More Blue-on-Blue attacks over Local Plan at HDC

A Motion was brought before a meeting of Horsham District Council on Wednesday, 22 February, asking for an explanation for the withdrawal of the Local Plan from debate and resulting the cancellation of an Extraordinary Meeting of Council in January.

The January meeting was cancelled and Local Plan “paused” following a controversial decision taken behind closed doors at a private meeting of the majority Conservative party.

The sudden withdrawal against the advice of officers and the then Leader of HDC, Cllr Jonathan Chowen, had led to his resignation and the removal of most of the Cabinet.

The Motion exposed further tension among the Conservative group as individual councillors took sides, including the former Cabinet Member for Planning:

“I stand fairly and squarely behind our previous leader, Cllr Chowen. We are now a developer’s paradise.” (Cllr Lynn Lambert).

Another former Cabinet Member suggested that the real reasons for the delay had nothing to do with the needs of Horsham District:

“Within this council we have a few people who are power mad, and those people think it’s more important to sit at the top table than they do to do the right thing.”  (Cllr Toni Bradnum).

Cllr John Milne (Lib Dem) pointed out that the risks of delaying the plan were much greater than any possible reward, and could result in a much higher housing target:

“So why did Horsham Conservatives delay the plan yet again? Because they know it contains a number of highly unpopular developments that would cost them seats across the district.

If the Conservatives do hang on in May, in all likelihood they’ll bring back exactly the same plan. After all, Cllr Vickers was herself the prime author of that plan in her previous life as Cabinet Member for Planning.

A decision of this scale properly belongs to the whole Council, not a small cabal of Tory councillors wrapped up in their personal leadership battle.

‘Waiting for Gove’ is a play by Samuel Becket, not a housing strategy. We must bank the benefits of our guaranteed lower numbers, available through Water Neutrality, before it’s too late.”

The Motion was brought by Cllr Mike Croker (Greens) and seconded by Mike Morgan (Independent), with cross party support from the Lib Dems. The vote was 17-all so the Chairman (Cllr Kate Rowbottom) had the casting vote. She voted against.