I write with respect to a “supplementary” question asked by Councillor Susan Hall, Conservative group leader, during a recent Harrow Council meeting.

I say “supplementary” in quotes as it actually had nothing to do with the question she originally asked about meeting clashes.

Nevertheless, I am delighted to explain to her the reason I have only attended two of the 12 planning committee meetings that have so far taken place since I have been a member of that committee.

The reason is that the chairman of the planning committee has all the Labour group participants on a rota, members as well as reserves.

This allows everyone to get a fair share of this valuable experience. Unfortunately, if one is a member rather than a reserve one is displayed on the Harrow Council website as not having attended meetings, despite being willing and able but unable to do so due to the rota.

I had actually intended to write to the Harrow Times about this anyway, since uponenquiring at the Civic Centre about getting this statistic changed, I was informed it was not possible without changing the constitution of Harrow Council.

Nevertheless, I would like to assure the people of Harrow that Cllr Hall was inadvertently misguided by this statistic and that the two meetings I did attend were indeed the two meetings for which I was down to attend on the rota and the ones I missed were because I was not on the rota to attend.

I have not therefore, in actual fact, missed any of my planning meetings.

Councillor William J Stoodley
Labour, West Harrow ward