After The Cllr Varsha Parmar Affaire, There’s Even More Confusion At Harrow Council As Councillor Resigns Over ‘Potential’ Conflict Of Interests

A former Harrow Council leader stepped down from his role as chairman of the planning committee due to a potential conflict of interest.

Cllr Sachin Shah resigned after a brief stint heading the committee – for which he did not preside over a single meeting – after acknowledging his job outside the council could make his position “problematic”.

In his register of interests, most recently signed off in November 2020, the Queensbury ward councillor disclosed he works for Curtin and Co, a “specialist consultancy in planning politics and community development”.

The potential conflict of interest was raised by those opposed to a planning application in Stanmore Station car park, and they wrote to Harrow Council chief executive Sean Harriss outlining their concerns.

There was also some confusion at a cabinet meeting earlier this month, where a member of the public, presenting a question related to another planning application in Vaughan Road car park, said it was unclear who was acting as head of the committee.

A spokesperson for Harrow Council said: “Cllr Shah volunteered to take on the [chairmanship] and was appointed to it by the council in December.

“Subsequently Cllr Shah has recognised that his professional career makes undertaking the role problematic and resigned as both chairman and member of the planning committee.

“That decision reflects Cllr Shah’s personal integrity and his commitment to maintaining public confidence in Harrow’s planning system.”

Cllr Shah replaced Cllr Keith Ferry, deputy leader of the council, who had held the position for several years.

Cllr Ferry himself resigned from his role last year due to a conflict of interest given he had been selected to take up a position on the board overseeing Harrow’s major regeneration scheme.

The council spokesperson explained a new committee chairman will be selected “in due course” and, for the time being, vice-chairman Cllr Ghazanfar Ali will oversee planning meetings. 

Source, Harrow Times 

TAXI LEAKS EXTEA BIT: 

The Resignation comes amid last weeks cross party criticism of TfL and Harrows schemes to to build massive tower blocks on station car parks instead of family homes 

London Assembly Tory leader Susan Hall, who is also a Harrow councillor, tweeted“Hurrah! Well done, we don’t want high density tower blocks!” in response to the Canons Park decision, while the Labour chair of Assembly, Brent & Harrow AM Navin Shah, objected on the grounds of “over-development due to the unacceptably high…density”. 

The Harrow scheme includes three blocks rising to seven storeys. 

Harrow’s former Labour leader Sachin Shah was something of a lone voice in supporting the Canons Park scheme. 

“Last night the Lab majority Planning Committee refused a 100 per cent affordable scheme,” he said. 

“We can’t solve the housing crisis without new homes or strong leadership. If you campaign for more homes but then refuse it, I’ve one question: If not here, then where?”

Applications for 128 homes on Rayners lane car park and 277 homes at Stanmore are still pending.

Is this situation being echoed in other London Boroughs?

We need an urgent inquiry into councillors hurriedly pushing through these unlawful restrictions, and building contracts under cover of the pandemic