When Labour had a committee-swamping majority on planning, it was all so easy for Brighton and Hove City Council's officers whose recommendations to grant or refuse were loyally and obediently endorsed by Labour councillors. The rest of the councillors were powerless to affect anything.

The hung council's even balance of power between Labour and Conservatives means that this situation no longer prevails.

Is this the reason for the sudden muscle-flexing demand that councillors give up 90 per cent of planning decisions to these officers?

And worse, that unless five members of the public put in objections to applications, we can all go hang, too. (The Argus, July 1)?

Officers may resent councillors (notably the Conservatives), with their demands for site visits, their busybody questions and objections and refusals to necessarily agree officer recommendations but we have elected representatives for a reason - so the public has a voice as well as tax bills and so that checks and balances are in place. It is called democracy, I believe.

Planning meetings every third Wednesday are now full of interest, argument, drama and, oh, hallelujah, democracy and representation of voters' views and wishes for Brighton and Hove.

Regrettably, it is true to say few councillors are as au fait with planning grounds and laws and justifying paperwork as necessary but they improve in leaps and bounds as time goes on.

Sadly, it is resolving into a two-party battleground, with Conservatives full of fight and determination not to hand Brighton and Hove over to the developers and other assorted greedballs on one side and the officer loyalists on the Labour side.

The Green and Lib-Dem councillors seem to be trying to avoid being caught up in any of it and dance delicately between these two mighty adversaries.

Council employees are trying to grab ever more power for themselves and away from councillors. They must not be allowed to strip away democratic powers of decision and it is only councillor apathy and/or incompetence that will let them get away with further encroachment.

Was it lack of involvement with issues that allowed Jenny Rowlands, director of environment to take the decision under so-called delegated powers to hand over the bottom of Connaught Road to Karis developers for its chunks of stone sculpture?

There was little more than open-mouthed shock from councillors at the environment committee meeting.

Let the planning committee take heed and beware.

Valerie Paynter

-Clarendon Road, Hove