LEDBURY'S Neighbourhood Development Plan has been praised by an independent health check, where its policies were found to be "clear and succinct".

But a row has developed between town councillors as to whether or not the town council has a right to make changes, at this late stage, before the final plan is made public.

Ledbury's mayor, Cllr Elaine Fieldhouse insisted at a meeting that it was not down the town council to make any more changes to the document, which is a planning blueprint for the town for the next two decades or so.

Cllr Fieldhouse said: "It's been out to consultation. It is the people of Ledbury who make the decisions about what is in the document."

But no further rounds of public consultation were announced or proposed at the meeting.

Cllr Liz Harvey, speaking at the meeting in the Community Hall, questioned why news of the neighbourhood plan was not an actual agenda item at the meeting and said: "I'm disappointed that it isn't. I don't understand why it isn't."

And Cllr Harvey questioned the idea that the town council could not make changes to the plan at this stage.

She said: "It is not correct that the council cannot make changes to the neighbourhood plan. It is our document. If there are issues in it, we can do it.

"If we are not in a position to make changes; if basically the neighbourhood plan is down to the wisdom of the crowd, and we have no input ourselves; what on earth are we here for?"

Cllr Fieldhouse said that, during past public consultations, "everyone had the opportunity to say what things they would like to see in the plan".

News of the successful health check was given at last week's meeting of the full Ledbury Town Council, where the details of the check were read out by the mayor, Cllr Fieldhouse, during the chairman's report and correspondence section of the meeting.

She read out key points from the health check, such as "we consider the plan is well presented and easily to navigate".

Cllr Fieldhouse said the report would soon be made public "for anyone who would like to see it".

But there will still be minor 'tweaks' all the same to the neighbourhood plan, following the health check report.

Cllr Fieldhouse said the neighbourhood plan would require "some little things", thrown up by the health check, to be sorted out.

There was set to be a meeting of councillors this week, to look into these matters and the issue of possible confidentiality, regarding the health check report.

But Cllr Harvey said: "Why should there be confidentiality in association with a neighbourhood plan?"