Labour Ministers have told local Councils they must ignore residents’ petitions on planning, licensing and gambling issues.
Angry local councillors in the Ribble Valley have accused the government of Labour Ministers ''of undermining local communities’ ability to object to controversial developments like new gambling dens, lap dancing clubs, late-night pubs and bulldozing the Green Belt.''
Councillor Ken Hind,Longridge Dilworth, stated '' the government have published statutory guidance on councils’ new legal duty to ‘respond’ to petitions. This all stems from a pledge by Gordon Brown in 2007.The purpose claimed by the government was to give local residents a greater say in their communities.
''However, the small print of the final recommendations reveals that the petitions on the most common issues of local contention will be ignored. Councils are told that petitions on planning applications, on councils’ Development Plans, bids to open ‘sex establishments’, gambling applications and licensing applications, should be disregarded.
''Hence, a petition would not be considered on the Green Belt being bulldozed; on a rowdy pub or nightclub wanting a 24 hour licence; or on a bid to open a lap-dancing club, sex shop or a new casino full of slot machines.
''Councils across the land previously received and responded to petitions every week. However, the new statutory obligations effectively mean that councils will stop their existing practices of receiving petitions on issues like planning, gambling and licensing.
This means that petitions sent to all Lancashire local authorities including from people in Longridge Clitheroe and Ribble Valley will be ignored by councils under these proposals, and some people will have no say at all. Under licensing and gambling laws, residents who do not live in the ‘vicinity’ are not able to make formal representations as ‘interested parties’, and the Government’s claim that alternative mechanisms are available for local residents to have their say is incorrect.
''Our Conservative spokesperson, Caroline Spelman, Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, has supported the annoynace of local councillors and stated ;
“Gordon Brown’s petition pledge is a sham. Rather than strengthening local democracy, residents will now to lose their ability to petition on controversial planning developments or licensing bids for late-night drinking gambling and sex clubs. This is a snub to local taxpayers’ ability to protect their local amenity and quality of life.”
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