LETTER: Flawed strategy for our District

Cllr Brian O’Connell (Henfield) has been proposed (also by southern councillor Kate Rowbottom) as the next chairman of Horsham District Council (HDC).
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Maybe he is comfortable with the way he was parachuted into the role. As your Editorial (6.3.14) revealed a senior Conservative councillor felt that Cllr Christian Mitchell might side with the public over the Tory Cabinet - and then where would it all end?

But what do we know about Cllr Brian O’Connell? He is a Director of Ambrose Development Company. He was elected to HDC in only May 2011.

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An article in this paper (15.3.12) reported that a complaint against him was rejected by the Standards Sub Committee in connection with a conversion at Wineham Farm begun in June 2005 in breach of planning control. I understand that Cllr Claire Vickers was a member of the adjudication panel.

But most notably Cllr O’Connell is the Deputy Cabinet Member for Planning to Cllr Claire Vickers (which says it all, doesn’t it?) who along with councillors Ray Dawe, Jim Rae and Helena Croft is part of gang of four councillors behind the flawed Preferred Strategy for housing and economic development in our District.

TONY HOGBEN

Old Holbrook, Horsham