Decision details

To exercise the authority delegated by council at its meeting on 9 April 2014 to approve minor changes to the JCS prior to submission to the Secretary of State

To finalise the JCS, following the Pre-submission consultation, to ensure that it takes account of any new information, is clearer in its meaning and reflects consultation responses where appropriate.

To confirm that changes proposed are truly minor and do not require referral back to Council for ratification.

To refer back to Council (rejected owing to the delay this would involve and the concern this would generate with our JCS partners)

To delay submission as requested by certain “objectors” (rejected on the grounds that no new objections were being raised which had not been previously considered and addressed)

With a minor question over one of the changes there were no objections to my making this decision from the Liberal Democrat Group Leader. The Leader of the PAB group agreed that the changes were minor but asked for clarification post submission about current national planning policy in relation to the Green Belt (which will be organised for all councillors in the near future). The Conservative Group Leader objected to submission on the ground that Cheltenham’s existing Green Belt should be preserved, that housing numbers were too high and that (unspecified) changes were not minor; having considered these objections I am satisfied that the proper place for discussion about housing numbers and Green Belt is now the examination in public and that without greater specificity about which changes are not minor and why I can only exercise my own judgement, which is that they are indeed minor changes.

Exercise of the delegation required consultation with “Lead Members” which I have interpreted in Cheltenham’s context as Group Leaders. Such consultation has been aided by an “all councillor” briefing with feedback organised through the Group Leader consultation process.