A row has broken out over a key Isle of Wight Council meeting to approve the draft Island Planning Strategy (DIPS) — the document which will shape housing targets for years to come.
Council chair Claire Critchison is facing growing backlash from the community and councillors over the date she has set for an extraordinary meeting of the council — although she says it is in Islanders’ best interests to hold it sooner, rather than later.
Following the Queen’s death earlier this month, the national mourning period saw council meetings postponed or cancelled.
Among those was the full Isle of Wight Council meeting that could have seen the approval of the DIPS — which will set the housing targets and planning policies until 2038.
A new date has been set for October 5 but many councillors say it is a date they cannot make.
Many have urged Cllr Critchison to think again.
Leader of the Tories at County Hall, Cllr Joe Robertson, had highlighted before the final decision was made, it was an unsuitable date as the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham was on.
National rail strikes are also taking place, making it difficult to get back to the Island in time for the 6pm start.
He said the only plausible explanation of why that date was chosen was to ‘advance the political objective’ of the mixed-party ruling Alliance group of the Isle of Wight Council.
Cllr Robertson urged Cllr Critchison to think again, ‘upholding the political neutrality of the chair’, and not hold a meeting on a date when the Conservative Group, along with three other councillors who have all expressed reservations about the DIPS, could not attend.
Conservative Cllr Peter Spink said, in an email to Cllr Critchison, he concluded October 5 had been chosen to ensure the smooth passage of the DIPS.
Cllr Spink alleged the meeting was in breach of the council’s constitution, highlighting a section that states when deciding whether to hold an extraordinary meeting consideration should be given to maximising the attendance of councillors.
Cllr Geoff Brodie, who was chair before Cllr Critchison, said in his 18 years on the council party conferences had always been avoided for meetings. He said if he had been in the position, he would have avoided October 5.
Alliance member Cllr Chris Jarman is another councillor who is unable to attend the October 5 meeting — despite submitting a motion, although he said it was very challenging as there was no agenda or papers to submit a motion on.
He said it was unclear at the moment what the topic of the meeting is as no agenda has been released but his motion is about using up-to-date census information in the strategy, as opposed to predictions made in 2014.
He said:
“I cannot believe there would be anything contentious with using accurate data and I hope the motion succeeds. I believe it has very wide support.
“Given the council were aware it was me who was proposing the motion, I find it quite extraordinary that the one date I would find it near impossible to attend was the one they chose.”
Cllr Jarman said he knew two councillors who would have liked to submit motions but had not seen the email sent out yesterday (Thursday) alerting them to the meeting on October 5, so had missed the midnight deadline for doing so.
He said:
"This is something that will commit the Island to undertakings under the sanctions of the Planning Inspector for the next 15 years.
“Although there is urgency for it, it is something we do want to get right.”
Community action group Sustainable Freshwater has said the extraordinary meeting, according to the constitution, can only be called if the matter could not have been foreseen or was urgent, but the DIPS has been around for years and an extra month would seemingly not make a difference.
The group said the decision for October 5 has been “an overt and clumsy abuse of process” and they are shocked and outraged that leadership at the council feel this approach is acceptable.
A spokesperson said:
“The council is there so councillors can represent their communities — the majority of whom, in this case, is against DIPS as it stands.”
Responding to concerns, Cllr Critchison said it was important the full council meets to discuss and determine council business without further delay.
She said between now and mid-October there were very few days suitable for an extraordinary meeting but October 5 was the first available and after ‘considering all options and logistics’ it was decided in the ‘interest of putting residents first, the soonest date was chosen’.
Cllr Critchison said:
“We cannot leave Islanders without strategies to cope at this worrying time of climate, cost of living and housing crises.
“I am sure councillors will do all they can to ensure their residents will be represented at the next meeting.”
The urgent need to adopt the planning strategy has been highlighted by many councillors and the Local Government Association (LGA).
The LGA said the authority needed to urgently finalise and adopt the strategy because without one it was possible developments could happen that are ‘deemed not in the public interest and outside the needs of local people’.
If approved, there would be further opportunities to consult on, and make changes to, the plan as it is sent to the Planning Inspectorate for approval.
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