Hitchin: Five abuses of the democratic process by North Herts Council regarding the unfolding Lord Lister scandal.

It's the opaque North Herts Council deal that has left Hitchin reeling.

After further investigations by Hitchin Nub News and campaigners North Herts Council has now admitted through the information provided in its own Q&A that:

1 It did take the decision to give £200k of taxpayers' money to a private supported housing provider behind closed doors, last August - without reference to any public committee.

2 It made that decision in the full knowledge that private housing company Keystage was buying the Lord Lister Hotel via O'Grady Investments with the intention of opening a homeless hostel.

3 It also knew that this hostel would (initially, at least) be opened without planning permission.

4 It is unable to give local people a date when a retrospective planning application for the hostel might be discussed.

5 The whole thing was a done deal before anyone living nearby was ever consulted.

Local councillors insist they are unable to discuss the matter until after the local elections on May 5.

However, campaigner Jess Princeton told Nub News: "It is difficult to escape the conclusion that North Herts Council are hiding behind election rules to force through this planning application against the will of the people they were elected to represent.

"Quite simply it's an abuse of democracy and sets a worrying trend."

As Hitchin Nub News has stated previously, the pre-election period, which some call 'purdah' is only a convention and a guideline for journalists. It is not a law.

Therefore we will be publishing a raft of articles in the run-up to the May 5 local elections on a whole host of topics relating to our town and the stories and decisions that affect our readers.

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