Object

Representation ID: 45929

Received: 31/03/2022

Respondent: Walsall Labour Group

Agent: Cllr Aftab Nawaz

[Consultation Process]

First and foremost the consultation has been left wanting and has not engaged with the residents of Walsall. I accept that all that is required statutorily has been done but nonetheless the mark of a good consultation is that people feel that that they have had a fair opportunity to respond. I have found that in Walsall this has not been the case and that the people of Walsall feel disenfranchised of their democratic right.
The process needs to carry the confidence of the people in order for them to feel, whether they agree with the proposals or not, that it has been an honest, transparent
and appropriate consultation. I am afraid the people of Walsall, in my opinion, do not feel that this is the case and have no confidence in the process that has been followed.
The method by which this process moves forward also needs to be more than a cabinet approval. The people of Walsall, through their elected representatives, need
to have a deciding vote on whether to accept these proposals or not. Allowing only a nine member group to decide the fate of our greenbelt will not be seen as
democratically sufficient by the public – and their opinion MUST be respected.