Council lawyer Aidan Brookes, who advises the committee, said: “It obviously is a matter for Cllr Beales’ own judgement. As he said, the duty on members tonight is to determine this based on planning considerations and it’s a matter of his judgement as to whether he thinks he can do that.
Labour has 43 councillors at the Town Hall and planning is often a chance for backbenchers to get more involved, although currently three cabinet members hold a seat on the committee.