Lib Dem 'phone mast success!

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 2nd Mar 2005

Andrew Stunell MP & Cllr LInda Seekings meeting a few days after the succesful motion was put to Crawley Borough Council calling for Crawley's Labour MP to support Andrew's Phone Mast bill

Crawley Lib Dems succeeded in getting Crawley Borough Council tonight (2nd March) to back their call for Crawley's Labour MP to support Lib Dem MP Andrew Stunell's phone mast bill.

The bill, whose purpose is to force mobile phone operators to apply for planning permission for new 'phone masts, will only succeed if there is a wide range of support from MP's of all political parties. At present mobile 'phone companies can get masts built without having to go through the same planning application process that other people and organisations have to.

In fact at present it's easier for 'phone companies to get permission to build a 'phone mast than it is for a householder to get planning permission for a porch for their front door!

Commenting after the meeting Lib Dem Councillor Linda Seekings, who had proposed the motion, said "I'm pleased that the support of all Councillors was so massive. I only hope that Laura Moffat will vote for this bill knowing now that it has the support of the overwhelming majority of Crawley's elected representatives."

All bar three Labour Councillors voted to support the motion. Of these one of them was the Mayor who, by his own custom and practice, has chosen to abstain on almost every vote since taking on that role.

The motion to Council was supported by 32 Councillors, 3 abstained, 2 were absent and none voted against. The full text of the motion read:-

This Council:

• is concerned that its present ability is impaired, through the planning process, to act in the best interests of local residents in relation to the proliferation of mobile telephone masts;

• as a result it welcomes the Private Member's Bill recently introduced by Andrew Stunell MP to give local Councils greater powers in this regard, and in particular (a) to prohibit any development without planning permission and (b) to allow a local Council to have regard to health issues on a precautionary basis; and

• therefore instructs the Chief Executive to write to Crawley's MP to urge her to support this Bill.