A Wokingham councillor has claimed he was ‘barred’ from presenting ‘critical’ information on a controversial housing development in a recent meeting.
Cllr Joseph Barley said at a full Wokingham Borough Council meeting on July 25 that the move was ‘effectively denying myself and residents of Barkham and Arborfield a voice’.
It involved a planning application for 26 new homes on Arborfield Ride, which the conservative member and colleagues opposed, claiming it was ‘unsustainable’ for the area of Arborfield.
On June 12, Cllr Barley and another ward member Cllr Margetts attended the planning committee meeting where the plan was decided on. Representatives had three minutes to present their views, which they had to share, as permitted in the constitution.
Cllr Margetts spoke for the three minutes of allocated time, meaning that councillor Barley had no time left to speak.
Cllr Barley was then offered a chance to speak if it was ‘very quick’ and included new information by the chairman of the meeting, however officers promptly informed him that this was not allowed according to the constitution.
Then councillor Barley said he would like to ‘at least lodge my objection to the committee refusing to let a representative of residents speak on what is quite clearly a controversial planning application’. The application was subsequently approved by members.
Addressing the leader of the council Stephen Conway at the recent full council meeting, the conservative member said: “I’m glad that I’m about to ask this question as the last time I spoke in this building was at the dismally ran planning committee meeting last month.
“Every other speaker that evening was permitted discretion running slightly over time, but I was refused.”
He further complained he was ‘appalled’ that his objection to the decision and his attendance were left absent from the minutes of the meeting.
The councillor asked the council leader, who is also executive member for housing, partnerships and the local plan: “What is being done to resolve these inaccuracies and complaints, what lessons are being learnt and what is the council doing to ensure this never happens again?”
Leader Stephen Conway then reminded him that the three minutes allocated were shared between himself and the other ward member Cllr Margetts, explaining that rules were the same for every ward member.
He added that the complaint was being handled by the council’s legal department and he would get a response in due course.
