Two Conservative defectors say plans to change planning committee chair was 'final straw' before resigning

Plans to install extra Conservative councillors and a Conservative chair on Peterborough City Council’s (PCC) planning committee was among the reasons a group of ex-members resigned from the party.

Cllrs Brian Rush (Stanground South) and Gavin Elsey (Wittering) say that the plan was the final straw before they left the Conservatives and joined opposition group Peterborough First.

But Conservative leader, Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald (West) says that there’s “nothing wrong with me wanting to impose or see through the policy of the Conservative group,” in relation to planning and that “members of any committee are allocated on a proportional and fair basis”.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Peterborough First leader and chair of the planning committee Cllr Chris Harper (Stanground South) said that he believes the issue is a key reason for the defections – and their timing.

“On election night, the Conservative group leadership decided they were going to go for the planning and environmental committee, to take more seats on it and take the chair,” he said.

“Then we had an agreement in the week that that would be wrong and that they’d effectively be marking their own homework.

“The words used loosely by Cllr Fitzgerald were that he wanted the committee and the chair aligned with Conservative group policy and I think you’ll find that is why these [councillors] have jumped – because they don’t feel that is correct.”

Cllr Elsey agreed that this “debacle around planning was the final straw” after other factors; he alleges that there were attempts to push him out of the Conservatives because he was critical of proposed electoral boundary changes in Cambridgeshire that could have parts of his ward subsumed into a Peterborough parliamentary constituency.

Cllr Rush agreed that the planning issue was a final straw for him too, as well as “wanting the majority on the planning review committee as well”.

For Cllr Ray Bisby (Stanground South), who also resigned from the party, planning was an issue more generally.

“It wasn't about who was chairing planning,” he said. “It was the way I could see it going.”

He added that he’s “still a Conservative at heart” but that “there’s other things in the past and I don’t want to make myself ill because I can’t sleep at night with worry about how I’m going to face the community”.

“Planning and planning appeals was part of it,” he said, including his opposition to the proposed Horsey Bridge development in his ward.

But Cllr Peter Hiller (Glinton and Castor), who also left the Conservative group, said that he’s “not aware” of any “plots” to take greater control of the planning committee.

“I sit on the planning committee and I have done for many years and have recently been reappointed,” he said. “I wasn’t aware there were any plots asunder to force a Conservative or any other political affiliation as the chair. I’m not aware of that; I’m not saying that’s not the case but I’m personally not aware of that.”

Cllr Fitzgerald has not denied that there were conversations around the allocation of planning committee seats after the local elections – in which his group grew in numbers – but maintains that there’s nothing wrong with this.

“That is my job as Conservative group leader,” he said. “When people vote for Conservatives, they're voting for like-minded people.”

While Cllr Harper alleges that Cllr Fitzgerald went back on his agreement to keep the chair of the planning committee a non-Conservative member, Cllr Fitzgerald says that he did what his group wanted.

On Twitter, the Peterborough First leader wrote: “Why on Thursday night, were members of the Conservative Group each asked to donate £20 to fly back Cllr [Charles] Fenner early from his holiday in Cyprus so he would have the numbers last night? The plan was to take control of all the chairs and planning.”

Cllr Fitzgerald replied: “Simple. Because that is what the group asked for nothing more!”

Regardless, the upshot is that Cllr Harper remains chair of the planning committee, while its balance is four Conservatives, three Labour members, two Lib Dems and two members of Peterborough First – including Cllrs Harper and Hiller.

The appeals and planning review committee will be chaired by Cllr Nick Thulbourn (Labour, Fletton and Woodston).

Its balance will be five Conservatives, two Labour members, two Lib Dems, one Peterborough First member and one Green.

The number of seats on each committee is allocated based on the proportion of council seats each political group has.

This has changed since the four defections.