THE chairman of Bournemouth’s planning board has defended the integrity of its members after the recent row regarding the council leader’s business interests.

Last week leader Cllr John Beesley defended himself against allegations made in Parliament of a possible conflict of interest between his council role and his private work as a hospitality consultant for developers and hotels.

The planning board chairman, Cllr David Kelsey, said any suggestion that members were influenced by developers or their agents in their decision-making was false.

“I want to make sure people know we make our decisions based on the planning facts which are in front of us,” he said.

“We are not told by anyone what decision we should make. It doesn’t matter who the applicant is, most of us don’t even look at the name on the application form.

“We are not getting brown envelopes.”

Cllr Kelsey said “all applicants and agents meet with officers” to discuss their applications, and said he did not attend such meetings.

He said checks were in place to prevent councillors abusing their position to gain favours, pointing out that planning applications from local authority personnel could not be considered by officers under delegated powers and must come before the planning board.

“If a member of staff for the town hall, if a councillor or councillor’s partner makes an application it must come before the planning board,” he said.

“It is more strict for us than the average member of the public.”

Asked about the controversial comments made about the authority’s leader, Cllr Kelsey said Mr Beesley had never addressed the planning board as an applicant or on behalf of one.

He said he felt there may be justification for more stringent rules regarding members’ registers of interest, which record private concerns which might give rise to a conflict of interest, citing

the more comprehensive rules governing what MPs must record.

“I would go along with whatever is put before us, if we had to declare more I would happily do so. I have nothing to hide from anyone,” he said.

Although, he added: “It would be wrong if people were expected to declare every single aspect of their lives.”