Does a local councillor have any authority with this?

[Richard C]

I know this might be better suited to the "Garden law" forum but one or two of you on here might be able to advise. Our immediate next door neighbour is our local Tory councillor (3 years or so) & we’ve never had a particularly good relationship for one reason or another since we moved here in 2004, mainly over PP & the on-going programme of modernisation weve had here.

We have a little used but almost suicidal to use public footpath running up the side of our property boundary which has a Hawthorn hedge (ours) planted over the original picket fence (ours) by the previous occupants many years ago so it’s our boundary fence & our hedge. The hedge is so maintenance intensive & unruly we decided to tear it down & erect (at great personal expense) some 40m of close boarded fence which accounts for just under ½ our boundary length along the public footpath. What we are doing will actually make the footpath more useable; at least for 1/2 it's length.

After 30 minutes or so of hedge ripping with the mini digger this morning, “Mr councillor” from next door duly appears & states he’s here as “the local councillor” & starts asking all sorts of questions of my guys on the digger at which point I step in; do I know it’s a public footpath (yes) is it my hedge (yes), how much am I replacing etc. etc. He wasn’t unpleasant but just a little priggish & authoritarian & although I rather took objection to it, kept a civil tone & answered all his questions after which he duly dissapered.

Now I know that Local Planning & LABC have all sorts of powers, ultimately one of forced entry but my question is, even if I am breaching any regulation (which as far as I can see I’m not), does this irksome neighbour of mine have any authority what-so-ever as a local councillor to enter my property, poke his nose in & start asking all sorts questions? Would I be justified in telling him to mind his own business, get lost & if he has a problem with what I’m doing to go through the appropriate channels?

Additional info; we are rural & outside the local development plan but not protected or an area of special interest.

 

[RedHerring2]

In my limited experience, a councillor would not have such powers to enter any property, uninvited.

Yes, you can tell him to butt out.

Now an officer of the council, that's different, but certainly not a member (councillor)

 

[mikric]

If it is defiantly your hedge Rich cant really see he can do anything but be a nosey interfering tosser as most councilors are .....

 

[^woody^]

In this context a councillor has no more power or authority than any other member of the public.

Being there "as the local councillor" has no special powers at all, or any real meaning come to think of it.

Obviously he may have friends and influence within the council which he can use to get council officers with the real authority to ask the questions under their particular remit

On the flip side, as a local councillor then residents may expect him to take an interest in what is going on in the locality if it has potential impact on the area. Removal of hedges and work on footpath boundaries may mean that members of the public make enquiries to him - and he can then answer them