News / Politics
Greens demand apology over Labour planning meetings boycott
The Green Party has accused Labour of “attacking” its chair and “politicising” committee meetings after a decision by the latter to boycott planning meetings.
In a statement on Twitter, the party demanded an apology from the Bristol Labour group following accusations levied at one of its councillors at a recent development committee meeting.
Following the meeting, Labour announced that their councillors would be boycotting planning committee meetings following “racial and religious abuse” by some members of the public at a decision to approve the expansion of South Bristol Cemetery & Crematorium onto land currently used by Yew Tree Farm.
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After the meeting had been adjourned, one member of the public said she could not believe that some councillors on the committee had used their religion as justification to allow the cemetery to expand.
In a statement, Bristol’s Labour group said that “members of the committee and staff were subject to unacceptable behaviour”.
The announcement prompted Ani Stafford-Townsend, who chairs the Development Control Committee B, to seek legal advice.
The Greens have now released a statement claiming the accusations have been “disproved” and demanded Labour issue an apology.
They have called on Labour to “fulfil their democratic responsibility” to attend upcoming meetings” and accused the group of a “deliberate strategy to distract residents from this administration’s failure to deliver meaningful change for Bristol”.
In a statement posted on Twitter, they said: “Following November’s meeting of the Development Control Committee B, Bristol Labour Group issued a statement attacking the Chair and announcing a boycott of the committee by its three Labour members.
“Video evidence has emerged disproving the accusations, including that of racial and religious abuse.
“Therefore, we call on Bristol Labour to issue a full and frank apology to those involved and to confirm if their members of DC B will fulfil their democratic responsibility to attend upcoming meetings.
“This attack continues a pattern of politicising what should be a non-partisan regulatory committee, which our members take very seriously.
“It is part of a deliberate strategy to distract residents from this administration’s failure to deliver meaningful change for Bristol, and public trust in the planning process has suffered as a result.”
A petition calling on Bristol City Council to hold a full council meeting over the state of Bristol’s planning system has amassed more than 3,500 signatures.
Main photo: Rob Browne
Read next:
- Labour councillors to boycott planning meetings
- Green councillor resigns from planning committee over ‘Broadwalk scandal’
- Petition claims Bristol’s planning system is ‘failing’
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