local councils and their railroading of communities

[elliemac1st]

Hi I would like to discuss the fact that local councils are so intent on railroading THEIR own issues onto the COMMUNITY'S for which THEY are meant to take care of.
Our local council has so far railroaded a build which even the builder says he would never have thought that they could have got planning permission for where it is going to happen.
Our whole community have protested against it and each day we seem to find out another little fact that seals the fact that they are not acting in the best interests of the community, who incidently pay THEIR wages.
I will not go into detail just now but I hope that someone, anyone out there may have some good advice in how to get the whole sorry saga into question, some of the powers that be, it may be hard to find one who is not in someone else's pocket, so to speak.

[Babz]

Hi elliemac1st and welcome to the site.

I am/have moved your thread across to Scottish Politics as this is the forum that we welcome new members.

[Scotsgait]

Originally Posted by elliemac1st

I will not go into detail just now

Maybe it would help if you did ! We can't really comment when we don't know the facts about the case.

[Celyn]

Originally Posted by elliemac1st

Hi I would like to discuss the fact that local councils are so intent on railroading THEIR own issues onto the COMMUNITY'S for which THEY are meant to take care of.
Our local council has so far railroaded a build which even the builder says he would never have thought that they could have got planning permission for where it is going to happen.
Our whole community have protested against it and each day we seem to find out another little fact that seals the fact that they are not acting in the best interests of the community, who incidently pay THEIR wages.
I will not go into detail just now but I hope that someone, anyone out there may have some good advice in how to get the whole sorry saga into question, some of the powers that be, it may be hard to find one who is not in someone else's pocket, so to speak.

Welcome, elliemac1st, although I'm sorry that it was such a bad situation that brought you here.

First, Scotsgait has a good point. No-one can advise much without knowing anything, but I DO agree that one never wants to put too much identifying personal detail on a message board.

I will say, though, that I don't doubt at all that things are happening as you describe: it sounds all too familiar, I'm afraid.

I suppose you and others have already been in touch with local councillors, M.P.s, and M.S.P.s? Even so, keep trying, and even the trashiest of local papers might cover your story, even if only because it provides them with an issue to write about. Again, you have probably already tried to get in contact with any other local communities who have undergone/are undergoing the same experience re. the council. And spend a nice boring day in the main public library or the council offices going through the planning permission documents with a fine toothed comb. O, the fun!

If you have not already done so, you and others involved should perhaps form yourselves into the Elliemac1st-town Residents' Association, with a proper constitution and all that. If it is of any use at all, I could, after a bit of messing about to remove names, send you a suitable constitution from a residents' association in CelynLand which you could then use as an example in making your own, suitable for your own needs. Not that it helps much, but, you know, it gives focus or something – not sure what I mean, but you know, in the sense that there is Elliemac1st, concerned local resident, then there is Elliemac1st, speaking as the chair of the whatsit association. Let me know if such a thing would help at all.

Oh heck, truth is, I simply don't know what can be done, and Scotsgait is right in that we know nothing of your situation. Any local public sympathy for your objections will depend on the nature of the build and the effect on the locality – build a big road through old public park land = sympathetic cause, but build a school or an old folks' home on a brownfield site = not so much.

Wishing you all the best with it. Drat, it's almost a pity that the council elections took place SO recently, as that means the councillors won't be worried about keeping votes at the moment.

Any chance you could find some wee animal, as rare and endangered as possible, that lives on the site of the proposed development? Oops, not really meaning to make light of it, not in the slightest. I really do wish you all the best here.

[Scotsgait]

Originally Posted by Celyn

First, Scotsgait has a good point. No-one can advise much without knowing anything, but I DO agree that one never wants to put too much identifying personal detail on a message board.

I wholly agree with you re the personal details but, unless the development is taking place in a tiny hamlet, something more about the development and council in question is highly unlikely to lead to the identification of elliemac1st.

[Celyn]

Originally Posted by Scotsgait

I wholly agree with you re the personal details but, unless the development is taking place in a tiny hamlet, something more about the development and council in question is highly unlikely to lead to the identification of elliemac1st.

Oh no, I must be in a daft mood today, 'cos I'm imagining a post that says ".... so, then, I and my pals, Rosenkranz and Guildenstern .... and see thon evil so-and-so stepfather of mine, by the way, just cannae get on wi him at all .... "

Yeah, you're right re. identification, but different people have different comfort levels and especially when entirely new to a particular message board - just me trying to be nice, which doesn't happen often, so mark this day in your diary.

But yes, it would be useful to know whether we're talking about building half a dozen houses or building a great big nuclear power station. Oho, or maybe yet another blooming big supermarket? Or whether the development involves environmentally sensitive land or destruction of local amenity, or whether the proposed development, on the other hand, might actually have something to be said for it. I'm intrigued.

[elliemac1st]

Originally Posted by Babz

Hi elliemac1st and welcome to the site.

I am/have moved your thread across to Scottish Politics as this is the forum that we welcome new members.

Hi Babz, thank you for your welcome. I have not been on due to other things. I, hopefully will learn how to go about being part of the forum and will be happy to discuss topics in general although it is "politics" and Local Council that brought me to this site.
Thanks Elliemac1st