FORD ECO-TOWN: Councillors abstain in eco-town vote

The total of 22 Arun District Council members who declined to take part in the vote about the controversial plans was among the highest no-show of hands since the local authority began in 1974.

The highly unusual action came during a call to launch a campaign against the intention to build 5,000 homes on the former airfield site.

Members at Arun's full council meeting were asked to back the decision of the council's special cabinet meeting two weeks earlier.

The recommendation had to be amended twice because the original phrase, which attacked the principle of eco-towns in the district, worried members who were concerned about publically committing themselves so early in the eco-town debate.

An acceptable form of words was eventually agreed.

The final recommendation read that the district council should join with local groups to mount a campaign against the process being followed by the government to enable eco-towns to be built. It also called for Arun to join any national campaigns with the same purpose.

The matter became council policy when 23 councillors voted in favour of it. No one voted against to leave almost half of those present '“ 22 '“ deciding to abstain.

The large number stemmed from government rules which state that councillors can only vote on a matter when they can show they are fully aware of the issues concerned.

They can not be seen to have made up their mind before they have considered all the facts. Stating an opinion on an issue early on is likely to see them barred from crucial votes about the subject. This particularly applies to development control committee members who will be expected to vote on any planning applications for the schemes.

One of Yapton's councillors '“ the newly-elected Emma Neno '“ left the council chamber completely during the debate.

She could take no part because she had expressed an opinion about the eco-towns during her election campaign. One of those present, Cllr Mike Northeast, led the way in urging caution in backing an anti eco-town campaign at this stage.

With the debate being watched by the three individuals behind the Ford Enterprise Hub, and a handful of other residents interested in the issue, he said: "This recommendation is going to compromise some councillors in this chamber.

"Councillors have got to be very, very careful if they vote for this and go out and make comments elsewhere. People will be watching them and noting down everything that is being said."

But Arun's leader, Cllr Gill Brown, said the campaign was against the processes which led to the likely eco-town sites being proposed rather than against a development at Ford.

The protest concerned the way the government was dictating where new housing should go rather than leaving the matter to councils.

"We should be deciding where housing should go," she insisted.

The other three recommendations about the eco-town '“ for which there are two proposals at Ford '“ passed with little comment.