East Devon councillor suspended by Tory group

An East Devon councillor has been suspended from the Conservative group on the local authority, after being implicated in an investigation by The Telegraph.

According to the newspaper, councillors across the country are offering 'inside knowledge' of the planning system and how to get developments approved in return for fees of up to £20,000.

The practice may cause a conflict of interest, but is not illegal.

Graham Brown, Conservative East Devon councillor for Feniton and Buckerell and a member of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, told Telegraph undercover reporters: "If I can't get planning, nobody will", adding that he had "access to the right people for the right clients".

Cllr. Brown also alluded to payment, telling the journalists that he would do jobs for between one and twenty thousand pounds, and that to a developer earning several million pounds, he wouldn't do it for "peanuts".

He's been removed from his post as Champion for Business and Tourism, and suspended by the East Devon Conservatives while an investigation is considered.

It comes as relaxed planning laws are due to be introduced where councils must approve 'sustainable developments'.

A spokesman for the Council issued a statement this morning, saying East Devon "take the honesty and integrity of our planning system very seriously".

"We are not aware of Cllr Brown having any improper influence on the planning process and he has declared his interest as a professional planning consultant.

"Cllr Brown does not sit on the committee which decides planning applications and there are no local or national rules which prevent him being a councillor because of his profession. Similarly he is free to practise his profession whilst also being a councillor."