I UNDERSTOOD the preliminary findings of the planning review of Bolton were confidential until the final report is published in around four weeks time but since someone has decided to leak the results I should like to respond.

First of all this was not an inquiry. An inquiry implies in depth investigation and research. An inquiry might also have allowed more than a few days for public input and might have included confidential access to the inquiry panel for the public and council staff. This was a 'peer challenge'. A brief three day overview of part of the planning process by two councillors and a planning officer from elsewhere in the country. All they have done is highlight areas of committee procedure where best practice could be applied.

There seems to be no criticism of the council's approach to pre-application meetings or developer contributions or site visits or the leader's attendance or planning enforcement or repeat applications or many other aspects of planning that the public think is not clear. This is a missed opportunity to alleviate public concern that the system is corrupt.?I have no doubt that the three members of this peer challenge panel carried out their review diligently, the blame for the shallow investigation lies with Labour councillors who decided on the terms of reference.

It was always clear that the intention of the original motion before council was to conduct a truly independent inquiry with full confidential access by the public and staff. What we have seen merely scrapes the surface and it is unlikely that the public will view the planning process in Bolton any differently after this review than they did before.

Councillor Bob Allen

Heaton & Lostock Ward