Critical planning committee findings ‘cannot be brushed aside’, says former Walsall Council leader

The former leader of Walsall Council has spoken out following the critical report released earlier this week about the authority’s planning committee.

Councillor Garry Perry said he commissioned the planning service peer challenge when he was leader in response to ‘growing public concern about the integrity, transparency, and probity of the planning committee’.

In May, councillor Perry resigned as leader of the council, stating he had been subjected to a ‘campaign of political attrition, deliberate undermining, and personal hostility’.

Following his resignation, councillor Mike Bird, who is chairman of the planning committee, was voted in as leader of the Walsall authority.

The peer review, published on July 7, praised the council’s planning officers but raised several concerns about the planning committee, stating that it required a ‘fundamental overhaul’.

The report found that the committee was perceived to be operating with ‘undue influence and suspicions over probity and impartiality’ and that it often undermined officers’ professionalism.

Councillor Perry, speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, said the issues raised in the report cannot be ‘brushed aside’.

He said: “When I commissioned the planning service peer challenge, it was in direct response to growing public concern about the integrity, transparency, and probity of the planning committee.

“There was a clear perception that confidence in the function had been eroded, and it was right that we subjected it to external, independent scrutiny.

“While the review rightly highlights the many achievements of the planning service and the dedication of its officers, it also contains serious and critical commentary regarding the role of elected members, the conduct of the planning committee, and the position of its chair.”

As reported by the LDRS, the planning committee recently faced criticism after two five-bedroom homes were approved in the green belt and conservation area on Barr Lakes Lane.

The decision followed a warning from the council’s principal solicitor that approving the plans would put the authority in a ‘vulnerable position’.

Councillor Perry added: “Public concern has only intensified following the recent decision regarding the Barr Lakes development, which has attracted significant scrutiny and calls for the matter to be referred to the Local Government Ombudsman. This demonstrates why the review findings must be taken seriously and recommendations fully adopted.

“Doing so is essential to restoring public trust and ensuring that future decision-making is beyond reproach, with the highest standards of integrity. The public deserves no less.”

Councillor Mike Bird said he found Councillor Perry’s comments ‘a little disingenuous’.

He said: “I abstained on the Barr Lakes Lane vote, but the committee was unanimous in their support. Purely because it was seen by them to be previously developed land.

“Whenever there’s a planning decision, if the objectors don’t like it, then all of a sudden, the people who are members of the committee get the finger pointed at them.

“I’ve sat on that planning committee since I was first elected in 1980. Back then, if you went against an officer’s recommendation and you were found to be wrong, you were personally fined.

“During that time, there was an application in Aldridge which the MP and I opposed due to the fear of crime. It went to the inspector, the High Court, and even the House of Lords, and they all supported the committee’s decision.

“Now, the fear of crime is a material planning consideration. So, I think my knowledge of planning is probably a little bit better than Councillor Perry’s.

“If he doesn’t like the way I chair the planning committee, well, I’m sorry but that’s the way it is.”