Suzanne Fletcher's Blog

Democracy Day dawns.  The first element of democracy is it takes time - so a large pile of bags are packed with all the papers for the day, items needed, and of course we need 2 picnics as no time to come home.

People were waiting for us at the Town Hall and around 40 people came in to have a look round, go on Kevin's famous tour, and hopefully learn a bit more about our democracy.

Throughout all of this frantic e-mails and phone calls were taking place about the afternoon's planning committee with officers.  Very difficult to describe that window change we needed to push for!

A break from the Town Hall to get to the Planning Committee, and my very large pile of papers for Bishopsgarth Cottages.  I was allowed to make my points and it did seem as though everyone understood.  Predictably it was agreed, it may not have been able to win at planning appeal (heard by a Government Inspector, not locally) but at least the committee agreed  to insist on the window change and the Head of Planning said some stern words about the new hedge and tree planting taking place this season.  What I will never understand is how a replacement for 2 small agricultural cottages (one described by the Cleveland Archaeology Department as 2 storey and the other as 1 ½ storey) could end up with 18 bedrooms between them !!

Back to Democracy Day at the Town Hall.  First a school then college students.  I do hope they both enjoyed the visit and learnt something.  It is sometimes difficult to know what will most interest them, but we try.  I do wonder if they might ever consider becoming a Councillor!

Then Council meeting. A good if very complicated debate on planning issues with a change to how appeals are dealt with if Councillors do not agree with Planning officers.  Delighted that for a change 2 sensible amendments were passed on a narrow but definite vote.  Democracy for you.  I did speak on some planning issues though.  It is clear that so many Councillors are fed up of having to vote for plans they are not happy with, and people do not want - but government rules make it so difficult and even impossible for people to be listened to. 

Democracy may rule OK, but with tight rules like that it does make a mockery of it.  Very sad when you look at the commitment of so many people across political parties.  Planning Committee had sat for 4 and a half hours; many Councillors as well as ourselves had not been home all day, and were hungry and tired by 9.00 p.m.   Will future generations bother to put themselves through all of this ? I hope so, but I hope it will be more worthwhile with a genuine chance of exercising a local democracy.