Agenda item

The Chairman reported receipt of the listed motion from Councillors Chris Hurst and Ian Thorn. Accordingly, Councillor Hurst moved the following motion which was duly seconded by Councillor Thorn:

“The Council recognises the important role of planning within the authority and asserts the importance of democratic debate in the planning process. Public engagement is crucial to ensure that planning decisions are made in the best interests of Wiltshire residents. The Council's planning meetings are central in this process; giving the public an opportunity to contribute, speak and witness that all decisions are open, transparent and made free from prejudice.

To this end, the Council resolves to start all Eastern, Northern, Southern and Western Planning Committee meetings at 6pm to ensure that all residents have the greatest opportunity to attend.”

Presenting his motion, Councillor Hurst emphasised his view that afternoon meetings did not enable those of working age to attend thereby maximising the opportunity to make their views known on planning matters.

Responding to the motion, Councillor Toby Sturgis, as the Cabinet Member for Planning, stated that he could not support the motion as he believed that there were amble opportunities for the public the engage with the planning process and make their views known, and that there had been no reduction in public attendance when the meetings moved to the afternoon.

Issues raised in the course of the debate included: the impact of the timing of meetings in different groups ability to attend; the limited number of times someone would attend a planning meeting; the alternative methods of engagement with the process; the impact of the timing of meetings on Councillors with other commitments; the impact on the levels of concentration of members and thus the quality of debate; and the impact of the proposals on officers supporting the meetings.

Having been put to the vote, the motion was LOST and was recorded as follows:

For the motion (25):

Cllr Andy Phillips, Cllr Bob Jones MBE, Cllr Brian Dalton, Cllr Brian Mathew, Cllr Chris Hurst, Cllr Clare Cape, Cllr David Jenkins, Cllr Ernie Clark, Cllr Gavin Grant, Cllr George Jeans, Cllr Gordon King, Cllr Graham Payne, Cllr Hayley Spencer, Cllr Ian Thorn, Cllr James Sheppard, Cllr Jon Hubbard, Cllr Nick Murry, Cllr Pat Aves, Cllr Ricky Rogers, Cllr Ross Henning, Cllr Russell Hawker, Cllr Ruth Hopkinson, Cllr Stephen Oldrieve, Cllr Stewart Palmen and Cllr Trevor Carbin

Against the motion (55):

Baroness Scott of Bybrook OBE, Cllr Alan Hill, Cllr Allison Bucknell, Cllr Andrew Davis, Cllr Ashley O'Neill, Cllr Atiqul Hoque, Cllr Ben Anderson, Cllr Bridget Wayman, Cllr Christine Crisp, Cllr Christopher Williams, Cllr Chuck Berry, Cllr Darren Henry, Cllr David Halik, Cllr Edward Kirk, Cllr Fleur de Rhe-Philipe, Cllr Fred Westmoreland, Cllr Horace Prickett, Cllr Howard Greenman, Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling, Cllr Jacqui Lay, Cllr Jerry Kunkler, Cllr Jerry Wickham, Cllr John Smale, Cllr John Thomson, Cllr Johnny Kidney, Cllr Jonathon Seed, Cllr Laura Mayes, Cllr Leo Randall, Cllr Mary Champion, Cllr Mary Douglas, Cllr Matthew Dean, Cllr Melody Thompson, Cllr Mike Hewitt, Cllr Mollie Groom, Cllr Peter Evans, Cllr Peter Fuller, Cllr Peter Hutton, Cllr Peter Hutton, Cllr Philip Alford, Cllr Philip Whalley, Cllr Philip Whitehead, Cllr Pip Ridout, Cllr Richard Britton, Cllr Richard Clewer, Cllr Richard Gamble, Cllr Roy While, Cllr Simon Jacobs, Cllr Stewart Dobson, Cllr Stuart Wheeler, Cllr Sue Evans, Cllr Sven Hocking, Cllr Thomas Rounds, Cllr Toby Sturgis, Cllr Tony Jackson, and Cllr Tony Trotman

Abstained (3):

Cllr Mark Connolly, Cllr Sarah Gibson and Cllr Tony Deane.