Rotherh Valley Tory slams new planning body

A NEW unelected planning quango will fuel public disillusionment with politics and put democracy on the scrapheap, Cllr Lynda Donaldson Parliamentary Candidate for Rother Valley has warned.

It will cost country £10 million a year run and the chairman will pocket £184,000 a year for a four-day week.

As Gordon Brown’s controversial new planning body, the Infrastructure Planning Commission, opens its doors this month, Cllr Donaldson, said: “The new unelected body is to take control of determining planning applications on large projects including airports, motorways, railways, dams, reservoirs, overhead electric lines, gas pipelines, gas storage, power stations, waste water treatment plants and hazardous waste facilities.

“It will base its decisions on National Policy Statements issued by Ministers as diktats with no substantive vote in Parliament.

 “The Commissioners will be appointed on a minimum fixed term of five years and cannot be removed short of criminal misconduct–making them the most unaccountable quangocrats in Britain.

“At a stroke, local residents, local authorities like Rotherham Borough Council and elected representatives will be stripped of any say on the most controversial planning decisions that will affect the lives of tens of thousands of people.”