matthewsnedker, Author at Darlington Green Party

GREENS SLAM STARMER’S PLANS TO ABOLISH COMMITTEE SYSTEM AS ‘UNDEMOCRATIC AND CLUELESS’

matthewsnedker — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 18:51:04 +0000

Darlington Green Councillors have denounced Keir Starmer’s government’s announcement to abolish council committee systems as “undemocratic and clueless”.

Cllr Matthew Snedker, Leader of Darlington Green Councillors, said: “The decision from Starmer’s government to abolish the committee system shows Labour’s true colours – their arrogance means that they won’t share power or listen to anyone but themselves.

“Since 2012, local authorities have been able to choose the committee system which allows for a more representative voice to residents. If 20% of voters support a political party, that party receives 20% of the decision-making power. In contrast, Darlington currently operates under a ‘first past the post’ system, which in 2023 gave Labour full control of the council despite securing only 35% of the vote, supported by the Lib Dems achieving 5% of the vote.

“Most importantly, this will not solve the big problems we face. Greens have been asking successive governments for years for proper funding to address the many crises in local government.

“Labour promised change but they have no answers when it comes to the real issues local authorities and residents face – crisis in the private rental sector, SEND provision, increasing demand for adult social care and meeting net zero commitments.

“All the while they are attempting to squash a rebellion of their own Labour MPs so they can plunge hundreds of thousands into poverty by slashing their benefits.

Cllr Roz Henderson, Deputy Leader of Darlington Green Councillors said: “This Labour government has no plan to improve the lives of working people in Darlington, instead of meddling with local democratic decisions they should be providing respite from 15 years of grinding austerity.

“We need proper investment in communities, funded by a tax on the ultra-rich, or this Government will feel the consequences at the next election.

“A committee system would give all councillors who are elected to represent the Borough a seat at the table, as well as providing more forums for public engagement. Greens believe that voters deserve to have their voices heard through the representatives they elected. Instead Darlington people have to endure the decisions of a leader and a few handpicked councillors making decisions on behalf of Darlington behind closed doors.”

Cllr Snedker continued: “Since being voted out of power in 2023, Darlington Conservatives have refused to engage positively in Darlington’s governance. Their leader rarely bothers to attend scrutiny meetings, instead preferring social media stunts and squandering public money on unnecessary ‘emergency council meetings’. The Greens are more than happy to have the job of holding Labour to account.

“Labour say they want more transparency and accountability, but under a leader & cabinet system key decisions are taken by just one cabinet member, instead of a politically representative committee of elected councillors debating in a public forum.”

“I continue to be disappointed by their attitude and approach and will continue to support a committee system which allows for more democracy, not only between elected councillors but more opportunity for public engagement.”

The post GREENS SLAM STARMER’S PLANS TO ABOLISH COMMITTEE SYSTEM AS ‘UNDEMOCRATIC AND CLUELESS’ appeared first on Darlington Green Party.

Protection and restoration of the natural world given higher priority after green party brings motion to darlington council.

matthewsnedker — Wed, 21 May 2025 13:37:04 +0000

Darlington’s depleted wildlife will receive extra protection and a greater emphasis on restoring it to its former glory as Darlington Council passes a Nature Restoration motion that commits the council to reflecting the nature recovery emergency in its considerations, proposals and decisions. Green Party councillor, Kate Mammolotti was the driving force behind the motion which received Labour Party support.

Green Party councillor Kate Mammolotti said: “I wrote this motion with hope and passion. Hope, that it would soon be approved in council and start a commitment towards nature recovery – and passion, to see the changes so needed in attitude and vision towards our natural environment. The work ahead of us is considerable and there is no room for idling or complacency. Nonetheless, this is a win for nature and for all the residents who cherish her and acknowledge her fundamental value and importance in our local community.”

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Since the Industrial Revolution we have lost half of all animals, plants and birds because of intensive agriculture, habitat depletion and climate change.

A sense of pride in our country should be enough to prompt us to restore our native animals and plants to their former glory. But there is more at stake than pride in our area.

A thriving natural environment underpins a healthy, happy, prosperous society. The loss of species and degradation of our natural environment is an existential threat. All of us rely on nature for our survival with hardly a second thought. The costs associated with a wrecked environment are simply too high. For example, it would cost UK farmers £1.8 billion a year to manually pollinate their crops if bees and other pollinating insects were lost for good. Tackling nature’s decline will deliver wider benefits to the environment, economy, society and the wellbeing of future generations.

Matthew Snedker, leader of Darlington’s Green Party councillors said; “This motion comes at a crucial time. We need to strengthen the protection for wildlife and restore our precious natural environment. Right now there is significant pressure from house builders and land owners to water down the protections for our natural world. Labour’s proposed Planning and Infrastructure Bill threatens to remove many of the current protections, which encourages developers to avoid harm in the first place. Rather than a polluter pays principal the new bill would allow developers to “pay cash to trash”.

Ecological services are how we describe the benefits from a healthy natural world, clean air, healthy food, sufficient water and a place to enjoy ourselves, relax, exercise and recharge our emotional batteries.

With the motion passed, the council has agreed to set clear strategic goals for nature recovery by 2040, including the development of a Nature Restoration Action Plan. The Plan should be subject to annual review by an expanded Climate Change and Nature Restoration group. The council will have to lead by example by including targeted and site-appropriate measures on council owned land and communal areas and commit to ongoing monitoring to keep nature restoration on track.

You can show your support for nature restoration and protection for our native wildlife by signing the Wildlife Trusts letter at www.wildlifetrusts.org/planning-and-infrastructure-bill

DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL ELECTION RESULTS 2025

matthewsnedker — Wed, 21 May 2025 13:35:21 +0000

Green wins in Brandon but Green candidates miss out in Lower Teesdale
All council seats in the neighbouring local authority of County Durham were
contested on Thursday 1 May. There were no elections for Darlington Borough
Council which had elections two years ago.
The Green Party successfully retained a seat and gained an additional seat in the
Brandon division. Our Regional Fieldworker, Jonathan Elmer, was first elected there
in 2021. He will now work alongside his wife Priscilla who secured 900 votes to
defeat the incumbent independent councillor, Paul Taylor.
Jonathan said: “I’m absolutely delighted. It’s been a really tough campaign, and we
have had to work extremely hard to visit people across our division to understand
what people’s priorities are.”
Despite a very impressive campaign in Lower Teesdale, with considerable support
from Darlington members and volunteers, our candidates were unsuccessful. Sarah
Hannan polled an impressive 726 votes but was beaten by the by the Reform UK
candidates. While this is a disappointing result for Sarah and for all those who
supported her campaign, she was convincingly ahead of the Conservative and
Labour candidates.
This places the Green Party as the main contender against Reform at the next
election or in any by-election that might occur in the next four years.
The successful Reform UK candidates had done very little direct campaigning,
having relied on centrally funded and expensive direct mailings. Neither of the two
candidates live in the division. One was also elected as a Parish Councillor in
Lynesack and the other as a Town Councillor in Bishop Auckland, which suggests
they’ll be splitting their time between two areas.
Our second candidate, Marc Cole, was a late entrant only featuring after much of the
campaign material had already gone out. This is reflected in the result, where he
polled more than the Labour candidates but lagged behind the Conservatives.
Sarah said “I have really enjoyed the campaign because I have met so many like-
minded people, the chats around my dining table have been interesting, informed
and always friendly.” She is now committed to building the membership and
increasing the number of volunteers in time for 2029 when the seats will be
contested again.
Nationally the Party continues to grow. Co-leader Carla Denyer said “the Green
Party has broken new records by increasing our number of councillors for the eighth
year running. While Labour and the Conservatives have buckled under the Reform
insurgency, Greens just keep growing.
“We have taken seats off the Tories and Labour and have shown we can be the
positive and progressive antidote to Reform, holding their vote back in some places
while breaking through onto other councils where Reform dominated.”

Name of Candidate	Description (if any)	Number of votes
BONNER, Anne	Labour Party	503
ELMER, Jonathan	The Green Party	1017 Elected
ELMER, Priscilla Anne Bowen	The Green Party	900 Elected
FULLARD, Andrew	Reform UK	786
JERRAM, Abrial	Liberal Democrat	62
LEIGH, Mark	Reform UK	700
RAGHVANI, Prem	Liberal Democrat	51
RIPPIN, Nick	Labour Party	457
SMITH, Carolyn Jayne	Independent	93
TAYLOR, Paul		845
WALKER, Billy	The Conservative Party Candidate	71

Lower Teesdale Results

Name of Candidate	Description (if any)	Number of votes
CAMPBELL, Jillian Anne	Reform UK	1075 Elected
COLE, Marc	The Green Party	555
FOX, Jasmine	Reform UK	1008 Elected
HANNAN, Sarah Louise	The Green Party	726
LAND, Simon	Labour Party	434
MCCOURT, Noah Padraig	Labour Party	302
RICHARDSON, George Morland	The Conservative Party Candidate	666
ROWLANDSON, James	The Conservative Party Candidate	636
VAN MOURIK, Wico	Liberal Democrats	116

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Darlington residents protest against plans by LolaMcEvoy’s Labour government to slash five billion poundsfrom people with disabilities.

matthewsnedker — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 20:22:50 +0000

Experts at Scope say that seven-hundred-thousand disabled households will be pushed into poverty by the government’s planned changes to welfare.This is a deeply cruel choice for any government to make. And let’s be absolutely clear it is a choice. We could and should be choosing to tax the very wealthiest a small amount more instead. Sadly, though, Lola McEvoy’s Labour government has a growing track record here. They’ve chosen to place extra hardships on those already struggling – from cutting winter fuel payments to pensioners to refusing to reverse the two-child benefit cap, refusing to lift 540,000 children out of poverty. I know that this is not what people who voted Labour wanted, and I don’t think for a second this is what most Labour MPs came into politics to do. I know many Labour MPs will feel incredibly uncomfortable at the< moment. But feeling uncomfortable isn’t enough. We need these Labour MPs to have a moral backbone and vote for what they genuinely believe in to prevent these cruel, unnecessary policies from being enacted. The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has called on the UK Government to take “corrective measures” to address the immense negative impact of welfare cuts introduced by successive Conservative Governments since 2010. Pressure from people like you has already won concessions from this Labour government. Keir Starmer had wanted to freeze inflation-linked rises to PIP payments but the outcry of protest has made him U-turn and throw out this terrible plan. As a Green Party candidate in the last general election, I campaigned for an end to 15 years of cruel and damagingausterity. I campaigned for a fair and appropriately funded social safety net. I spoke up for a system that treated disabled people with respect and gave them the support they needed for a dignified life. Green Party polices will make sure that everybody can lead full, meaningful lives, can work if they choose, and access the help and support they need. Disabled people have as much of a right to control their day-to-day lives and their long-term futures as nondisabled people. Despite the U-turn on inflation linked increases for PIP, I’ve heard nothing from Labour MPs that reassures me the Government will stop scapegoating and stigmatising those in need, while impoverishing them to the tune of £5 billion. Young and disabled people should have the support and backing of the Government but instead they have been badly let down this month with the active trailing of terrifying plans. It’s clear that these plans were plotted without the input of those whose lives will be most impacted. Disabled people must be listened to before any changes are made, and I hope that you will join me in being their fiercest defenders and fight off the worst of these plans. Lola McEvoy and the Labour government must listen as well, to growing calls from Green MPs, the public and even many millionaires for a wealth tax. How can she stoop as low as any Conservative Chancellor and take money away from disabled people rather than get a grip on the obscene wealth being hoarded in this country? This morally indefensible choice will have devastating consequences, and the Government should be ready to answer for it. The Green Party stands in solidarity with disabled people and will fight to reverse cuts by Conservative and Labour governments. We will fight to make sure that disabled people can live dignified lives as valued members of society

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Air sourced heat network being explored to support town centre and hospital decarbonisation.

matthewsnedker — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 20:17:29 +0000

Green house gas pollution in the UK is driven by three areas of the economy; transport, food and heat. Making buildings more energy efficient through insulation and draft proofing is a good way to reduce energy use, but new sources of energy for the remaining heating requirements will be needed as we realise the opportunities of a net-zero economy.

Darlington Council’s Climate Change Working Group, Chaired my Cllr Matthew Snedker, has been scrutinising the opportunities for providing a low-carbon heat network for the town centre, extending as far as the Memorial Hospital.

The first proposal aimed to used a water sourced heat pump, based on the river Skerne. However, more detailed modelling showed that insufficient water flow in the summer months meant the heating and cooling load would not be deliverable.

The current plan on the table is with SSE[1] and is an air sourced system, which has a greater capacity for expansion in the future.

The heat network would supply consistent heating water to a number of commercial properties with hard to decarbonise heat requirements. Initial plans are looking to include the Town Hall, Dolphin Centre, government officers, hospital, university and college buildings. There is an aspiration that the project would also be capable of supplying mixed use developments in the town, as well as future mixed-use developments.

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Green Councillor’s intervention means that tackling climate change remain a top priority for darlington borough council.

matthewsnedker — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 20:16:13 +0000

Intervention by a Green Party Councillor has made sure that Darlington Borough Council will make sure that tackling the climate emergency and protecting the natural environment will be on an equal footing as addressing inequality and efficient resource use.

At a recent council meeting Matthew Snedker, leader of the Green Group, shared his concerns that recent speeches by Rachael Reeves had shown the Labour Party breaking a number of manifesto promises.

Ms Reeves speech at the exclusive Klosters ski resort on 22nd January set a new direction where growth overrules any other consideration and where nature should not get in the way of business.

Cllr Snedker said: “The idea that we have to choose between economic prosperity and safeguarding our children’s future is absolute nonsense – in fact it’s quite the opposite. There is clear evidence that sustainable businesses are where growth can be found in the UK. The UK’s net zero economy grew by 9%, in stark contrast to the 0.1% growth seen in the economy overall[1][2]. Taking action on climate change is good for business, good for people and good for the environment.

“Ms Reeves strategy doesn’t add up and it felt more as if she was chasing headlines than chasing a sustainable, fairer future for the UK. By raising the point at the January council meeting I was able to hold the council to account and gain assurances that, as far as Darlington is concerned, action to cut harmful greenhouse gas emissions and protect our natural world will remain a top priority.”

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Alarm as no cross party scrutiny of new deal signed to keep market hall operating.

matthewsnedker — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 20:10:33 +0000

The ongoing saga of the indoor market continues as the Labour / Lib Dem cabinet heard confidential information regarding the financial arrangements between Darlington Borough Council and Market Asset Management (MAM)

Green and Conservative councillors have protested that a report dealing with such large sums of money should have been scrutinised by the cross-party Economy and Resources Committee – instead of being rubber-stamped by cabinet.

Concerns started not long after the Labour administration signed the deal with MAM when stories emerged of MAM’s complex financial arrangements along with offensive and inappropriate behaviour by one of the directors[1][2]. Questions still remain about whether the council received value for money from the contract they signed and are still dealing with today. This points to a lack of due diligence from the outset.

Councillor Roz Henderson said: “MAM has consistently over-promised and under delivered. The programme has been behind schedule and scaled back from the original proposal. The revolving door of food traders calls into question if they have chosen the right business model for the historic market building.

Cllr Henderson continued: “If, after proper scrutiny, there is to be an ongoing relationship between DBC and MAM this must be accompanied with much more transparency around the financial situation of the market and oversight by councillors and officers.”

Cllr Matthew Snedker concluded: “The Green Party will work to reinvigorate our town centre and see its future as a place for people to live, work and spend their free-time. We have all seen the town centre events growing in popularity year after year. Closer cooperation between the team who run the activity programme and the market should drive footfall and secure a brighter future for the market hall.”

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Local Government control eroded by so-called devolutionproposals

matthewsnedker — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 20:02:30 +0000

Darlington Green Party have expressed their concerns about the Labour
Government’s proposals to reform the structures of local government.
The English Devolution White Paper was published in mid-December with the
claim that Government will devolve more powers to the local level and give
people more power over the things that matter to them. The proposals
include developing new Strategic Authorities in areas where they don’t
currently exist and giving new powers to elected regional mayors.
Not all Mayoral Combined Authorities will be treated the same. Kim
McGuinness, the Mayor covering the North East Combined Authority who was
elected in May, will receive more powers as an Established Mayoral Strategic
Authority than Lord Houchen in Tees Valley. Houchen, who was elected in
2017, was not deemed eligible for these enhanced powers.
The White Paper also sets out plans to replace the remaining two-tier district/
county structures with unitary authorities, and to reform unitary councils
where there is “evidence of failure” or where their size or boundaries are
perceived as a problem. Any new unitary authorities are likely to have a
population of 500,000 and upwards. Only one of the existing unitary
authorities in the North East, County Durham, has a population of that size.
Local government funding was cut by between 40% and 70% in the decade
2010-20[1]. While the government has indicated that it will rebuild local
government, it has not promised to return their funding to 2010 levels.
Matthew Snedker, leader of the Green Group on Darlington Borough Council
said, “there is no question that local democracy is in urgent need of reform,
but these proposals do not deliver the change nor the resources that local
councils and communities need. Instead, they risk undermining local
decision-making by concentrating power in remote super-councils and
regional mayoral offices, stripping influence away from the very communities
these reforms claim to serve. I do not want to see Darlington merged into a
Tees Valley wide authority or taken over by Durham County Council, nor do I
think we should lose out because of the ineptitude
of Ben Houchen.
“Council finances have been cut to the bone, and democracy eroded as power
is restricted to largely unaccountable Mayors and small and unrepresentative
cabinets. The Green Party believes that devolution must mean real
decentralisation, not just a reshuffling of power to larger, more distant bodies.
That is why we will continue to stand up for local government, to ensure it
remains truly local and becomes more democratic. Specifically, we are calling
for:
· Decisions to be taken as close as possible to the people most affected;
· Trusting local communities to know what is best for them;
· Providing councils with the investment they need to deliver meaningful
change;
· Fair voting in local elections through proportional representation.
Green MP Ellie Chowns spoke in the debate on this proposed legislation. She
said, “I welcome the elements of this White Paper that are about devolution,
but we have to recognise that some elements are about concentration. The
Minister has talked about the two-tier premium, but the reality is that his
proposals mean that in some places a local tier will be replaced by a more
distant mayoral tier.
[1]

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Darlington Green Councillors working hard in council December 2024

matthewsnedker — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 14:52:52 +0000

Darlington Green Party councillors work hard to represent their communities and fulfil their duties. As well as representing their ward residents, this means fighting for the best outcomes for all residents of Darlington Borough.

One of the ways they do this is to publicly hold the party running the council (currently a Labour / Lib Dem coalition) to account for its decisions. Highlighting and questioning decisions made and policies proposed forces the cabinet members and council officers to carefully consider all relevant factors when making a decision, and ensure they are in the best interests of local people. Decisions should be transparent, as well as fair and based on sound evidence.

Our Green councillors do this all year round, for example, at the council meeting held on 8th October. Green councillors asked the following questions and made the following points:

Senior management changes

The role of economic growth – we must make sure that the senior officer is focused on the right kind of growth – sustainable industries with secure jobs. We should be working to bring a greater proportion of the nation’s wealth to the North East, Teesside and Darlington. As the seventh richest country in the world, we should be splitting the ‘wealth pie’ more evenly rather than than pushing for damaging growth at all costs.

Reporting of Climate change progress for the Borough

The reporting of council and borough carbon emissions and the trajectory to net-zero should be comparable. We welcome the fact that the reporting method has now changed to show the progress of overall Borough emissions reductions, rather than only those that the Council is directly responsible for itself (through its own activities and service delivery).

Funding for climate change investment

Since we first declared a climate change emergency the council has saved £4.7 million in energy bills. What are the plans to re-invest some of these savings back into the climate change actions the council needs to undertake?

Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) for planning applications
The council needs to look beyond the new major planning applications for applying HIAs, and ensure that applications already ‘in the system’ meet the requirements as well. Just applying HIA to housing developments is not good enough, we must embed the consideration of health impacts on everything that the council does – in every department. The causes of poor health are wide and diverse. We have to act holistically to counter the declining health of many groups.

School absence fines for SEND pupils

Families with SEND children are facing fines for non-attendance. The procedure is that schools contact the Council’s ‘front door’ service in the first instance. This should allow the parent and children to work on the reasons behind school refusal and put in place a programme to help them return them to school. Instead, schools are going straight for issuing fines. This is not right and it needs to stop.

Safer Routes to school

Is the Abbey School scheme still going ahead as it was not mentioned in the programme of works published in the documents? We were reassured that it was omitted in error.

Single use plates at Hopetown

The plates and bowls use at Hopetown are made from palm leaves. This is better than plastic, but why didn’t we plan to use washable, and therefore reusable crockery?
20,000 new trees – but how many are still alive?
There have been problems in the past of trees removed, mown down or areas with very low survival rate. Recording how many trees have been planted is not accurate. Can we have a list of areas planted, dates and numbers plus the survival rates?

Bus reliability

Better bus timetable information at bus stops is welcome, but what is being done to make the buses more reliable? There are economic knock-on effects when people can’t rely on buses to tun up on time or at all. Forcing people to turn to driving cars makes significantly worse economic sense than getting the bus service to run properly.

CCTV not consulted about plans that affect them

Darlington Borough Council operate CCTV cameras around the town centre and in several areas in the urban area. The cameras that are further afield use ‘line-of-sight’ signalling to bring images back to the control centre. When Darlington Borough Council approved the plans for the new train station car park it didn’t notice that the new building will cut off the signal to cameras in the east of the town.

In a related issue, the camera system for Hopetown was specified, commissioned and installed without consulting with the CCTV department. Now we find that the cameras are not compatible and they can’t be monitored from the control centre. More expense is required to put some compatible cameras on the outside of the building.

Both of these issues highlight that Council departments are not talking to each other.

Lack of any progress at Ashcourts

Why are there no Environment Agency updates or Compliance Assessment Reports published about the persistent stink coming forms the land fill operated by Ashcourts? Recent figures recorded are just as high as in January – before the remediation work was started. When will residents of the northern areas of town be able to enjoy their homes again?

Independent Autism advocacy

When autistic patients are admitted to hospital, there is a need for independent advocacy. There is no service offered anywhere in the North East. The tragic consequences can be seen in a recent case where a patient took her own life. A group run by Saint John of God are active in the town, at the Edge Centre. We need to increase awareness of this group to ensure adults with autism can access the care they need.

Impact on council of withdrawal of Winter Fuel Allowance

When Labour removed this universal allowance, unbelievably they did not conduct a risk assessment. Has Darlington Borough Council conducted their own risk assessment? What extra cost burdens will be borne by Darlington Borough Council and the local NHS services as a result of the withdrawal of the Winter Fuel Allowance?

Reclaiming our Communities

Recent work by Reclaiming Our Communities was very constructive. A recent meeting set out to ‘asset map’ voluntary and charitable organisations in the Borough. One week later we learned that another organisation, Youth Focus North East were commissioned to undertake very similar work. Why was this work duplicated? Can the ruling group be more transparent and open in their plans?
Will Teesside Airport ever return to profit

In August Lord Houchen’s press team were gushing that Teesside Airport had returned to profit. However, looking at the accounts more closely shows that this is a very narrow definition of profit that excludes many costs. Not least among the reasons to doubt the financial stability of the airport is the growing debt mountain, which currently stands at £95.6 million. Given that no UK airport with fewer than 2 million passengers a year is running at a profit – will Darlington Council ever get their money back?

St Teresa’s loss of contract

It is deeply concerning to hear that the NHS have ‘out-bid’ St Teresa’s Hospice for the end of life care on-call service. The terms offered by the winning bid are far below the excellent care offered by St Teresa’s. They were reaching 98% terminally ill patients within two hours.

Local Cycling and Walking investment

The process of gaining ‘sign-off’ from Active Travel England (ATE) for the investment in walking and cycling infrastructure can lead to long delays. Are officers in Darlington Borough Council gaining sufficient training to ensure that plans are submitted right first time – to avoid time wasted by repeated re-submissions and corrections

It’s easy for any member of the public to get involved in local politics, or to just keep themselves informed about what the people who represent you are up to. Members of the public can attend full council meetings and cabinet meetings (both held every two months), and can submit questions, to which the council must give an answer.
If you’re interested in finding out more, information is on this page of the Darlington council website [https://democracy.darlington.gov.uk/uuCoverPage.aspx?bcr=1], [any other good resource, maybe something from the AGC?). And the Green Darlington councillors are always happy to talk to Green Party members and volunteers and give information and advice when they can.
If you want to attend a meeting or submit a question and you’d like some help or guidance (or just someone to go with so you don’t have to turn up alone) please email us and someone will contact you.

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Darlington council cabinet to discuss Skerningham masterplan – without involvement from other councillors

matthewsnedker — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 17:13:36 +0000

On December 3rd, Darlington Council could put a freeze on the builders’ masterplan for 4,500 unnecessary houses on the rolling, rural acres of Skerningham. But they won’t.

That’s when the Council cabinet and officials will discuss Theakston Estates’ “masterplan” for a “garden village” there. They don’t have to. Nor does the full council. Legally, council officers could do the required check that the masterplan complies with the council’s Design Code and the Local Plan.

But objectors, including Skerningham Woodland Action Group (SWAG) have been so vocal and effective that the council wants to appear a bit sympathetic.

When not in office, both Labour and Tory groups have cried crocodile tears about the despoilation of the borough’s rural “jewel in the crown” and the devastation of its rare animals, birds and vegetation, but when in power they let the scheme continue.
So SWAG sent a questionnaire to every councillor asking whether they are for or against the whole scheme and whether they think the masterplan should go to full council. SWAG had replies from the deputy leader of the Labour group (but not his 23 Labour colleagues); three Conservatives (out of 13 councillors) ; six of the seven Green Party councillors, neither of the two Lib Dems and none of the four Independents.
Here are their comments:

LABOUR

Deputy leader Chris McEwan (Haughton & Springfield ward)
It has been the case, and has been for many years, that anyone – meaning residents and any Elected Member – can attend Cabinet and speak on any Agenda item. As I have said before, it is also the case that the Masterplan, which is not a Council document that would form part of the Council’s Policy Framework, does not need to be adopted through a decision at Full Council. Local Development Documents, such as the Design Codes for (Greater Faverdale) Burtree and Skerningham Garden Villages, have been presented to Full Council as their approval is governed specifically by legislation. In the case of the Skerningham Masterplan, there is a requirement for a technical assessment to ensure that a draft Masterplan conforms with the Local Development Plan (i.e. Darlington’s Local Plan 2016-2036) and the adopted Design Code. The nature of a Masterplan means that there is no governance requirement for a Decision on adopting the document to be made by Cabinet, Council, nor at any meeting in public. As I have also said, the current Cabinet have reflected on the strength of feeling within the community and have determined to bring the draft Masterplan to a future Cabinet meeting to allow for discussion of the proposal in public because, as per the above paragraph, Cabinet meetings are open for anyone to attend and express their thoughts on any item of business. Whether or not I agree, the principle of development for Skerningham Garden Village is established through its status as a housing allocation within the Local Plan. The Plan had been through Examination by an independent Inspector and found to be sound, including the allocation at Skerningham, and was adopted in February 2022 by the Conservative Council at the time. At the time of adoption, the Labour Group rejected the principle of Skerningham Garden Village and, working with other Parties within the Council, attempted to remove the allocation. Labour is focussed now on ensuring that any development that takes place within the allocated site is of the highest quality and will work to maximise the benefits of the development for residents, with a focus on protecting and enhancing the natural environment wherever possible, including Skerningham Woods. I hope this clarifies.
CONSERVATIVE Scott Durham (Brinkburn & Faverdale)
As a member of Cabinet at the time I supported Cllr Bartch pausing of the design code in early 2023. He wanted to consult more with residents, look at how Skerningham could be more accessible and include protections for trees.
We also needed to look at how the design code could be used to restrict traffic from the sites down Barmpton Lane and Green Lane.
Upon taking control the Labour Group ignored this and removed protections for Woodland put in place. It’s because of the above I am against the development.
Similarly In my ward we have Burtree Garden village where I spoke at planning asking them not to approve an application, as expected benefits ie link road at the moment will be a road with a dead end and put further pressure on the A68.
In terms of Council decisions I’m assuming your referring to the Masterplan? It’s obviously not a Council document, without a usual route to Full Council and therefore can be dealt with by the ruling cabinet, rather than Council as with the Design code.
However in my opinion the ruling coalition needs to be seen to doing the right thing, listening and being as transparent as possible. For me they are missing an opportunity and should bring the paper to full council.
Andy Keir (Whinfield)
I do not support the Skerningham housing development and have objected due to the lack of highways infrastructure and for the disruption that it will cause in Whinfield ward because there is limited access without adequate roadways into that area. Absolutely the decision should go to full council and a named vote. Jamie Bartch (Whinfield)
In answer to your questions, I currently sit on the Darlington Planning Applications Committee and as such cannot have a predetermined position. I absolutely think the decision should come to full council.
GREEN PARTY
Matthew Snedker, Green group leader (College)
I have been a long-term opponent of the Local Plan. It was built on inflated housing needs assessment, bought from a private company, when the ONS was unable to give a high enough figure. The plan was developed by the Labour group, in conjunction with the Conservative and LibDem groups.
The four-year hiatus in Labour’s decades of power, led to the plan becoming a political football. A process that generated more heat than light.
The new national Labour government has produces new housing needs assessments, that many are finding difficult to match to reality.
The new, centrally allocated, housing assessment for Darlington is only 8 higher per year that the one bought from ORS. Far from being a vindication of the Local Plan, this illustrates just how high the ORS figure was. While other local authorities gasp as the sky-high figure imposed on them from London, Darlington’s Labour administration imposed the figure on themselves.
Let me be clear, Darlington does need new houses to buy. And the private rental sector also needs drastic reform. Our Right Home Right House, Right Price pledge would make sure that affordability, sustainability, and connectivity are all considered when planning the new communities we will build in our town. It will need action at a national level to unlock the strangle hold that land-banking and housing developers baked in 20% profit margin have on our housing market.
My answers: At some time in the future, I may have a vote on a planning application that flows from the current Local Plan, Design Code and /or Comprehensive Master Plan. The risk of displaying predetermination, is that I could be challenged and forced to absent myself from a vote.
I am concerned that the Skerningham garden village will not be able to meet the needs of affordability, sustainability, and connectivity that the town needs. Any detailed planning applications that come forward would need to meet these three requirements at a very high level for my concerns to be assuaged.
I understand that the CMP, unlike the LP and the DC, is not a council document. However, the view of the council as a whole on this important document should be sought.
A vote at a meeting of the full council would be the appropriate place for members to express their views on the CMP.
Richard Lawley (Harrowgate Hill
I really appreciate everything you have been doing to help my residents understand the issues around the development. Unfortunately, as a member of the planning committee I can’t publicly commit to a stance on the development as it would show that I pre-empted the planning decision and could stop me being able to vote on the application. Apologies I can’t say more.
Roz Henderson (Harrowgate Hill)
I have many reservations about the building of Skerningham Garden Village. See below for the main themes. Loss of green space, specifically a road through Skerningham Woods Wrong type of housing and not the type we need Lack of ambition with regards future proofing of housing leading to need to retrofit in the future Lack of infrastructure, either short term, medium or long term. Includes medical facilities, schools, retail, employment opportunities Lack of a clear plan for sustainable transport which likely will lead to a much larger amount of traffic, congestion & emissions on the road I’ve spoken up about these concerns in the past both before and after I became a councillor, either by attending consultation meetings, asking questions at council meetings or putting in submissions to the various consultations. I personally feel we should be creative in finding space for the right type of housing before letting developers take the easy option to build on our precious green spaces. We should be maximising the targeting of empty houses, brownfield sites, retail units to convert into residential units and how we can better utilise the housing we already have. There should be wider reforms such as looking at the Right to Buy and rent controls. Q: Do you think the decision should go to full council? Are you happy for cabinet to decide? My preference would be for the comprehensive masterplan to go to full council. I feel this would better for democracy & transparency and involvement of residents. If the Masterplan does go to full council, I am keen to avoid any issue of predetermination on this post so that I am not forced to absent myself from the vote. I will consider what is in front of me with a fresh pair of eyes before I make my decision but I would be looking to see my concerns above being addressed. Should the masterplan not go to full council, I would encourage members of SWAG to attend to speak.
Anna-Maria Toms (Harrowgate Hill)
I attended the Design Code meetings before becoming a councillor and do not think that Skerningham is the most appropriate place to build houses, it was marked as the site of what was hoped to be a Tees Forest and houses many red and amber listed wildlife species, plus it is often flooded. However I do believe that we need many more houses because we will see a massive influx of environmental and war refugees in the next 30 to 50 years. We should be utilising brown sites to ensure as much farmland is retained for us to feed ourselves in the future. And any houses built should match the need of the town. Unfortunately the Local Plan is in effect now so my views are a mute point. Legally the Local Plan which both the Labour and Conservative councils previously heralded is a document that developers can demand be followed, the SPD that we have was developed with DesigNE and I do trust that they want to produce the best outcomes from the situation we are now in. They have been retained by the council as an independent body to ensure that any planning applications match the legally binding Local Plan and SPD. The masterplan should logically follow the Local Plan and SPD but it is not a council document, and is from my understanding akin to a designers mood board, a developers ideas document that holds a vision of what could be achieved. And that could is important because any application that goes to planning should be held to the legalities of the Local Plan not the masterplan. And that is where DesigNE come in again, and the councillors along with planning officers to ensure that developers are following the rules. Officers told us that this masterplan would not be adopted by the local authority as a supplementary planning document and as such does not hold the same weight as The Local Plan and current SPD. The masterplan in this state will be under regular review and flexible to adapt. For example, any road and proposed route may change due to cost/substrate. If that is the case I am happy to leave the planning committee and cabinet to ensure that it is fit for purpose as it is not my area of expertise, and it bears no significant relevance to the individual planning applications that will follow. If indeed it is to be adopted and become an SPD it definitely needs to come to full council, and councillors have time to properly engage with residents about it. Looking at the government website it states that ‘care should be taken to ensure that masterplans are viable and well understood by all involved and that graphic representations of what the development will look like do not mislead the public by showing inaccurate details or significant elements not yet decided upon.’ Paragraph 007 Reference ID 26-007-21091001. I am a realist and think that the best thing that I can do is to ensure that any planning application that comes into the council is carefully cross referenced againt the Local Plan and any SPDs, I rarely get chance to vote on these as I am not a member of cabinet or on the planning committee but I can point discrepencies out. As can any member of the public, and planning would like these to be pointed out as soon as possible so that they can be acted upon. Kate Mammolotti (Hummersknott)
I do not support the Skerningham Housing scheme, as firstly, I am passionately opposed to Darlington’s equivalent of green belt being built on at all, for environment protection reasons. Most unfortunately it is not termed green belt, rather greenfield, otherwise we would not find ourselves in this current position. Secondly, this scheme does not reflect the kind of housing we actually do need in Darlington. I think the only democratic decision would be for it to go to full council.

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