Sir – On July 16, West Oxfordshire District Council’s (WODC) cabinet resolved to progress yet another public consultation on the long-delayed Local Plan. On the face of it, a consultation period spanning three different months — July, August and September — may seem quite generous.

But with the consultation set to open at the end of July (and cabinet’s decision made after most parish councils already had their July meetings), August being a holiday period (with so many stakeholders away and many parish councils not meeting in that month), there remains only a segment of September to read and respond to the lengthy, intricate consultation document.

So are WODC cabinet members and involved WODC officers genuinely keen to facilitate maximal scope for considered responses? Or are they more concerned with appearances? Granted, WODC cabinet members meeting July 16 did acknowledge August is a holiday period and decided to extend the deadline for responses “by two weeks” (but actually, the extension date does not amount to a full two weeks) until September 19.

However, public consultation on an issue so important should have been allowed to commence after the August holiday period.

I sought to speak about the timing and two other concerns related to the then-proposed consultation at cabinet on July 16, as a member of the public, but was told the consultation is exempt from the public participation scheme so I was not permitted.

Instead I emailed the district council leader and cabinet chairman, councillor Barry Norton, and included all the other cabinet members as recipients.

Nobody even acknowledged my email until a rather unconvincing response from the cabinet member for strategic planning and housing 13 days later.

Apparently I’m not the only one. Four district councillors with additional concerns have triggered a ‘call-in’ for examination at the council’s economic and social overview and scrutiny committee on August 5.

Sharone Parnes, Woodstock