Tim,
I have read your response to the LOSRA statement (August Edition) in the September issue of Sunbury Matters and I really have no option but to come back to you. I had no wish for this debate to descend into an undignified "they said, he said" argument but, regrettably, you have left me with no alternative.
In the first place, I think you would be surprised if LOSRA made any public statement - especially one as controversial as this - which was not supportable by proven facts. The Committee is comprised of intelligent individuals who leave their political leanings (if any) outside the LOSRA door.
I will now deal with the text of your response:
With the possible exception of the previous Cabinet member for Planning (and specifically in her ex officio capacity); and the Leader of the Council, what evidence do you have that you or any Sunbury councillor has been "impugned"? Our challenge has been directed towards the Council, as a body corporate; but if you maintain that this challenge is against "by extension, your councillors" that is a matter for your subjective assessment; but you might want to ponder that proposition a little more closely for it opens up a much broader debate. It raises the question of whether our Council is led by officers or by those who have been elected for that purpose.
You have consistently used the term 'plan' as it is narrowly defined, ie., in relation to the submission of a development plan and are doggedly hiding behind that definition. LOSRA, on the other hand, has used the term in its generic sense ie., as a synonym for a 'scheme' or 'plot'. That was our mistake; we should have been clearer in the first place and, more importantly, because the term has consistently provided the Council with a semantic escape route. This said, you might like to refer to document 51 attached in which Heather Morgan, in her email of 7th March 2013, writes about "....a more detailed conversation re master plan and high level programme timescales".
Now to the evidence, much of which has been obtained by requests under the Freedom of Information Act: We discover that the first of a series of meetings took place two and a half years ago and on the following dates:
21 Mar 2012 Tour of Kempton Park by officials, councillors
10 May 2012 Meeting at Kempton Park: councillors
23 Oct 2012 Meeting at Kempton Park: Roberto Tambini, Heather Morgan, Lee O’Neil, Michael Graham, Colin Fellows, Mike Street
23 Jan 2013 Meeting at Kempton Park: officials, councillors – Kempton Park Working Party – Heather Morgan, Mark Boyes, Peter Hopson
6 Feb 2013 Meeting at Knowle Green: Robert Watts, Roberto Tambini, Lee O’Neil, Heather Morgan, Mike Street, Colin Fellows, William Gittus, Peter Hopson
19 Feb 2013 Meeting at Knowle Green: David Keene, Heather Morgan, Matthew Lappin
7 Mar 2013 Meeting at Kempton Park: Mike Street, Phil White, Roberto Tambini, Heather Morgan, Lee O’Neil
27 Mar 2013 Meeting at Knowle Green: David Keene, Heather Morgan, Mark Boyes, Matthew Lappin. (cancelled at the last minute due to the unavailability of Heather Morgan)
10 Apr 2013 Meeting at Kempton Park: Heather Morgan, Roberto Tambini, Lee O’Neill, Robert Watts, Suzy Webb, Mark Boyes, Peter Hopson, William Gittus, Mike Street
26 June 2013 Meeting at Knowle Green: Robert Watts, Suzy Webb, Roberto Tambini, Lee O’Neil, Heather Morgan, Mike Street, William Gittus, Peter Hopson, Mark Boyes, Duncan Phillips
17 Jul 2013 Meeting at Kempton Park: Councillors, Kempton Park Steering Group
11 Sep 2013 Meeting at Knowle Green: Mark Boyes, Heather Morgan, Roberto Tambini re Costco objection
12 Sep 2013 Meeting at Kempton Park – update meeting with Aspire
Mid Nov 2013 Meeting at Kempton Park: Heather Morgan, David Keene, “senior officers”
9 Dec 2013 Meeting at Knowle Green: Mark Boyes, Roberto Tambini, others?
20 Feb 2014 Meeting at Knowle Green: Roberto Tambini, Robert Watts, Vivienne Leighton, John Brooks, Mike Street, Mark Boyes, Duncan Phillips
Question: At the LOSRA AGM, on two separate occasions you stated emphatically "There have been no meetings". Perhaps you would now explain what could possibly have occupied so many hours of senior Council personnel over such a long period?
You will also wish to acquaint yourself with the following:
Document 36, attached with the subject heading: 'CONFIDENTIAL, Kempton Park and Affordable Housing' dated 23rd February 2012 where the Chief Executive, Roberto Tambini asks the Head of Planning Services, Heather Morgan for the title of a MAT report on the subject but cautions: "Preparing a MAT report may well be of value, although the 'title' would need to give nothing away.” (I have learned since that MAT is the Management Action Team, the group of senior officials at Spelthorne). This correspondence was copied to a number of senior officers and the then Leader of the Council.
Document 63 attached. These are Heather Morgan’s notes from the meeting she and Roberto Tambini had with Mark Boyes of Aspire and “D” (possibly Duncan Philips of Aspire) immediately before the meeting with LOSRA representatives at Knowle Green on 9 December last year, with Roberto, Heather, Lee O’Neil, Alf Friday, Robert Watts and yourself.
At the meeting with LOSRA they all variously denied knowing anything about a development of the size of 1500 homes, or being advocates for any development at Kempton Park. However, Heather's notes from the preceding meeting indicate otherwise and include references to Roberto Tambini saying “councillors have not changed their minds”, acknowledging that Boyes had mentioned the Newbury development to him (1400 units, as it happens), suggesting – three times - that the Jockey Club should have a phased development, which would be “less contentious”, and allow for “quick wins”. (You should know that Document 63 only surfaced because the Information Commissioner forced them to reveal it after minutes of a different meeting were provided following the initial FOI request).
Also, The Chief Executive blames the information LOSRA mentioned in its autumn 2013 newsletter on a “leak somewhere”. In fact, there was no leak – all the information came from Heather, Tambini, Robert Watts and Mark Boyes. We just put it all together.
I hope that the above concludes this debate once and for all and it is with regret that I find myself having to respond so forcefully. Your response to the LOSRA article requires some form of rebuttal and I do not intend asking the Editor of Sunbury Matters to indulge us further on this matter. Accordingly, and within seven days, I will reference the article on our Website together with a suitably edited version of this letter and any reply you wish to make.
Should you choose to reply I think you might also acknowledge that your statement to the LOSRA AGM, whether misguided or not, was patently untrue. You also made some pretty unpleasant (and. in the light of the foregoing, wholly unwarranted) remarks about Paul Watts and accusing him of "nasty journalism". You may wish to consider giving the AGM attendees a public clarification, not to mention an apology to Paul.
Regards,
John
