Opposition ready to challenge Hereford livestock market plan (From Hereford Times)

Opposition ready to challenge Hereford livestock market plan

2:58pm Wednesday 11th April 2012 in News By Bill Tanner

OPPOSITION councillors are ready to challenge the legitimacy of Herefordshire Council’s scrutiny debate of new terms to Hereford’s £90 million retail development.

The meeting, set for Friday, is effectively the last chance for those opposing the development to make a stand.

Tory Cabinet councillors backed the highly controversial new terms – outlined by the Hereford Times last week – amid scenes of public derision in the council chamber a week ago.

Tory members of the overview and scrutiny committee were invited to meet with the council leader, councillor John Jarvis, in the council chamber yesterday to “preview” the issues faced over the development billed as a “huge opportunity for Herefordshire” that must be “vigorously” supported.

Councillor Mark Hubbard, group leader of Its our County, said such a meeting was tantamount to Tory scrutiny councillors being “got at” ahead of the debate.

Coun Hubbard said he saw an initial challenge to the legitimacy of the meeting in the circumstances by which the invitation was sent out, which could, he said, breach rules on using council resources for political group purposes.

“We shall be following this up at the committee meeting and with the monitoring officer,” he said