VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN WAVERLEY BOROUGH COUNCIL’S LEADERSHIP
On Thursday 25th May, Cranleigh Civic Society organised a meeting in the Village Hall to discuss the number of new houses where planning permission has already been granted and the further huge amount of housing being earmarked for Cranleigh in the draft Local Plan.
Subjects discussed included:
1. Waverley allocating a huge proportion (44%) of their borough-wide new housing target onto Cranleigh, knowing that there are few job opportunities locally.
2. Waverley holding secret meetings with developers.
3. A lack of concern and action by Waverley over the many infrastructure problems facing Cranleigh.
4. A lack of consultation by Waverley with Cranleigh residents and their Parish Council.
5. Waverley’s practice of recruiting substitutes to vote at JPC meetings (against Waverley’s own Constitution), and
6. Waverley’s inability to have produced a coherant Local Plan, having spent many unproductive years working on it.
Many residents expressed their deep concerns about the relentless growth of new housing in Cranleigh, particularly as Waverley Borough Council has simply not dealt with Cranleigh’s serious infrastructure problems first.
At the end of the meeting, local residents took a vote of “NO CONFIDENCE” in the Leadership of Waverley Borough Council.
The results of the vote were:
226 FOR
1 AGAINST
2 ABSTENTIONS
Here’s a link to a short video giving you a flavour of the meeting:
If the recruitment of substitutes at Waverley JPC meetings is against their own constitution, the next step is a Judicial Review of their practices.
Excellent meeting, and excellent video – very clear sound and vision. Thank you.
Well done Cranleigh !! Waverley Borough Council should remember that they are supposed to represent the residents, not dictate and pre-decide on what happens in their area.
[…] Read more on The Cranleigh Society’s website. […]
My wife and I were on holiday at the time of the meeting so were unable to add ourselves to the no confidence vote. Waveley councillors are well aware of the views of Cranleigh residents – that is why they are trying to restrict our elected representatives from participating in planning meetings.
We note that Crest Homes are already marketing their properties., the first two at over £600,000 which does nothing to address any housing shortage. Are Crest complying with the planning conditions imposed by Waverley?