Sefton Council Acting Illegally Over Conservation Areas

Council Acting Illegally Over Conservation Areas

Sefton Council is acting unlawfully, in respect of how it assesses and improves Conservation areas a Southport Councillor has declared.

Section 71 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 makes totally clear that whenever any Council reviews its Conservation Areas, including proposed changing of boundaries, the Council has to hold a public meeting. Sefton Council has just finished a twelve week long consultation period concerning two adjoining conservation areas in Southport; Lord Street and the Promenade.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/9/section/71

Council officers say that they have held a number of events where residents could meet with officers of the council by appointment to discuss their concerns about conservation areas.

“It is clear that the council officers genuinely think that this is more useful than having a public meeting,” says Councillor Tony Dawson, who represents the Promenade, Lord Street and the Town Centre. “But that does not satisfy the law. The law says that there has to be a public meeting for each Conservation Area and the law is also very clear as to what constitutes a public meeting. These events run by Sefton Council do not come anywhere near.”

“Public meetings are interactive events where local people can discuss concerns with the organisers and listen to what each other have to say as well as being open to attendance of media representatives so that people’s views can be reported. People at public meetings can register both collective and individual opinions about things.”

“It is hard to believe that if there had been a public meeting about the Lord Street Conservation Area Appraisal consultation that some Southport resident would not have asked about the preservation of the 50-year old historic distinctive red tarmac on Lord Street among other things.  Presumably, council officers would then have had to tell the people about the highly-secret Bootle Labour councillor decision taken in June to turn Lord Street black without consulting anyone.”

“There is still plenty of time for the Council to conform with its legal requirements to hold a public meeting about each Conservation Area.”

Sefton Council is known throughout England for being the only Council in history to have unlawfully made their former Chief Executive ‘redundant’ when the Labour and Conservative groups wanted to get rid of him. Councillor Dawson produced the original legal advice which forced the Council to behave properly – against the wishes and votes of Labour and Conservative Cabinet Members.