Councillor compares talks over housing provision to negotiations with North Korea

North Korean negotiations and gang warfare in the mean-streets of Chicago is how a Slough Borough councillor has described efforts to work with neighbouring local authorities over housing space.

At a Slough Borough Council (SBC) planning committee meeting last night, Councillor James Swindlehurst (Lab, Cippenham Green) expressed frustration at South Bucks District Council’s resistance towards proposals of a northern expansion of Slough.

He compared the borough’s attempts to persuade its neighbours to provide more housing space to a ‘dirty Chicago street fight’.

“I think we’re still playing chess here with people when someone needs to pull out a gun,” he added.

He quipped about arming the council’s planning officers with knuckle dusters and compared talks with neighbouring authorities with negotiations with North Korea.

The colourful comparisons followed a revelation at the meeting by SBC’s planning policy lead officer Paul Stimpson, who said a Chiltern and South Bucks Joint Committee meeting is due on Monday to discuss a response to SBC’s northern expansion plans.

Mr Stimpson said South Bucks District Council was considering seeking an injunction which would stop SBC from publishing a report on how a northern expansion into South Bucks might work.

SBC has proposed a northern expansion as part of its Issues and Options document as one potential way of allocating housing space.

It commissioned project management consultants Atkins to carry out research into the practicalities of an expansion.

Mr Stimpson said: “We’re trying to take the conversation forward but the fact that we aren’t allowed to publish it isn’t really helping.

“They aren’t happy that we’re planning something in their area.”

SBC has said Mr Stimpson is attending a meeting with members of South Bucks District Council on Tuesday along with council leader Sohail Munawar, Cllr Zaffar Ajaib and Cllr Fiza Matloob.

A South Bucks Council spokesman said: "We confirm there is a meeting next week with our Slough colleagues to continue discussions under the Duty to Co-operate."