FAVOURITISM? CONTROVERSY AS EX-MAYOR'S PLANNING APPLICATION GETS GREEN LIGHT

 

The good life - one of the caravans

A FORMER mayor of North East Lincolnshire and his family have controversially  been given planning consent to continue living in two timber-clad caravans in a field between Bradley and Waltham.

At this week's meeting of the planning committee, members looked kindly on colleague Cllr Ron Shepherd, who is a serving member of NELC's cabinet.

Both his wife and their son have been very poorly, and their smallholding business - known as The Shepherd's Purse - has struggled.

Committee members decided to allow them to continue living on site for a temporary period of three years - against the recommendation of planning officers who described the arrangement as "very unusual".

The voting was four-four, and committee chairman Cllr Stephen Harness used his casting vote to swing the decision in Cllr Shepherd's favour.

Was it an old pals' act?

It looked that way to Cllr Tim Mickleburgh who said the public would see it as "giving extra leeway to one of our own" - a leeway that would not be granted to any non-councillor.

This observation irked Cllr Bill Parkinson who said his support  for Cllr Shepherd was motivated by what was right and wrong - not by their mutual acquaintance.

Cllr Mickleburgh responded: "I'm not casting aspersions - I'm just mindful of the impression this will give to outsiders."

The meeting heard that the Shepherds needed to live on site to protect their property and livestock from criminals.

In a statement, they said their business had been hit by family illness and the pandemic, but they had investment plans for the future

"This will be a bespoke rural business of benefit to the community,"said the statement.

It is understood that the council now intends to monitor the site with enforcement officers to ensure compliance with various planning conditions.