Labour have sided with phone giants against local communities, says LibDem Martin Thompson

9.48.54pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 8th Jul 2008

Local communities should have a say over plans for new mobile phone masts

Martin Thompson, Liberal Democrat candidate in the upcoming Church Street by-election, is criticising Karen Buck, Labour MP for Regent's Park and Kensington North, for supporting the interests of phone company giants over local communities in a row over the power of people to stop inappropriately sited phone masts.

At present, planning restrictions are weaker on phone masts up to 15 metres in height, which can make it difficult for councils to refuse permission for proposals to cite masts in controversial locations.

Liberal Democrats in Parliament recently moved an amendment to the Planning Bill that would have meant applications for phone masts would have required full planning permission whatever their height. This would have meant that they would have been considered in the same way as, for example, applications for new buildings.

Labour MPs, including Karen Buck, voted against this proposal and Conservative MPs did not even bother voting at all.

"Karen Buck had a choice. She could cast a vote that potentially helps local communities by empowering them to stop mobile phone masts being positioned in places they do not like, or she could cast a vote that helps the interests of giant phone companies," said Martin. "I find it disappointing in the extreme that her vote helped big business over, what I believe, are the interests of local communities.

"The Liberal Democrat proposal in the Commons would have given residents a real chance to stop inappropriately sited phone masts. It would have meant that the phone companies would have had to apply for full planning permission to build new masts.

"What is more remarkable about all this is that Karen Buck actually backed a parliamentary motion at the end of 2006 which called for the same powers she has now voted down. Residents of Church Street and the rest of her constituency deserve better from their MP."