WE were privileged to see how local politics work in York at a planning meeting last week.

The item we were interested in was an application for a number of houses to be built on a sports field at Derwent Junior School.

At the start of the discussion Labour's Coun Smallwood produced copies of two letters sent to Sport England from an official of York council describing the site as a tip, boggy, and strewn with glass and drug needles.

When Coun Smallwood, who lives near the site, asked the case officer if he had seen it he said no.

It was also revealed that no site visit had taken place after which Coun Smallwood proposed the discussion be deferred until the next meeting to give time for the case officer and the planning committee to visit it. The proposition was seconded, a vote was taken and it was tied four-all.

In such cases the chairman has the casting vote. There is a convention, supported by good sense and the need to maintain, if possible, the impartiality of the chair, that the casting vote should be used to leave the question at issue open for future reconsideration.

But, in this case, the chair voted on party lines and the impression we got was this was all decided before the meeting.

The council officer for sport, who appeared to be asking for the approval of the applicants every time she spoke, got up to leave the meeting standing behind the door giving the thumbs up to the applicants.

It is time for the elected representatives to start working for the good of the community and set aside the continual Lib Dem - Labour animosity.

W Kettlestring,

Yew Tree Mews,

Osbaldwick,

York.

Updated: 10:42 Wednesday, September 28, 2005