ITS sabotage thats the claim from a Sutton Coldfield councillor after Labour members blocked an application for village green status in Walmley.
New Halls Coun James Bird (Con) said he was absolutely furious by the decision of the seven Labour councillors on the city licensing committee to overrule the other six committee members, and recommendations of legal officials, to defer appointing an independent inspector to decide on Walmley village green.
Its a disgrace, he said. All the Labour members voted against it going to an inspector. The Labour Party are stopping the public having their say on this.
It is supposed to be an apolitical body. They have disregarded all the evidence and instead made a political decision.
But Labour licensing spokeswoman Barbara Dring (Oscott) claimed they had chosen to defer as they were not happy with the advice given.
Without it we risk making a costly mistake, she said.
The decision to delay a public hearing on granting the status to the former Hardy Spicer Sports Ground, which if approved, it would stop developers plans to built 110 homes and a YMCA, has outraged local residents.
Sally Jones, of the Walmley Is Full Action Group, who made the application, said: Its unbelievable. I have never witnessed anything so ridiculous.
The meeting should have been a mere formality, instead it was like an ambush. All they did was waste the tax payers money, even the chair said that.
She added that the group was still confident the application would get to a public inquiry when it was next heard.
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