Letter: Open planning

From Mr Jed Griffiths

Sir: In the course of his musings on the review of local government ("Who said size was not important?" 4 October), Professor Michael Chisholm is quoted as saying: "There is a lot of low-grade corruption in district councils regarding planning decisions." Nothing else in the article throws any further light on this alarming statement.

Does Professor Chisholm have any evidence for what he says? Is he going to produce it?

Those of us who are aware that the planning process is open to public scrutiny, and to the scrutiny of the Department of the Environment and the local government ombudsman, among others, will require a good deal more than a bald statement to be convinced that corruption in planning decisions is anything but a very rare occurrence.

Yours faithfully,

Jed Griffiths

President

Royal Town Planning Institute

London, W1