Councillor Janet Blake has "voluntarily stepped aside" while under investigation
Councillor Blake is accused of not declaring her interest in Rectory Homes, while sitting on the Strategic Development Committee, voting to approve controversial planning applications from Rectory Homes.
50 homes in Aston Clinton and 90 in Long Crendon went through as a result of the strategic development management committee meetings in 2016 - during which Mrs Blake debated and voted on the applications.
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Hide AdA Statement from the Conservative Party said: "Cllr Janet Blake is cooperating fully with the Chief Whip’s investigation and also that of the Council’s monitoring officer."
Leader Cllr Neil Blake commented: “Janet has already held her hands up and said she made a mistake, so we expect the investigation to beconcluded promptly”
Constituency Chairman Clive Harriss commented: “Janet’s decision to step aside, pending the outcome of the investigation reflects her integrity as an experiencedCouncillor.
"The Buckingham Conservative Association and her AVDC colleagues support Cllr Janet Blake in her action to clear her name. Our residents need to be able to have trust in the transparency of our institutions and I believe this will go a long way towards restoring that.”
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Hide AdNormally in these circumstances, the investigation would be conducted by the Leader. However, given the nature of the relationship between Neil and Janet Blake, the investigation is being chaired by the Conservative Group’s Chief Whip, with support from Richard Newcombe, a former chief crown prosecutor and Angela Macpherson, the AVDC Deputy Leader.