Cavisoc - Residents' anger on mast ruling

The Cavi Society

Children As Victims Inquiry

Residents' anger on mast ruling

The Observer, Thursday May 7th, 2009.

Kara Bradley

Residents living near a controversial mobile phone mast in Hillfield are furious after the Local Government Ombudsman ruled that they had not suffered an injustice by the mast being put up.

Residents successfully fought a planning application for the mast back in 2007-but a loophole in planning rules meant that mobile phone operators T-Mobile were able to install the mast, on the corner of Widney Lane and Monkspath Hall Road.

Solihull Council exceeded the 56 days needed to make a decision by one day- and T-Mobile were then free to put up the mast.

After being told that T-Mobile were entitled to carry on with the work, the residents enlisted the support of the CAVI Society (Citizens as Victims Enquiry)

The Society filed a complaint with the Local Government Ombudsman who acts as a watchdog for local authorities and a decision was made last month.

The Ombudsman said that the Council had taken its eye off the ball with regards to the 56 days limit and agreed that the Council was at fault in the way it dealt with the application.

The Ombudsman's letter to the CAVI Society reads:" There is no doubt that there was maladministration in the way the Council dealt with the application."

But crucially, the Ombudsman said that this had not resulted in any injustice to the residents and therefore would not order the Council to compensate them in any way. It did suggest that CAVI Society Chairwoman Diana Hanson was given £300 to cover the costs of the complaint to the Ombudsman, which the Council did.

Paul Benson, who lives in Bushley Croft, near to the mast, said that residents wanted the Ombudsman to reconsider the decision.

"We were particularly annoyed when the mast started to go up because we had been told it had been rejected."

"Ultimately we want this mast to be moved."

He added that he was not against mobile phone masts and had a mobile phone, like most people, but that he thought a housing estate was not the right place to put it.

Councillor Stuart Davis, Chairman of the Planning Sub-Committee said : "we have accepted a local settlement which was suggested to us by the Ombudsman. We have apologised to residents in the area who have been affected by this situation and taken new measures to help ensure that it does not happen again."

Statement to Parents:

"The Cavi Society, along with a group of concerned parents, are dismayed to see that the document issued by Solihull Council regarding their policy on Wifi in borough schools, appears to be biased in favour of Wifi and is without the necessary caveats that we would have thought desirable.We invite parents to judge for themselves, and in the light of all the information available to them on our links page, to come to their own conclusions. A detailed analysis of our view will appear here shortly."

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