PLANNING STATEMENT

I get a lot of letters asking me to get involved with planning issues. The problem is that I can only intervene with organisations that answer to Parliament. Local councillors - parish or town, district and sometimes county - are elected to deal with planning and other local issues. It would be wrong for me to interfere with their responsibilities and I have no power to do so. However, there are four things I can do:

1. Make sure Wychavon District Council has understood your concern by passing your letter on to the planning department, and writing back to you with any explanation they offer.

2. Express a view on the merits of bigger planning issues, but only if the parish or town council asks me to. This can have an impact, but I will only do it to reinforce strongly held local views - I must not take sides on controversial local decisions unless the parish or town council, representing the views of the whole community, feels it would help.

3. Ask the county council to look at the traffic implications of a development. This is best done by your county councillor, but sometimes I can help people to make their voice heard at County Hall.

4. Ask for the application to be "called in" for a public inquiry under a planning inspector. This costs everyone a lot of time and money, so again I will only do so if there is strong support from the town or parish council.

Remember that planning matters are local matters - and that is why your vote at parish, town, district and county council elections really matters!

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