A LEADING Conservative councillor has insisted there is ‘no conflict of interest’ after facing backlash for going against officers’ refusal recommendation for a controversial planning application.
Earlier this month, Tory councillors on the Maidenhead development management panel voted to defer and delegate developer CALA Home’s plans to the head of planning subject to conditions after it came to the panel three times.
The scheme involved building 80 homes, almost half are affordable, on land to the south of Ray Mill Road East.
Planning officers recommended the panel refuse the proposal due to its location on the flood plain.
Residents called the flooding problem a “risk to life”, but councillor Ross McWilliams (Con: Cox Green), lead member for housing, moved a proposal against officer recommendations as the affordable housing element is “desperately needed” and would reduce the council’s “full” housing waiting list.
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The flood risk was disputed between the developers and Environment Agency where the Secretary of State could have the final say in the matter if the plans are referred.
But this sparked questions over his connection with the developers as the Tory councillor works as an account director for Built Environment Communications Group, which do public relations on behalf of CALA Homes.
Cllr McWilliams didn’t declare this as an interest at the meeting, which was called out by Liberal Democrat councillor John Baldwin (Belmont).
CALA Homes had their 80-homes plan defered and delegated to the head of planning
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr McWilliams insisted the monitoring officer found no conflict of interest after he took advice from her when his employer took on CALA Homes as a client.
His private employers can also be found on his register of interests on the council’s website.
He said he has “no personal benefit” from projects or clients and he does not work on any projects relating to CALA Homes or within the Royal Borough.
Cllr McWilliams said: “The unfortunate thing here is that some have tried to whip this up into a conspiracy theory, so my legitimate employment and my publicly available register of interests have been turned into the opposition’s attempt to try and turn it into a conspiracy theory.
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“The truth is slightly more mundane in that I have been a long campaigner and proponent, as the cabinet member for housing and beforehand, for the delivery of affordable housing and on this application, we had to weigh up the options in front of us.”
He added: “All of these issues are usually raised with the monitoring officer before the meeting. It was raised in the meeting, in the way it was, is fairly obvious this was done to cause deliberate political embarrassment.”
Cllr McWilliams also said in hindsight, he should have declared it as an interest at the meeting, but it would not have changed the facts.
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