Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Berwick, has contacted Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and called upon him to intervene in relation to the Labour's administration's at Northumberland County Council proposed changes to the County's planning system, describing them as "entirely at odds with the Government's localism agenda". Anne-Marie Trevelyan has also written to local Parish and Town Councils and urged them to unite against the plans.
Following a recent review of Northumberland County Council’s planning service conducted by Deloitte, proposals were announced by Councillor Allan Hepple, policy board member for planning, housing and economic growth changes, which include abolishing the current geographically based planning committees, reducing the number of planning applications that need to be determined by planning committee, and taking steps to increase the number of planning appeals won by the council.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan has now written to Eric Pickles expressing her concerns that the administration were "granting developers a "free for all", reducing public participation and are not willing to face the public or communicate openly". In the letter she wrote; "I am calling on our local town and parish councils to join forces and unite against these plans. I would also ask for your assistance; to intervene and make your feeling known as these plans are entirely at odds with the Government's localism agenda".
Anne-Marie Trevelyan said; "Northumberland County Council has one of the worst performing planning services in the Country. It is somewhat perverse that they are now using this as some kind of justification for increasing the power of officers to nod through important planning decisions under delegated authority. At the same time they are seeking to extinguish the power of town and parish councils to object to applications and ensure that they are decided upon, and considered fully, by democratically elected local representatives".