PROPOSALS to cut the number of Exmoor parish councillors involved in deciding national park planning applications have sparked anger.

Parishes have been upset at both the proposed reduction from five to three councillors being able to have a say on applications and also the absence of consultation with them.

National park members are due to vote on the proposals being put to a meeting on Tuesday (April 4) by chief executive Sarah Bryan.

At present, the park authority meets 10 times a year and determines planning applications with all 22 members having a vote.

But faced with having to make budget savings which will reach up to £300,000 next year, Ms Bryan has proposed only six meetings should be held and that separately a planning committee comprising just 12 members should be created.

Ms Bryan said the authority was required to comply with committee membership ‘proportionality’ rules which meant if her suggested number of three Secretary of State appointees was accepted, then the number of parish members also had to be reduced to three.

The other six planning members would be representatives of Somerset Council, Devon County Council, and North Devon Council.

Ms Bryan said more than 90 per cent of planning applications were determined under delegated powers by officers, leaving typically 30 to 40 each year to be decided by the members.

She was confident the new committee could deal with the case load as there were likely to be only about six applications for each meeting.

It was estimated the authority could save £20,000 a year by holding fewer meetings.

Ms Bryan also recommended setting up an officer-led review of the Exmoor Consultative and Parish Forum and an independent review of members’ allowances, which currently totalled slightly more than £80,000 a year.

Luccombe Parish Council chairman Henry Harington today hit out at the way the proposed changes had been sprung on parishes.

Cllr Harington said: “As far as I am aware my fellow councillors were unaware of the paper proposing these changes and of the deadline for representations.

“As far as we are able to determine, there is nothing detailing the proposed changes on the authority website.

“This is an anti-democratic proposal that requires far longer and wider consultation.

“On behalf of Luccombe Parish Council, I request that the proposed changes are removed from the agenda of tomorrow’s meeting and that details be circulated to interested parties, including all councillors of affected parishes to allow the opportunity for consultation.”

Cllr Harington said the move would ‘further de-democratise an already undemocratic process and result in greater centralisation of planning decision-making in the direction of Westminster'.

Wootton Courtenay parish Cllr Andrew Bray said while Secretary of State appointees played an important role at a strategic level and in setting the overall planning strategy and framework, parish councillors knew Exmoor better.

Cllr Bray said: “We also understand what makes Exmoor and the balances that have to be struck.”

Ms Bryan told the Free Press today the proposals had been under discussion with park authority members for some time and comparisons had been made with other authorities.

She said parishes were not consulted in the same way county councils had not, because it was a matter for the park authority to determine its own committees.

Ms Bryan said: “It will be debated tomorrow and if the members of the authority feel we have moved to quickly on this, then it will go back to the parishes.”