Council "cheated" public over town centre consultation

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 2nd Oct 2007

Colchester Borough Council today stood accused of "behaving worse than cheating television phone-in programmes" after it was revealed that a "jury" set up to consider proposals for re-development of the Vineyard Gate area of the town centre made their decision FOUR DAYS before the public consultation ended!

The shock revelation was made this morning by Colchester MP Bob Russell who said he had been contacted by a resident who had by chance discovered that the "jury" had met to make its decision although the public consultation was still taking place.

"I have made enquiries and this confirms that the public consultation was a public relations exercise in which the people of Colchester have been duped.

"Frankly, the deception - in which the Borough Council was involved right up to the highest level - is so serious that I believe the Councillors who are a party to this deception should resign.

"How can people have any confidence in the Council when it behaves in a manner worse than cheating television phone-in programmes who have been exposed in recent weeks for deception?"

Mr Russell said that it was bad enough that the Council had handed over such an important matter as the re-development of a large area of the Town Centre to a group of people "most of whom do not live in Colchester," but what made it even worse was "the total contempt members of the jury have for residents by making a decision when they knew the public consultation was not due to end for another four days."

And he questioned how seriously the comments made by the public had been considered bearing in mind that they were handed to the developers. He also pointed out that both the developers and their architects were represented on the jury.

"Colchester Councillors are elected to make decisions, so that they are democratically accountable to the general public."

Mr Russell added: "Handing over the future development concept of the St Botolph's Street and Osborne Street area to developers from Yorkshire, an area which has been given the made up artificial name of Vineyard Gate, shows that the majority of Councillors who run the Council do not have the confidence to make decisions.

"They would rather pass it over to a faceless and largely unknown group of people who are not accountable to the people of Colchester.

"Frankly, if they are not capable of making important decisions they should make way for people who can, and who are prepared to stand up to be held democratically accountable for their actions."

The so-called "jury" was selected in discussions between the Council and the developers, Vineyard Gate Developments Ltd. The only Councillor on the eight-strong "jury" was Conservative Councillor Brian Jarvis, plus Council Executive Director Mr Ian Vipond. The developers will pay the costs incurred.

The developers also paid for the public exhibition which was held in the former Shoe World shop on the corner of Queen Street and the entrance to the Bus Station. It ran for two weeks, ending on Saturday 15th September.

It is now known that the "jury" made its decision on Tuesday 11th September - the only day that week when the exhibition was closed to the public. The reason for the closure is because the "jury" were in the building to consider their judgement!

The disclosure of the Council's deception of the public comes in the same year as the Audit Commission strongly criticised them with this withering comment: "Few residents think that the Council listens to them and there are concerns that they cannot influence decisions."