DETERMINING planning applications is a legal function of councils, and precautions have to be in place to ensure that the councillors who decide them have to be strictly impartial. Any contact with either the applicant or objectors which might prejudice their view, or any friendship or financial involvement with them, requires the councillor concerned to declare an interest and withdraw from the meeting.

How different for Ministers. Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, had several contacts with property developer and Conservative party donor Richard Desmond before approving a planning application of his for 1,500 homes worth £1000m in the Isle of Dogs.

By chance, he did this the day before new legislation came in that would have required Mr Desmond to pay an infrastructure levy of £40m. In approving it, he overturned a decision not only by the local council, but also by the Government's own Planning Inspectorate.

Recently released documents show that Mr Jenrick insisted on rushing the decision through to save Mr Desmond from paying the fee after being lobbied to do so by Mr Desmond. Shortly after this, Mr Desmond made a further donation to the Conservative party.

Mr Jenrick's position should be untenable but, astonishingly, Boris Johnson considers the matter 'closed'.

Tony Fisher

Liberal Democrat councillor for Strensall ward