At the first City Council meeting of the new year, the Green Party successfully blocked the latest in a long line of attempts by the ruling Labour Group to centralise the planning system.

A Green Group motion from Cllr Elise Benjamin - vice chair of the central planning committee (SDCC) and a former chair - forced Labour to reinstate (on Council documents) the names of those Councillors responsible for 'calling in' a planning decision.

Secondly, Green Cllr Craig Simmons put forward a blocking amendment to stop Labour from removing the power of Full Council to scrutinise decisions of the central planning committee (SDCC) - which has a majority Labour membership.

Labour have previously tried - and failed - by the narrowest of votes to remove all planning powers from Area Committees.  Labour did manage to take over the chair of SDCC (and thereby have the casting vote) despite the earlier convention that this committee be chaired by an opposition Councillor. Labour also increased the number of Councillors required to call in an application to Full Council from 4 to 12 members.