According to this bright poster here...
http://www.gogivers.org/kidstoolkit_pdfs/Councillors.pdf
...councillors have to...
"...decide what is in the public interest amidst a range of conflicting issues and views."
It is the individual Councillors themselves who make the decisions; that is how I understand local democracy works. But how do they come to their decisions? What could influence them?
Potentially, there are lots of people trying to get the Councillors attention, trying to influence Councilllors; some influences may be overt others subtle, imperceptible.
It would be reasonable to assume that as far as the complex processes of planning are concerned, the officers who explain policy would have a great deal of influence; then of course the Councillors' Code of Conduct must be adhered to. And these are important influences when it comes to the consideration of a planning application. Of course this is all set within a legal framework devised at the behest of whoever is in Government. However, Councillors do have more freedom (page 24/25) when it comes to the setting of policy; the policy on which decisions regarding planning applications is based.
And this is where, I would contend, we need to think about the culture of the organisation; the culture of the Council itself.
How does a Council set about ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to influence the plans to any area?
According to material on the 'Improvement Service' web page here:
'Partnership working, community involvement, co-ordination of activities and meaningful negotiations with developers are essential components of a successful planning system.'
This booklet material** provided for Councillors includes the words:
'As an elected member, key decisions on the content of the development plan will probably arise during the life of a council, and they will rank as some of the most important decisions you will make during your time on the council. The content of the development plan may have a profound effect on the future quality of life for the communities that you represent.'
'Accordingly, the advice on development plans is quite simple – be fully aware of the detailed proposals and policies in these plans and ensure that you are comfortable with what is being proposed, prior to final decisions on these plans being taken. Before you approve any Strategic or Local Development Plan documents (including supplementary guidance) read them thoroughly and ask the council’s planning officers to answer queries you have in advance of the plan being discussed at a committee or council meeting.'
THE Booklet also states:
'There are minimum legal requirements for engaging people in the preparation of development plans, but authorities are encouraged to go beyond these to promote wider public awareness and engagement.'
So it is at the development plan stage that Councillors should ensure that members of the community have had as great an opportunity to influence the shape of the policy as they can. The plans affect them after all and will affect the quality of life of any future residents.
We need to ask ourselves; just how much real influence have communities had in shaping the land allocations through development plans in our corner of the world?
This is a question that the Councillors should be asking themselves.
[**The planning system in Scotland: an introduction for elected members. There is an interesting piece on page 29 **]
