Green councillors are calling for changes to North Yorkshire Council’s planning rules to ensure local councillors have a proper voice when developments are proposed in their communities.
The North Yorkshire Green group wants the councillor representing the division where an application is located to be formally recognised as the “nominated member” under the authority’s Scheme of Delegation.
The issue was raised at a recent council meeting amid concerns that the chair of a planning committee could instead be regarded as the nominated councillor, even if they represent an area many miles from the proposed development.
Green councillors say the local member is better placed to understand the potential impact of a scheme and the concerns of residents.
Councillor Mike Schofield, who represents the Harlow and St Georges division, said: “The local councillor understands the needs and concerns of residents far better than a Planning Committee Chair who may live many miles away from the proposed development.
“Residents turn to their local councillor when they have concerns about development, roads, infrastructure and the effect a proposal could have on their community.
“That local knowledge matters and must be properly represented within the planning process.”
Hipswell and Colburn councillor Kevin Foster stressed that the proposed change would not give individual councillors the power to decide whether applications should be approved or refused.
He said: “This is not about giving individual councillors the power to determine planning applications.
“It is about ensuring that the elected member who directly represents the affected community has a proper voice and the opportunity to raise residents’ concerns.
“We believe the local division member should be the nominated councillor under the Scheme of Delegation, and we will be making that case when the matter is considered by the Constitutional Working Group.”
The Green group says the change would strengthen local accountability and ensure councillors with first-hand knowledge of an area can play a meaningful role in the planning process.
The issue is now expected to be considered by the council’s Constitutional Working Group.
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