Part of 3. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 3:20 pm on 11 December 2018.
Well, I accept that the application for a judicial review in the case of Hendy limits significantly what the Cabinet Secretary can say, but I do think that the decision that she took is troubling as a matter of general principle. Localism is an important principle of government, in my opinion, and I'd be surprised if the Cabinet Secretary disagreed with that. Occasionally, national considerations have to take precedence over local interests. Again, I fully accept that. In the case of calling in a planning decision to be made by her rather than by a local authority or, indeed, an inspector's decision, what is the principle upon which she will override the decisions of those who are at a lower position in the pecking order?