THREE councillors will be allowed to vote on plans for 2,350 new homes in Chesterton, after a U-turn by Cotswold District Council.

CDC had previously said that Chesterton ward councillors Roly Hughes, Jenny Hincks and Ray Brassington would be barred from voting on Bathurst Development Ltd's application when a decision is made by the full council later this year.

But this will no longer be the case after a motion was passed by Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors at a CDC meeting today, Tuesday.

From now on, district councillors will be able to vote, or make or second propositions and amendments, on applications within their own wards.  The motion was proposed by councillors David Fowles and Joe Harris, and seconded by Robin Hughes and Patrick Coleman.

They argued that planning decisions can impact significantly on local communities and, as such, ward councillors should be able to vote.

They said local councillors should participate in all aspects of the planning process to represent local views.

Commenting on the change, leader of CDC, Cllr Mark Annett, said: “There was a strong argument that the historic practice of not allowing members to vote on matters within their own ward is no longer in the best interests of residents – or, indeed, the members.

“The vote passed today clearly shows that our councillors were inclined to go down this path in the knowledge that we will apply adequate safeguards to ensure that they will declare interests and respect common law and guidance regarding issues of predisposition, predetermination, and bias.”

Leader of the Liberal Democrat group at CDC, Cllr Harris, said: “It’s a victory for democracy and accountability. The decision to restrict the three ward councillors for the development site from voting was appalling and the Conservatives paid a heavy price at the ballot box in the local elections back in May.

“I’m glad the Conservatives have done the right thing by U-turning on this issue.”

Cllr Fowles, a Conservative, said: “The change to the policy allowing ward members to vote across all planning applications is something that we, the Conservatives, have been keen to see change for a number of years. We’re delighted that the policy is now changed and we’ve got support from both sides of the chamber, the Lib Dems and Conservative colleagues."