application on it’s planning merits and nothing else. If someone has already expressed strong views in public they can’t be said to have an open mind. Nothing says the planning permission can’t be refused for various reasons even though the scheme in principle is what the council want. They could refuse it until changes are made (like up-dated infrastructure)
What I would say about Rayleigh Town Council is that when they do something ,they normally do it well . For example the Xmas lights.
But as someone said to me today, they are certainly not a crusading council,, not with the current composition of the town council. Whereas when it was first set up, and was Lib Dem controlled, it led a vigorous campaign against a massive proposed incinerator, alongside Rawreth Parish Council.
Jim @ 4. The situation is this:
All planning applications have to be judged on whether they comply with local and national planning policies. We’ve been fighting over the last few years over some changes to the green belt policy – or to be more precise, to changes on the green belt boundary. That battle is effectively lost now; the land has now been taken out of the green belt (unless that is changed by High Court action).
Christine @ 5 – yes what you say is correct.
But there are still a whole raft of other planning policies on things like highways, education, design , flooding etc that have to be complied with. For example Ron and myself moved refusal last night on the Wakering application because we felt it was contrary to the council policy re primary school places. And 6 Tories (including at least 1 cabinet member) supported us.
Christine – I too wish that the world was that idealistic , but it is’nt , development after development has promised infrastructure facilities but they just don’t – this is going to get outline planning permission with absolutely no committment to proportionate infrastructure upgrading , I’ll have a side bet with you on it.
Chris. As you well know, and I have witnessed this, even if a few of the ‘less relevant’ Tory Councillors vote with you the decisions have already been made in the back room by the ‘big boys and Officers’ before any discussion in Chamber. Often the local Tory makes an impassioned plea for ‘his/her Ward’ if it concerns them to keep his/her voters on side whilst knowing full well their cronies will scoop plans through whatever the debate.
Jim, you’re more than likely going to be right. We already know ECC have no up-grade plans for London Road or Rawreth Lane so unless Countryside are made to do something and pay for it as a planning condition I will be surprised if anything actually improves.