Rather than re-invent the wheel about why the Task and Finish Group at EDDC should re-convene this archive report from Sidmouth Independent News in March 2013 says it all and for extra colour read the report of national investigative journalist Anna Minton HERE where she takes many of her examples from East Devon.
Planning in East Devon and the East Devon Business Forum:
1. Introduction: Cause for Concern?
There is a growing lack of public trust in the planning process in East Devon. (1) Many controversial planning applications have been approved in the face of massive public opposition and frequently contrary to the adopted local plan and other planning guidelines. Extensive industrial and residential developments are seen by many residents and small businesses as damaging to the economy, environment and quality of life in this unique part of England. This situation is likely to worsen over the next 15 years if the draft Local Plan is adopted with its ‘excessive’ allocations of employment land and housing.
Many informed residents of East Devon are concerned that planning policy in the district has been unduly influenced by a small group of developers and landowners who have played an important role in the preparation of the draft Local Plan, and in the relaxation of planning rules to protect the countryside. These developers and landowners are strongly represented in the East Devon Business Forum which has served as a lobby for large-scale development.
Worryingly, this independent, private organisation has among its members some councillors and a council officer who have had a significant influence on planning policy as well as in approving controversial major planning applications which have benefitted EDBF members.
2. The nature of the East Devon Business Forum (EDBF)
a) EDBF is a Forum defined in the EDDC Constitution as a body of “representatives of outside interests” with whom the council can discuss “specific areas of activity” Though it receives some funding from the Council, it is widely understood not to be part of the council but “completely independent of it.” (2)
b) The EDBF overwhelmingly represents businesses with a strong interest in planning and development, and landowners and developers have played a big role in the Forum since 2007. Ex-councillor Roy Stuart (A E Stuart and Son) is current vice-chairman , and his predecessors were Angela Wright (Crealy Park, 2009-10) and Christine Seddon Smith (Devon Cliffs, 2010-2012) (3)
c) Unsurprisingly, the thrust of EDBF lobbying has been to persuade the council to relax planning controls for big developers and to decrease the protection for greenfield and AONB areas. After all, the Forum commented in 2011, only 1% of East Devon was developed! (4) At 34 out of 40 meetings since 2007 planning and development issues were raised, to the evident frustration of at least one member- not himself a property developer- who wondered if other matters like education and training could be discussed.(5)
d) Smaller businesses dependent on town centre commerce and quality tourism fear that excessive expansion of business parks in greenfield sites could damage their interests. These businesses however, clearly have significantly less influence on EDDC policy than the property developers. Two former chairmen of chambers of commerce have said they felt unwelcome at EDBF meetings. (6)
e) The Forum proudly admits its crucial influence on the council’s targets for ‘employment land’ in the draft Local Plan. (7) It is recognised as having been successful in increasing the amount of employment land in the Draft Local Plan, and in persuading the council to relax planning rules after 2007. (see part 3 below)
f) Throughout the formation of the Local Plan, members of EDBF were privileged interlocutors with apparently more influence on the Council than independent consultants like Atkins (2007) or Roger Tym (2011), both hired at public expense, and whose conclusions were largely disregarded. The employment land allocation in the local plan has been widely criticised as excessive. (8)
3. Councillors and the EDBF
i) Councillor Graham Brown
a) Cllr Brown has been chairman of the EDBF since August 2006. He runs a planning consultancy, Grey Green Planning Ltd, and a building company, Brown Builders, according to his Register of Interests entry. He represents the N.F.U at Forum Meetings .Many observers have been astonished that the chairman of a lobby group was permitted, as a councillor, over a long period, to deliberate on and help decide council policy which favoured members of that lobby group.
b) Cllr Brown, in his dual role as EDBF chairman and councillor, was important in changing the outcome of an independent report on employment land (industrial land.) In 2007 a Forum sub-committee chaired by him challenged the findings of the independent Atkins Report (which recommended the allocation of a moderate amount of employment land) and said much more was needed.
c) The Council were then persuaded to set up a Task and Finish Forum, on Employment Land which he led, where presentations were made by EDBF members with large land-owning interests.
d) At the Corporate Overview Committee of November 22 2007 Cllr Brown led the debate on employment land and got agreement that planning policy on industrial land should be changed immediately because there was an ‘undersupply’ in East Devon, despite the Atkins Report evidence to the contrary.
e) The Corporate Overview Committee of October 23 2008 of which Cllr Brown was a member confirmed the ‘urgent need’ for more ‘employment land’, and recommended Greendale Barton, Hill Barton and Exeter Airport Business parks for expansion (all are EDBF members). From 2008 planning applications from EDBF members for large extensions to their industrial estates were approved as a direct result of this change in policy in 2007/8.(see part 5)
f) Cllr Brown attended the Development management Committee meeting of 20/10/2009, when approval was granted for expansion of Greendale Business Park.(091195/MOUT) Cllr Brown knows the owners well and they are frequent attendees at EDBF meetings. At the same meeting approval was granted for the construction of a crematorium at Strete Raleigh (09/1549/MFUL) where Cllr Brown’s company, Grey Green Planning Ltd, had acted as advisors for the applicants.
g) In 2009-10 Cllr Brown was chairman of the Local Development Panel whose meetings were held in private, and whose minutes were not published until later. What these minutes (often heavily redacted) show is that presentations were made on behalf of leading members of the Forum, and their claims to be included in the allocations in the Local Plan were supported by the chairman.(9)
h) In none of these council meetings did Cllr Brown declare an interest in EDBF despite the clear provisions of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct which required him to declare “personal interests in your membership of any body …exercising functions of a public nature…whose principal purposes include the influence of public opinion or policy. (see also ii) d) below)
i) It could be argued that he had a prejudicial interest in some of these meetings, for example of the decision of the Corporate Overview Committee of October 23 2008, which gave a considerable commercial advantage to a close acquaintance of Cllr Brown’s, Roy Stuart. (10)
ii) Cllr Paul Diviani
a) As a founder member of the EDBF, Cllr Diviani has been closely associated with the Forum since 2004. To June 2012 he had attended 27 of its meetings
b) From its inception he strongly supported the Forum’s lobbying function, arguing that it was its aim “to influence the council to take action and consider various projects in advance of decisions being taken by its members”. (11) And this influence, he argued, should be in favour of economic development which was ”the key priority for the district.” (12) The EDBF lobbied consistently for the expansion of large-scale development and less protection for the countryside.
c) Cllr Diviani has been a consistent champion of council support for the EDBF. For example in 2005 he promised EDDC was “committed to providing support for the Business Forum in terms of administration, rooms, refreshments etc. as it regarded the Forum as a core function.” (13) In 2011 he said he was willing to allow the Forum to use the Communications Officer at EDDC to issue press releases. (14)
d) Former and current codes of conduct for councillors emphasise the need to avoid potential conflicts of interest and the necessity of declaring such interests. Cllr Diviani has repeatedly failed to declare a personal interest in the EDBF in breach of articles 7.2, 7.6, 8.1 and 8.2 of the 2012 Code (15) For example he was present and failed to declare an interest at:
i. Meeting of the Executive Board on 26/09/2007 which ordered a review of the Atkins Report in conjunction with the EDBF
ii. Meeting of the Corporate Overview Committee 24/04/2008 which endorsed a submissiom by the chairman of the EDBF that more “employment land” was urgently needed in the District
e) Most seriously, Cllr Diviani has failed to declare an interest in EDBF while present at, or chairing a series of meetings of the Development Management Committee which approved major and controversial planning applications from fellow members of the EDBF with whom he was obviously well acquainted. Such non-disclosure may well have breached the then applicable Code on avoiding prejudicial interest.
These Meetings approved the following applications
i. AE Stuart (09/0282/MOUT) Extension to Hill Barton Business Park into green fields of 18.75 acres Approved by Development Control Committee 07/04/09, chair Tony Reed, Cllr Diviani present.
ii. May Gurney . (09/0410/MFUL) Expansion of Greendale Business Park into agricultural land for offices parking etc. Approved by Development Control Committee 07/04/09 chair Tony Reed, Cllr Diviani present.
iii. FWS Carter (09/1195/MOUT)15.5 acre expansion of Greendale Business Park. Approved by Development Management Committee 20/10/09, chair Cllr Diviani,
iv. Clinton Devon Estates (09/2533/MOUT) 12.5 acre extension to Liverton Business Park Approved by Development Management Committee 06/04/2010 chair Cllr Diviani
v. AE Stuart and Sons (10/0641/MOUT) for Housing at Westclyst, Old Park Farm up to 450 homes and 2000 sq m. of business use land on 50 acres of grade 1 agricultural land. Approved by Development Management Committee 7/12/2010, chair, Cllr Diviani
vi. Axminster Carpets(10/0816/MOUT) Cloakham Lawns Axminster for urban extension of 400 dwellings and 1000-12000 sq.ft of managed employment floor space. Approved by Development Management Committee 21/10/2010, chair, Cllr Diviani (This application was discussed at the EDBF meeting of 10 June 2010)
vii. Crealy Park (Chris Down) 10/2537/MFUL Conversion of agricultural buildings to light industrial use, Enfield Farm Clyst St Mary EX51DN Approved by Development Management Committee 3/5/2011 Approved by Development Management Committee 7/12/2010, chair, Cllr Diviani
f) In his public statements on the EDBF, as Leader of the Council ,Cllr Diviani has been seriously misleading. For example in an interview on Radio Devon (29/10/2012) his trivialisation of the role of the Economic Development Officer as merely ‘clerical’ is completely untrue. (see part 5 below)
4. Council officers and the EDBF
a) Forum members enjoy exceptional access to officers to inform themselves of council thinking and policy, and to influence it. No other interest group could expect such treatment.Betweeen 2004 and June 2012 there were 130 officer attendances at EDBF meetings. Karime Hassan, Corporate Director, attended 17 EDBF meetings between 2005-11. Kate Little, Head of Planning, spoke to the EDBF six times in 2011-12
b) EDBF expects to be told in advance of important developments.The Head of Finance at EDDC provided the Forum with his budget proposals for their comments. In February 2010, members expressed concern that the Chief Executive had not informed them in advance of his decision to job share with South Somerset District Council. Mr Williams was invited to address them to justify his move , which he did in August 2010. In July 2011, an EDBF member with interests in property development asked for the Forum to be updated on the proposed EDDC relocation from the Knowle
c) The aspirations of developers and district planners increasingly coincide. As EDDC Head of Planning, Kate Little said to EDBF on 15th December 2009: “The planning system had been taken apart to serve the needs of the customer” (EDDC regards the customer as the applicant) and was moving from a more “landscape focus to a more economic one”. Lobbying pressure from EDBF, combined with the changed policy of EDDC planners since 2007, seems to have created a development juggernaut. (16)
5. The role of the Economic Development Manager, Nigel Harrison
a) Mr Harrison has played a vital role in the activities of the Forum as Honorary Secretary. It is clear that his professional competence as Economic Development Manager has been valuable in helping Forum members to frame policy and to present the wishes of the Forum to the Council (17)
b) He has acted as a spokesman for the Forum and was called on to defend it against criticism at a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 27 September 2012.
c) Why this role is inappropriate
An officer’s role is limited by the Constitution to serving and advising the Council and serving the public. (Officers Code of Conduct 1.1) For an officer to be deployed in the service of any outside private body, especially one with an avowed lobbying purpose, would seem to be a serious breach of this Code.
During his long tenure as Honorary Secretary, Mr Harrison has engaged in activities which appear incompatible with his role as a public official, and should have raised concern. For example:
i) In 2008 Mr Harrison intervened in an important disciplinary matter between the then Leader of the Council, Cllr Randall-Johnson and the chairman of the EDBF Cllr Graham Brown, publicly expressing his strong personal support for Cllr Brown. (18)
ii) In 2010 Mr Harrison was tasked by the Business Forum to write to the Head of Planning to facilitate a planning issue affecting a leading member of the Forum whom he knew well. (19)
d) Most seriously, the role of Economic Development Manager is an important one affecting major planning matters. He is called upon to advise councillors on planning strategy, to occasionally attend Development Management Committees, (20) and most importantly to act as consultee for all planning applications of economic importance. This role is impossible to reconcile with that of honorary secretary of a private business group whose members’ planning applications are considered by himself, as Economic Development Manager.
e) Since 2007, Mr Harrison has supported, –often enthusiastically- as consultee at least fourteen planning applications by members of the Business Forum. Most of these were very controversial and contrary to the adopted Local Plan. All were approved. (21) It is clear that his comments carry considerable weight with Development Management Committees. This procedure risks breaching The Planning Code of good practice Article 1.1. which is intended to “ensure that in the planning process there are no grounds for suggesting that a decision has been biased, partial or not well founded in any way”.
f) The apparent conflict of interest here is so serious that it should never have been tolerated . It was very likely that there would be a public perception of partiality on the part of Mr Harrison when – especially in controversial planning applications- impartiality is a key principle in the officer’s code of conduct. For example article 39 of The Protocol covering relations between councillors and officers refers to officers’ “contractual and legal duty to be impartial.”
6. The role of the Chief Executive.
a) Under the EDDC constitution the Chief Executive has a duty to manage officers and ensure that they do not breach their code of conduct.(22) It is remarkable that Mr Williams took no action over Mr Harrison’s conflict of interest.
b) He cannot have been unaware of public expressions of concern over the relationship between EDDC and the EDBF. As early as 21 May 2010 a letter from the Farringdon Residents Association concerning the controversial Waldron’s Farm planning approval mentioned unease over the influence of the Forum. The EDBF, as a potential minefield of conflicts of interest, has been raised several times in council meetings.(23) Recent local, regional and national media coverage of planning procedures at EDDC, have often centred on the perceived undue influence of the EDBF. (24)
c) Even local MP Hugo Swire has raised the matter with the Chief Executive. Mr Williams’ reply was dismissive and complacent: there was nothing to worry about and residents’ concerns, he suggested, were merely from a politically-motivated minority. (25)
This total failure to address this situation risks bringing the council into disrepute, as indeed will any attempt to ‘water down’ the terms of reference of the TaFF, set up last month by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, to investigate relations between the Council and the EDBF.
References
1) For example: “We think EDDC is more interested in engaging with big business rather than engaging with the local community in trying to achieve the aims and ideals of the coalition government’s Big Society.” Friends of Elizabeth Hall quoted in Exmouth People online 11/10/2012
2) For example the chairman of the EDBF quoted in the Sidmouth Herald of 5 October 2012: “We are a totally independent organisation who go to the council for some degree of funding.”
And at the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee of 27 September 2012 the chairman, Cllr S Hughes, stated: “that a Task and Finish Forum could only make recommendations to the EDBF, as it was a separate entity from the Council.”
3) Number of attendances at EDBF Meetings 2007- June 2012 (Number of meetings: 40)
1.Carter Businesses (FWS Carter, Greendale Business Park, Greendale Industries) 36 *
2. Crealy Park (Chris Down, owns Crealy Farms as well) 32
3. Worldwide Trading (Cllr Philip Skinner) 30
4. AE Stuart and Sons (Roy Stuart) 25
5. Honiton Development Trust (Cllr Bob Buxton) 21
6. Blackdown Hills Business Association 19
7. Fords of Sidmouth 17
8. May Gurney 15
9. Halse of Honiton 15
10. Allwood Buildings 14
11. Bicton College 14**
12. Tru Homes 14
13. East Devon Federation of Small Businesses 14
14. Devon Contractors 13
15.Martha Mockford 13
16. Thomas Westcott 12
17. Devon Cliffs (Bourne Leisure) 11
18. Ladram Bay 10
19. Stags 10
20. Waitrose 10
*often more than one representative attended.
** Bicton college is currently lobbying to build 225 houses at Woodbury Salterton where it owns land.
Members with an interest in planning and development shown in red.
4) EDBF minutes 13/10/2011
5) William Casely, Otter Nurseries EDBF Minutes 10/4/2008
6) For example, on 28 July 2012 Fred Wells wrote on Cllr Wright’s blog:
“I have been unhappy with East Devon Business Forum for a long time and in particular their relationship with EDDC. It is interesting to note that when I was Chairman of Axminster Chamber of Commerce and Industry, I was invited to the Forum but as soon as I started making waves about the Cloakham Lawn development, I was no longer asked to attend!”
7) “Members noted that the work the Business Forum had done on the Atkins Report had made an enormous difference to the final report prepared by the Employment Land Issues Task and Finish Forum. …..This had been accepted by the Executive Board. The report was now being used by the Development Control Committee as a base when considering planning applications for employment land” EDBF minutes 31/1/ 2008
8) “the only piece of evidence relied on by EDDC to justify the employment land figures) is …a report from EDBF. It therefore seems likely that the views of landowners and developers on EDBF led directly to these proposals”. Cllr Claire Wright’s Response to Draft Local Plan Consultation, January 2012
Sidmouth Chamber of Commerce concluded that the EDBF “grossly underestimated” the amount of land already available, for example it missed many vacant commercial premises. Response to Draft Local plan Consultation, January 2012
and
“Sidmouth Chamber of Commerce said it had identified ‘serious flaws’ in EDDC’s calculations, something the council has denied. It said had the ‘correct’ numbers been used, the employment land allocation across the district would have been about 20 hectares less, and Sidmouth would have only had one hectare rather than five. The chamber wants EDDC to revisit employment land in the Local Plan, adding: “We conclude that the process by which employment land allocation in Sidmouth has emerged is very seriously unsound, a shambles in fact.” Sidmouth Herald 20/6/2012
In Dorset County Council’s consultation response, (to the EDDC draft local plan) senior planning officer Gill Smith said the 180 hectares of employment land proposed “considerably exceeded” both county and region-wide requirements of 100 hectares….She also criticised plans for 650 homes and eight hectares of employment land at Axminster, saying neither proposal had been clearly explained, and impacts on schools, traffic and roads had not been considered. Western Morning News 23/8/2012
9) At LDF meeting on 25/5/2009 Bell Cornwell made presentation for an expansion of the Liverton Business Park owned by Devon Clinton Estates.Warmly encouraged by the Panel
10) Cllr Brown and Mr Stuart were fellow district councillors in the 1980s until, in 1990, Cllr Brown resigned in sympathy with Mr Stuart who was obliged to resign from the EDDC planning committee after an ombudsman’s enquiry criticised him severely for planning irregularities.
11) EDBF minutes, 21/4/2005
12) EDBF minutes, 20/4/2006
13) EDBF minutes, 21/4/2005
14) EDB F minutes, 21/7/2011
15) Extracts from 2012 Code of Conduct for Councillors
Personal interests
7.2 Those other personal interests laid down by the Council, namely your membership of any body to which you have been appointed by the Council or exercising functions of a public nature, directed to charitable purposes or whose principal purposes include influence of public opinion or policy, including your membership of any other local Authority, any political party or trade union
received by virtue of your office
7.6 In addition to those interests listed at 7.1 to 7.5 above which you are required to register, you may wish also to declare membership of any body which, in your view, might create a conflict of interest in carrying out your duties as a Councillor, such as membership of the Freemasons or any similar body.
Declaration of Interests and participation at meetings
8.1 and you must also observe the restrictions the Council may also place on your involvement in matters where you have a personal interest as defined by the Council and shown at paras 7.2 to 7.7 above.
8.2 You also have a personal interest in any business of your authority where a reasonable person with knowledge of the relevant facts would regard the interest as greater than would affect the majority of residents or inhabitants in the affected area such that it is likely to prejudice your judgment of the public interest
16) see also:
Planning Policy manager, Matt Dickins told the Forum on 29th April 2011: “EDDC has a new approach and attitude to encouraging development within the district …..if planning policy is a barrier to development, then consideration should be given to changing this policy” EDBF Minutes 29/04/11
Corporate Director, Karime Hassan on 3rd February 2011 reported to EDBF before leaving for Exeter and expressed his relief that it was becoming easier to engage with groups like EDBF “supportive of development” rather than just with residents’ groups who opposed it. He recognised the “greater weight given to business since the establishment of the Business Forum” especially over such issues as the lack of business land.”EDBF Minutes 3/2/2011
17) Examples of Mr Harrison’s important role (from EDBF Minutes):On 25 January 2007 he was appointed member of an EDBF sub-committee which over several months researched the availability of employment land in the District and had the results referred to in reference 3 (above).
On 29 April 2010 he led a Forum discussion on the Environment and Rural Development during which it was suggested that it might be necessary to reconsider the strict protection of the AONB.
On 4 January 2012 he was tasked, with the chairman, to draw up the EDBF response to the Draft Local Plan which included an appeal for more employment land in addition to the 180 hectares allocated in the Plan.
18) EDBF Minutes of 8 May 2008 record that the then Leader of the Council wished to remove Cllr Brown from his position as Member Champion for Business because of “accusations of impropriety involving planning applications within East Devon”. Mr Harrison defended Cllr Brown, saying “he had brought energy and enthusiasm to that task and he had enjoyed working with him”. Such personal support for a councillor against his Leader possibly contravenes article 45 of the Protocol covering relations between councillors and officers which warns of the risks of “personal familiarity” and article 4.1 of the Officers Code of Conduct which states: “You must avoid having close personal friendships with individual Councillors”
19) On 4 February 2010 (EDBF minutes) Nigel Harrison was tasked to write to Kate Little, Head of Planning, on behalf of Angela Wright of Crealy Park to help remove a number of obstacles to her project to build staff housing.
To allow an outside body to instruct an officer would seem to breach article 30 of the Protocol covering relations between councillors and officers that states that officers can only be instructed through the “formal decision-making process” of the council. For an officer to be seen to be attempting to influence a colleague in a planning matter on behalf of someone he knows well and who has significant business interests must raise serious ethical issues.
20) For example:
Mr Harrison attended the Development Management Committee on 5 May 2009 when the owner of Crealy Park (a member of EDBF) was given a three year extension in the time limit for noise mitigation work and on 30 June 2009 when the owner of Ladram Bay caravan site (a member of EDBF ) was given approval for changes to a touring and tenting field.
21) Successful Planning Applications by EDBF members supported by Mr Harrison include:
Crealy Park (Chris Down) (07/3108/COU) Conversion of agricultural buildings to light industrial use, Enfield Farm Clyst St Mary EX51DN re-submission of an earlier application that was contrary to adopted local plan.
Crealy Park (Chris Down) (07/3218/MFUL) Application for 30 holiday lodges, lake etc. on a greenfield site. Contrary to adopted Local Plan.
Stoneleigh Holiday Village (M2 Services Ltd) (08/2558/MFUL) 17 new residential units, upgrading of bar and pool. in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and contrary to adopted Local Plan.
FWS Carter. (08/2936/FUL) Jetset Concrete. Retention of concrete batching plant at Greendale Business Park. Contrary to adopted Local Plan and retrospective application to avoid enforcement action.
AE Stuart (09/0282/MOUT) Extension to Hill Barton Business Park into green fields of 18.75 acres Contrary to adopted Local Plan
May Gurney (09/0410/MFUL) Expansion of Greendale Business park into agricultural land for offices parking etc. Contrary to adopted Local Plan and to regularise unauthorised expansion.
FWS Carter (09/1195/MOUT)15.5 acre expansion of Greendale Business Park: Contrary to adopted Local Plan and countryside protection policies.
Clinton Devon Estates (09/2533/MOUT) 12.5 acre extension to Liverton Business Park Contrary to adopted Local Plan in an Area of Great Landscape Value.
Crealy Park (Chris Down) (10/0070) Approval for waterslide and associated works
AE Stuart and Sons (10/0641/MOUT) for Housing at Westclyst, Old Park Farm up to 450 homes and 2000 sq m. of business use land on 50 acres of grade 1 agricultural land.– contrary to adopted Local Plan
Ladram Bay (FWS Carter and Zoe House) (10/2287/MFUL) expansion of caravan park to new field. or 38/00027 in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Crealy Park (Chris Down) 10/2537/MFUL Conversion of agricultural buildings to light industrial use, Enfield Farm Clyst St Mary EX51DN Contrary to policies TR2 and TR5 of the Devon County Structure Plan.
Axminster Carpets (10/0816/MOUT) Cloakham Lawns 400 dwellings and 10-12000 sq ft of employment land. In an area of Great Landscape Value and contrary to the adopted Local Plan
Devon Cliffs (Bourne Leisure) (10/1210/MFUL) Expansion of Caravan Park contrary to adopted Local Plan.
22) The Constitution of the EDDC states that the Chief Executive (and Head of Paid Service) has overall corporate management and operational responsibility (including overall management responsibility) for all officers.
23) See minutes of Executive Board 30 March 2011, Full Council 25 July 2012, and Overview and Scrutiny Committee 27 September 2012.
24) For Example: Private Eye, Nooks and Corners, p.14, 7 September 2012
25) “I am aware that the relationship of the Council with the EDBF has become a source of concern to some. That being said, many might comment that the issue is perhaps being articulated more as a result of local party differences of opinion rather than anything of notable substance.” Letter of Mark Williams to Hugo Swire, 19 September, 2012.
And for further background information other archive documents can be found at:
http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Scrutiny-councillors-probing-East-Devon-Business/story-17576957-detail/story.html
http://www.claire-wright.org/index.php/post/east_devon_district_council_and_east_devon_business_forum_cause_for_concern/
East Devon Watch 