Vote of confidence was a '˜total waste of time' says council chief

The tory leader said that despite having to withdraw its Core Strategy plan for the borough, his party remain fully committed to securing an up-to-date plan by March 2018.

The vote of no confidence, proposed by the Labour group, called for Councillor Cox to resign saying they did not believe he could deliver an acceptable local plan which will be passed by the inspector, and should therefore step aside to allow others to try.

But Coun Cox said the vote, which was lost, was purely for political gain.

He said: “The motion was part of a childish political gain, it was extremely necessary and a waste of everyone’s time and money.

“I am very pleased that my members saw sense and stood by me. It isn’t me that is responsible, it is the developers.”

Labour leader Councillor Paul Jones disagreed. He said: “In respect of the vote of no confidence I was no surprised by the result but disappointed, not only in the lack of responsibility for the lack of a Core Strategy by the leader of the council, but his insistence that it was someone’s else’s fault from the developers to the previous Labour administration is quite disappointing. His decision to withdraw means the taxpayers of Amber Valley have spent £97,0000 with nothing to show for it.”

The next step in the process has seen landowners and developers being invited to submit details of sites that they wish to bring forward for housing and other development. An up-to-date list of possible sites will then be assessed, to establish which sites the council considers to be most suitable for development and, crucially, that can also be delivered.

Further details on the ‘call for sites’ can be found on the council’s website at www.ambervalley.gov.uk/localplan2016.