Councillor Simon Henig has decided that having already wasted a lot of our money on fighting various challenges to the County Plan, that it is time to throw a few hundred thousand pounds more at it.
The Council has refused to accept that the Plan is flawed and is now seeking a judicial review. Your Lib Dem councillors are extremely concerned about the complete lack of any acceptance by the Council that they may simply be wrong. We will be meeting with officers soon to voice our serious concerns once again.
At the following link you can find the next steps the Council plans to take, although a word of caution, some of what is stated by the Council is very clearly biased.
http://www.durham.gov.uk/article/6013/County-Durham-Plan-next-steps
For many years now we have challenged as Lib Dem councillors some of the key elements of the plan: Building so many houses on the greenbelt, indeed building on greenbelt at all; population predictions; over development at Aykley Heads; issues surrounding student housing development; lack of a proper strategy for the villages around Durham City; and an over emphasis on Durham City itself to the detriment of other parts of the County.
These issues were challenged by the Inspector, and rather than making some amendments to the Plan, the Council walks blindly towards the cliff-face.
The definition of repeating the same error over and over again, ignoring local residents views, ignoring councillors views, ignoring an independent inspectors views?
Take your pick – arrogance, ignorance, stupidity……. this time one thing is absolutely certain, having refused to sack his Regeneration and Economic Development portfolio holder, having refused to be contrite in any way, having failed to listen to the people of Durham, the blame for all of this now well and truly lies with Cllr Simon Henig.
This is another Henig folly – remember the Chester-le-Street archway? Cost – hundreds of thousands, knocked down after a few years at further cost.
Remember the £12000 a year labour clothing allowance?
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/10262731.Row_over_councillors____12k__clothing_allowance_/
Selling a multimillion pound stately home, Windlestone Hall for £240,000?
Building a bus stop where no buses stop? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2100912/Durham-County-Council-blasted-wasting-money-5-000-bus-stop.html
Cllr Henig quite clearly likes to waste taxpayers money.
I wonder how much more he will waste on the County Plan before it dawns on Labour councillors that Henig isn’t fit to lead this great County? And the County Plan isn’t fit for purpose.