The two MPs for the Horsham District, Andrew Griffith and Jeremy Quin met Horsham District Council Friday afternoon (23rd June) for a Quarterly update.
The MPs regularly meet the District and County Council and other local bodies to raise issues and concerns and this was the first meeting under the HDC new administration.
Among matters discussed was House Building Numbers in the local area.
In a Joint Statement the MPs said:
“The single most important thing any District Council must get right is local planning. Our communities need clarity about how they will be protected from unsustainable development.
"The Liberal Democrats for some 15 years have said that they want to run the Council. They now have the mandate to run it and this includes determining Planning Policy, the national fundamentals of which were put in place under the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition Government.
"The District Council has access to a dedicated planning department, specialist reports and legal advice which are not shared with MPs by the Council. These are commissioned by the Council, to help them to take decisions that can only be taken by the Council.
"The fact that Horsham and other local areas are already impacted by water shortages means that in our view, as the two local MPs for the District, future house building numbers across the district should come down significantly from what had initially been proposed.
"While Water Neutrality may provide some current protection against significant speculation, having taken control of the Council, it is up to the new Lib Dem administration to decide whether or not to bring forward a Local Plan at this juncture on the basis of the planning and legal advice they receive.”
Jeremy Quin added:
“I was pleased to attend a long-scheduled meeting at the invitation of Horsham District Council on Friday at which the first item on our agreed agenda was the “Local Plan including Housing Land Supply”. The Cabinet Member responsible for these issues did not attend. I have twice written to the Cabinet Member, on 25th May and 12th June. In the interests of full transparency I have now placed both letters on my website [below]. I have received no reply to either.
"The Cabinet Member assumes that confidential legal advice provided to the Council is provided to MPs. That is not the case. Nor is it the case that the MPs have provided contradictory advice.
"I have always tried to be supportive of the public pronouncements of HDC on Planning Issues as I have no desire to undermine our defence against speculative development. I wish HDC well in making difficult choices for our area. As set out in my letter I will do my utmost to help ensure that plans agreed by the Council are a success. The Council’s focus needs to be on stopping speculative development not in trying to confect divisive and wholly unproductive internal rows.”
Andrew Griffith MP said:
“The Lib Dems in Horsham Council need to stop playing politics and to start making decisions. Planning is the number one responsibility of a district council and our precious green fields need protecting from developers seeking to build the wrong homes in the wrong places.”