A LEADING Thurrock councillor distanced himself from the presence of the Thurrock Conservatives HQ in the middle of a possible planning development.
Thurrock Conservatives HQ is situated in the Titan Industrial Works in Hogg Lane, Grays.
At full council last night (wednesday) the council’s legal services department stressed to Tory councillors that their HQ’s presence did not mean they had to declare an interest should the matter of possible planning applications come to be debated on the floor of the chamber, however, Little Thurrock councillor, Stuart St Clair-Haslam informed the chamber that he will absent himself from the chamber, should such matters arise.
He said: “The presence of the HQ in the industrial works might be interpreted by the public that it could have an influence on votes. if such planning applications arise.”
On the matter arising in the agenda, Cllr St Clair-Haslam left the chamber. The other 48 colleagues did not.
I was at the meeting where the councillour Mr Haslam walked out of the meeting at which he rightly stated that the Tories had a portacabin within the titan works. I would like to point out that as a member of the general public i am glad that this man walked out when the matter of the LDF core strategy arose. I personally think he did right as any member of the general public would view the matter of the Tories having a office on the Titan works site as likely to influence the planned development in the titan pit area and that the local Tory run council would be prejudiced by that fact. i would also like to point out that if the other tories had done the right thing like Mr Haslam then only 22 of his colleagues would need to have left the meeting as the prejudicial matter did not concern any other of the 23 labour members or the two independent members or the BNP Councillour. I think that the involvement of the majority of the remaining 22 tory councillours in voting for the core strategy may have ruined the LDF and may prove to leave a very bad taste in the mouths of right minded and fair minded individuals within the general public of Thurrock. I think this matter should be investigated thoroghly.