My name is Kate Stephen and I am
standing as the Lib Dem candidate at the Council elections for Ward 18 –
Smithton, Culloden, Balloch, Ardersier, Croy & Cawdor. Thank you for this opportunity to share my
views with you.
My views on
democracy:
From my
experience as a community development worker / project manager, I am convinced
of the need for the involvement of local people in decisions affecting their community
and services. A current buzz word for
this is ‘Co-production’ where individuals and communities work alongside the
public sector to design and deliver services.
This can be a challenging process which
involves some costs, but in the long run is more cost-effective. Disagreement is common and conflict can occur
when individuals push their own agenda and fail to consider the views and needs
of others and when ‘experts’ feel qualified to make decisions by themselves.
Because of the
challenges, I think public agencies are sometimes reluctant to work with
communities and communities feel unable to trust the public agencies. I’d like to see more collaboration between
communities and public agencies (including the council) in which there is
transparency, mutual respect and a degree of trust. When the threat of cut backs looms in the
background, it is difficult but more necessary to align local government
decisions with the priorities of the communities they serve.
Whilst I think
it is good to keep National politics out of local government, I have taken on
the Lib Dem mantle for two reasons:
1) The Lib Dems
fit most closely to my way of thinking on most issues.
2) I was asked to
be the Lib Dem candidate for the Culloden & Ardersier ward.
At a global level, the
Arab Spring has challenged some of my faith in democracy. Although there are many positive implications
for the countries involved and lives improved, some individuals may be affected
negatively – I’m thinking of women who will have less freedom under a
democratically elected fundamentalist Muslim government than they had under a
‘benign’ dictator. Ultimately, I believe
that respect, fairness and tolerance are required whatever political structure,
whether democratically elected or not.
My views on
planning:
A few years ago, I completed a degree in
Sustainable Rural Development through UHI.
This gave me the opportunity to learn and think about some issues
pertinent to planning such as the complexity of balancing the needs of
business, industry and employment with the natural environment, cultural
heritage and community. Also, common
good against individual good.
Because of the
competing interests of stakeholders in the planning process, it is very
difficult to reach a consensus that keeps everyone happy. The emotive nature of the subject (my village/street, the field beside my house, the view from my window) can make
disagreement volatile.
I have
insufficient knowledge on the subject of planning to speak with any authority
but I’d like to make these suggestions:
The processes
for planning and the criteria for decisions should be clear. Explanation of decisions should be full and
transparent. I’d like to see a timeframe
for the processing of small scale applications.
The ‘policing’
of planning permission should be reviewed.
It would be good to see a co production approach which included
communities, neighbours and developers monitoring sites instead of relying on
one council official.
Might it be
possible for material planning considerations to also include factors that
really matter to people and communities?
I am thinking of effect on view, optimal size of settlements / villages
and the amenity value of open and green spaces.
Not that these would necessarily have more weight than other
considerations but their inclusion would better reflect the strength of local
views and would help protesters to feel that their views had been heard and
included in the decision making process.
A definitive list of material considerations with values for weighting
might help to make considerations less open to different interpretations and
might make the decision making process more transparent.
I am a novice
on planning matters but recognise that there are discrepancies between the priorities of communities and the current planning process. Although I don’t have answers to resolve the
situation, I think there are opportunities for a fresh approach. I would be keen to hear examples of when
things have not worked well and ideas for improvements.
Kind regards,
Kate
T. 07856
761724
Website: www.katestephen.org
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