Consultation news

Ahead of Tuesday's (30th August) Overview & Scrutiny meeting at TDC's Cecil Street HQ, those diligent public servants have released the lawyers' letter that quashed discussion of night flights in Council in mid-July. This three-pager from solicitors firm Bevan Brittan (full text available here) sheds some welcome light on the consultation process, and explains why they think the motion crossed the fine line between predisposition and predetermination.

Click to read more ...

Motionless

Updated on Jul 18, 2011 at 15:42 by HBM

Predetermination: valid concern or convenient cover story?

Cock-up or conspiracy? A question that keeps popping into my head whenever I look at the long-standing and slipshod relationship between TDC and Manston. Today's source of wonderment is the aborted motion on night flights at the 14th July TDC Council meeting.

The snippet of Labour press release reproduced below gives one side of the story. Political hot air to one side, it appears that the motion regarding night flights was scotched at the very last minute, rather than at any point in the preceding month or so. Incompetence on the part of officers for accepting an ill-formed or illegal motion? Or what passes for political finesse on the part of the majority party?

I have yet to see the full legal advice (do please send in your copy), but my team of researchers tell me that me that Bevan Brittan's advice was that even debating the motion could be construed as predetermining any possible future application from Manston.

Click to read more ...