THE CONDUCT of a certain cabinet member was called into question during debate at full council last week over a bid to prevent councillors pressurising officers over planning applications.

During the debate, it was said that one councillor had visited planning officers 71 times in the past year, 39 times with the applicant. Most of those times, members heard, the applicant wasn't even one of the councillor's constituents.

These visits took place despite the fact the council no longer, officially, offers a pre-application advice service.

The same councillor, who went unnamed during debate, was also accused of "interfering" in other councillors' wards and threatening other councillors.

The practice of councillors visiting planning officers ahead of a decision was the kind of thing "which gave local government a bad name" said Cllr Mike Stoddart.

"People out there believe it's not what you know, it's who you know, and I fundamentally reject that way of doing business."

Cllr Stoddart had submitted a notice of motion calling for all such meetings to be minuted, with a copy of the minute retained on the application file.

Instead, however, the council agreed that only "pre-arranged" meetings should be minuted.

The definition of 'pre-arranged' remains somewhat open to interpretation but Cllr Stoddart, feels it allows a loophole whereby 'impromptu' meetings can go unrecorded.

Council leader John Davies had argued that while transparency was necessary, practicality was also required.

Asked by Cllr Stoddart why felt councillors visited planning officers if not to influence decisions, the leader replied: "To seek information."

He added: "I give more professional credit to the officers in planning control department than Cllr Stoddart does."

While Cllr Stoddart took that as a personal slur, Cllr Mike Williams said the call for all meetings to be minuted was not a criticism of the officers but of one of Cllr Davies' cabinet.

That member, said Cllr Williams, had threatened him, and was "roaming the county, completely out of control, on matters that are none of his business."

Cllr Joyce Watson also said she had been threatened by a member "interfering" in her ward, while Cllr Ken Edwards said he had felt quite threatened when he spoke at a recent planning committee meeting. But neither Cllr Watson, Edwards, Stoddart or Williams named the member to whom they were referring.