Labour councillor 'tells members how to vote on planning permission application'

Published: 20:25, 30 June 2026 | Updated: 20:25, 30 June 2026 The Labour group of a Hertfordshire council allegedly told its members how to vote on at least one planning application, according to audio leaked to the Daily Mail. Government guidance says councillors must be free to vote without a whip on planning decisions. But comments by a Labour councillor recorded and obtained by this newspaper suggest votes for a planning application on green belt land near a reservoir could have been influenced ahead of a hearing.  It comes as Hertsmere Council, which is led by Labour in coalition with the Liberal Democrats, was put into special planning measures last month, meaning the Government's Planning Inspectorate has withdrawn its power to vote on 'major' developments. In the recording Aaditya Kaza, who represents the Borehamwood Hillside ward, agreed with another person who asked whether the party's councillors were told 'what you've got to do' in relation to an application for development near Aldenham reservoir. It is unclear which application was being referred to, though around six months before the recording was made in January 2024, land next to the reservoir was subject to an application seeking permission to build a warehouse and office. The landowners said the application was part of a plan to fund essential repairs to the reservoir's 'high-risk' dam, which was 'in poor condition and disrepair'. At the time the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) said the plot in question was 'open land which has a variety of vegetation and wildlife'. Labour members of Hertsmere Council were allegedly directed on how to vote for a planning application relating to Aldenham reservoir (pictured) Though it is not known exactly which planning application was being referred to, an application six months before the recording had sought permission to build a warehouse and office nearby Hertsmere Labour councillor Aaditya Kaza suggested his party's members had been given direction on how to vote on a planning application Every Labour member on Hertsmere's planning committee voted in favour of the application, which passed by a margin of six votes to four. In the recording Mr Kaza said 'just that once' the leadership had given direction on how to vote. He said of the application: 'That was a sensitive situation.' When it was put to Mr Kaza that 'you can't have that,' he replied: 'No, I know.' Asked whether any Labour members of the planning committee protested the direction they were given, Mr Kaza responded: 'No'. Hertsmere's Labour group said it 'categorically' rejected the suggestion that planning applications were whipped and added the recording of Mr Kaza 'shows nothing of the kind'. 'His remarks refer to a discussion within the Labour Group about the implications of a particular planning application for the future of Aldenham Reservoir,' a spokesman said. 'Such discussions are entirely normal and involve all members of the Group, not just those serving on the planning committee.' The spokesman added: 'Discussion of planning issues within a political group is not "whipping", nor does it predetermine the outcome of any application. 'To present a decontextualised and informal comment as evidence that councillors were directed how to vote is simply false.' Mr Kaza said his comments had been taken out of context. The landowners said the development would help fund repairs to the reservoir's dam Last month Hertsmere Council was placed into 'designation', meaning it has had its ability to decide on large schemes withdrawn by the Government. Developers can now have their schemes decided upon directly by the Government's Planning Inspectorate instead of applying to the council. Hertsmere's Labour group said it was 'disappointing news' but added the housing minister's decision was 'both reasonable and understandable' because 'some members' of the planning committee had 'failed to determine applications' by following planning guidelines. Brett Rosehill, a Reform UK member of the council's planning committee, said being place into special measures was 'a badge of failure no council wants to wear'.  He added: 'Residents expect major planning decisions to be made by locally elected representatives, not by inspectors hundreds of miles away.' In the two years from 2023 to 2025, Hertsmere had six major planning decisions overturned on appeal to the Planning Inspectorate out of a total 40. One such decision was an application for 195 homes on previously green belt land in Radlett. The application to build in the Hertfordshire town was rejected three times by the council before being overturned by a Government planning inspector. Key to the decision was Labour's 'grey belt' policy, which opened 'low quality' green belt land to development. A 2024 Labour campaign video said much of the green belt was actually 'poor quality land' It said significant parts of the green belt included car parks and 'waste lands' which could be used for housing but has led to lush fields being opened up to development But this Hertfordshire field was earmarked to host 195 homes by a Government planning inspector earlier this year because it was judged to be grey belt land But pictures of the proposed development site in Radlett showed a green field with sheep grazing. Hertsmere Council said it remained dedicated to delivering a strongly performing and effective planning service. Its head of planning, Liz Beighton, resigned last month - the job has now been advertised as an initial six-month contract worth £600 a day, equivalent to an annual salary of £156,000. Ms Beighton wrote in an article for Property Reporter before she held the Hertsmere role that Boris Johnson's Conservative government had pushed a planning strategy that was 'little more than a surrender to Nimbys'. Nimby is an acronym for 'not in my back yard', a pejorative term often used against those who oppose developments in their area. The council's administration faced yet more planning controversy last month after WhatsApp messages from a Labour councillor showed him telling party colleagues to 'start planning sites where we can't win seats'. A by-election last Thursday pushed the Labour-Lib Dem coalition into the minority on the council after Conservative Linda Silver took the seat held by the late Liberal Democrat Shailain Shah. It came a month after a town councillor in Hertsmere resigned from the Labour party because of 'profound reservations' over planning strategy and the group's 'subservience' to the party machine at constituency level. Dan Ozarow said he had serious concerns over the council's draft local plan, the document which outlines planning strategy for the coming years. Proposed by the Labour-Lib Dem coalition, the draft local plan could see up to 16,000 homes built across the borough if all candidate sites were used. Hundreds could be built on green belt land. Former deputy prime minister and Hertsmere's MP Sir Oliver Dowden told the Mail the impact of the local plan on the green belt 'could be disastrous'. He added the plan was 'driven by the Labour government's "grey belt" redesignation and top-down targets'. 'I will support residents in their ongoing fights to defend our green belt. Once open countryside is lost it is gone forever,' Sir Oliver said. Hertsmere Labour said the local plan was 'built on professional advice, technical evidence and public consultation'. A spokesman added: 'Reasonable people will disagree about the right balance between the homes our communities urgently need and the green belt we are determined to protect.' The comments below have been moderated in advance. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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