PRESS RELEASE
Issued by:
Councillor Councillor
Gill Gardiner
Date of Issue: 02 February 2006
Contact: 0151
625 2738
|
|
PRESS RELEASE |
|
COMING TO YOU LIVE - WIRRAL'S Planning Committee could be coming live to you over the Internet according to Wirral's Liberal Democrats. Webcam broadcasting is just one of several Liberal Democrat proposals designed to improve the planning service and open it up to local people. Liberal Democrat Planning spokesperson Councillor Gill Gardiner said, “Webcasting - the broadcast of video and audio over the Internet - could provide local residents who can't attend meetings with an opportunity to play a part in the local democratic process, and get involved in the decisions affecting their lives. “ Many other local authorities are already doing this and I hope that webcasting for Planning Me etings would act as a pilot for other Council meetings; this would allow the Council to become more accessible and transparent to the general public. “However, public involvement in the Planning system should start long before Planning Committee. “All too often local people contact us after a decision has already been taken. “We don't advertise widely enough and we don't consult far enough. “We need to ensure that people are involved in all stages of the planning process; not just with individual planning applications but at the earlier stages when planning policies are discussed. “We should be developing planning policies with local residents, interest groups and Area Forums, taking on board their aspirations for their own communities.” “And we should be opening up the whole planning process to the public.” The Liberal Democrat proposals, which will be going to Wirral's Full Council meeting on 13 February, also include: • better working relationships with local advisory groups such as Conservation Societies; • advertising planning applications more widely within the community that they affect; • easy-to-understand committee reports clearly highlighting the pros and cons of any application; • promoting a planning advice helpline to make planning advice more readily available to everyone. Councillor Gardiner said, “The planning advice helpline already exists, but the problem is no-one realises it's there because it simply isn't promoted! “We can also do far more to improve our website by making it more customer friendly, and by promoting public consultation.” |