Councillor criticised for revealing details of Darwen planning application (From This Is Lancashire)
Councillor criticised for revealing details of Darwen planning application
9:00am Saturday 1st September 2012 in News
A COUNCILLOR faces being rapped on the knuckles and removed from the a planning committee by council standards chiefs over behaviour branded “disgraceful” by a senior colleague.
Sudell ward Liberal Democrat Paul Browne found himself in the middle of a furious row at Blackburn with Darwen borough’s full council forum over remarks he made to the Lancashire Telegraph about planners ordering a Darwen shop owner to remove new PVC windows from his premises.
Coun Browne, a member of the borough planning committee, described the decision to order Steve Frisby to take down the frames from Jack’s Discount Furniture on Croft Street as “barmy and stupid”.
At the forum on Thursday night, angry committee chairman Jim Smith launched a strongly worded attack on the LibDem for discussing private items on the planning agenda in breach of the council’s code of conduct.
Borough Labour leader Kate Hollern said she was referring Coun Browne to the authority’s legal director David Fairclough for breaking the rules governing confidential “Part Two” items on the committee agenda.
Coun Smith said: “Paul shouting his mouth off about a private part two item on the agenda was disgraceful. I am disgusted by what he did. He is out of order.”
But Coun Browne was unrepentant about his actions: “When can you talk about a private item? The public have a right to know what happens. This is using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Coun Smith was out of order.
“Mr Frisby was just doing what other premises in the Darwen conservation area are doing.”
Mr Fairclough said: “The rules around the disclosure of confidential information are governed by the Code of Conduct for Councillors and any potential breaches will be assessed on a case by case basis.”
His staff will now look into the complaint and can report Coun Browne to the authority’s standards committee, which can recommend the full council to censure him if it finds him in breach of the rules.
He could then be removed from the planning and other council committees, ordered to undertake training on council procedures and removed from any outside bodies where he represents the borough.
Comments(12)
Excluded again
says...
9:34am Sat 1 Sep 12
Let's have a free for all. If a Councillor can find out any information the Council holds about you, then he or she can broadcast it to the world.
Doesn't sound too good, does it?
useyourhead
says...
9:45am Sat 1 Sep 12
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who rang the telegraph in the first place?
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fuller facts please.
ROVERSCAN
says...
9:46am Sat 1 Sep 12
darwen_celeb
says...
10:08am Sat 1 Sep 12
What I'd like to see is the council start to limit the the number of types of shops in town, we already have enough (if not too many):
Fried chicken takeaways, Hairdressers, Discount shops, Bookies and Charity shops.
It was great when the council forced the signage to be changed on Miami Chicken, this directive should be developed and all signage in town audited, most of it is badly design and cheaply presented. This sounds trivial, but this simple act would make the town look miles better.
Pan-cake
says...
10:29am Sat 1 Sep 12
darwenTower
says...
11:25am Sat 1 Sep 12
"It was great when the council forced the signage to be changed on Miami Chicken, this directive should be developed and all signage in town audited, most of it is badly design and cheaply presented. This sounds trivial, but this simple act would make the town look miles better."
It looks better than it will when the supermarket comes to Duckworth st, the shops will all be boarded up.
A Darener
says...
2:09pm Sat 1 Sep 12
darwen_celeb wrote:I looked at the windows this morning whilst visiting Darwen's great market.. They look great. Apart from the ones with yellow posters. But the wooden ones next door over the cafe are a disgrace. If it wasn't for the tatty paintwork holding them together they would fall out. The only reason you can tell they are wood is the painting. If they were repainted white they would look no different to the disputed ones.
The UPVC windows look horrendous and should be replaced. Whoever fitted them is a vandal. It's good to see the council taking some pride in how the town is presented and I hope this debacle doesn't hinder their motivation to improve the appearance of the CBD. Paul Browne should be entitled to vocalise his opinion whether he's for or against change, this action spotlights the subject. Penalising him is petty.
What I'd like to see is the council start to limit the the number of types of shops in town, we already have enough (if not too many):
Fried chicken takeaways, Hairdressers, Discount shops, Bookies and Charity shops.
It was great when the council forced the signage to be changed on Miami Chicken, this directive should be developed and all signage in town audited, most of it is badly design and cheaply presented. This sounds trivial, but this simple act would make the town look miles better.
louderfasterlonger
says...
2:21pm Sat 1 Sep 12
The LT Editor calling Blackburn a Stalinist State through its Opinion Column because of the Labour Party's compliance with Plannig legislation today is nothing short of disgraceful.
Good luck to Mr Hutchinson. I expect a deal will be thrashed that will not jave too much detriment to your business.
Temporarily overseas
says...
5:47pm Sat 1 Sep 12
english rose 1
says...
8:04pm Sat 1 Sep 12
darwen_celeb wrote:Ironically Coun Browne was all in favour of action in regard to the Miami Chicken sign. Plus he has always been in favour of other enforcement actions by the planning committee. He has also been very vocal against retrospective planning permission.
The UPVC windows look horrendous and should be replaced. Whoever fitted them is a vandal. It's good to see the council taking some pride in how the town is presented and I hope this debacle doesn't hinder their motivation to improve the appearance of the CBD. Paul Browne should be entitled to vocalise his opinion whether he's for or against change, this action spotlights the subject. Penalising him is petty.
What I'd like to see is the council start to limit the the number of types of shops in town, we already have enough (if not too many):
Fried chicken takeaways, Hairdressers, Discount shops, Bookies and Charity shops.
It was great when the council forced the signage to be changed on Miami Chicken, this directive should be developed and all signage in town audited, most of it is badly design and cheaply presented. This sounds trivial, but this simple act would make the town look miles better.
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It is therefore difficult to know why he is against enforcement in this case ?
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Imagine Coun Browne's furore if the front of Darwen Town Hall had been refurbished using white UPVC sheeting !
district01
says...
12:56pm Sun 2 Sep 12
Kate, how about dealing with more important matters such as the problems within Blackburn with Darwen council rather than spending your time and political muscle complaining on trivial matters such as this against your opposition. You have far too many important matters to put right rather than wasting your time with this!
jack daniels says...
9:15am Sat 1 Sep 12
Good on you Browne for showing some backbone and remembering that it's the people you answer to and not the failures at the town hall