The Politics Show 11th July - BBC One

The Politics Show followed up the Minerals Plan story interviewing Dr Lynne Hack, Surrey County Council's Cabinet member for the environment and asking why, given the comments of the Council's leader, Dr Andrew Povey, SCC are now determined to press ahead with the Plan.

We're dismayed by SCC's apparently disingenuous statements, blaming the Labour government for the Plan and then, when that government is gone, saying, oh actually we want the Plan ourselves and we're keeping it.

We note that Dr Hack talks of "sharing the pain". We would point out that Oxted already has the Chalkpit Quarry with a huge, uncontrolled number of HGVs dumping waste, resulting in extreme road safety dangers. The number is uncontrolled because, when Surrey County Council gave planning permission, they failed to attach any condition limiting lorry numbers.

For the avoidance of doubt, we would also point out that the reduction in the amount of minerals referred to by Dr Hack in this interview makes no difference whatsoever to the contents of this Plan. It is the same Plan drawn up under the old government, the same Plan complained of by the Council leader, and now submitted by that Council, unchanged, for approval by a Planning Inspector.

To see the coverage click the play button on the top right icon. To view it full screen, right click anywhere on the picture when it's playing, and then click "zoom".