'Incompetence, or were we misled?' (From Basingstoke Gazette)

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'Incompetence, or were we misled?'

11:00am Sunday 29th January 2012 in News By Simon Moss

Former Conservative boss Stephen Reid

THE man who has done the most to oppose building on the controversial Manydown land, was in charge when the borough council first made approaches to buy it.

That’s the criticism being levelled by Labour politicians at former Conservative boss Stephen Reid over the £10million Many-down land deal – the purchase of 820 hectares of farmland west of Basing-stoke, which was completed in 1996.

Labour politicians say remarks from a chartered surveyor working for The Manydown Company, who sold the land, raise a question over how Cllr Reid, as leader of the council in 1995, did not know Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s chief executive Katrine Sporle was in talks about buying it.

Cllr Reid left the local authority in May 1995 to contest the Eastleigh seat in the general election and last year told The Gazette he had no idea the council was planning to buy Many-down, adding he was “shocked” when the decision was made.

He returned to the council in 2008 and is now chairman of the planning and infrastructure committee. Prior to being elected, he was chairman of the Save Manydown group that successfully fought off major development plans by the Labour and Lib-eral Democrat administration.

Labour group leader Councillor Laura James said: “It is either gross incompetence that Stephen Reid did not know his own chief executive was having these discussions, or it appears people subsequently may have been misled.”

The Conservatives, including Cllr Reid, currently refuse to consider Manydown as a site for new housing in a draft planning masterplan covering the next 15 years. Instead, hundreds of new homes are being proposed around Chineham and Old Basing and Basingstoke Golf Club.

Roger Pryor, a chartered surveyor who previously acted for the Many-down Company, said Mrs Sporle first suggested buying the site at a meeting in January 1995.

He told The Gazette: “We went to the meeting to explain to the local authority that we were going to be seeking a buyer for that area of the Manydown estate. Katrine Sporle then suggested if we were going to sell it, the council would be interes-ted.

“We were surprised as it was not the purpose of the meeting to see if the council wanted to buy the land.”

Cllr Reid told The Gazette the council operated under a different decision-making structure in 1995, and he is adamant that he had no knowledge of a possible Manydown deal when he was leader.

He explained: “The situation then was that we did not have the Cabinet system.

“We had a committee system where it was perfectly reasonable for council officers to be investigating options before presenting them to committee. So I wouldn’t necessarily have had to know.

“I announced my decision to stand down from the council in February of that year so it might be that these things were not being brought to my attention because they were long-term and confidential.

“I certainly have no recollection of meetings where I would be discussing Manydown.”

Mrs Sporle, who left the borough council to become chief executive of the Planning Inspectorate, could not be contacted by The Gazette.

Comments(21)

The _right_stuff says...
3:38pm Sun 29 Jan 12

I'm sure (and I hope) it all comes out in the Judicial review(s).

Now if only The Manydown company and SOLVE / Country watch could get together, they could share resources, costs and sort this thing out once for all.

If that happens, watch the Conservatives run for cover :)