I am aware that our elected councillors work hard and cannot be in two places at the same time.

However, I have noticed that when decisions cannot be reached or resolved during committee sessions, they are invariably directed to the department and officers given delegated powers to make the final decision.

This is a worrying trend, especially when they are dealing with planning issues that can affect a neighbourhood.

The article, Plan bosses ignore views (Oxford Mail, February 23) refers to the planning decision-making procedure of Cherwell District Council and its planning services.

More often than not, planning applications are submitted with inadequate information and what may seem trivial to planners and committee members, could be a horrendous issue to neighbours who have to live with it.

Fast-tracking planning applications are of great benefit to the planning services' department, but do the councillors realise that they are keeping the local people away from the decision-making procedure?

Most applications have conditions imposed on them agreed at committee session and generally they deal with objectors' concerns. But it is left to the planning officer to produce the clauses.

No-one checks them and enforcement or any dispute becomes a matter of interpretation.

Where conditions are applied, I suggest the list should be presented to the committee at the following area meeting to amend or endorse. This, I believe, will be fair to all parties.

VIM RODRIGO Rivermead Road Rose Hill Oxford