A VOTE of no confidence in a Hinkley C consultation panel was passed by a parish council whose community will bear the brunt of the development.

At a meeting in Stogursey last Wednesday, councillors carried a vote of no confidence in the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) Panel by an overwhelming majority after the parish was not granted an open floor hearing.

The hearings are designed to give local people the chance to air their concerns but so far will take place only in the parishes of Combwich and Cannington.

Allan Searle, chair of Stogursey Parish Council, said: “We are the host parish that is housing the power station and we feel really angry that we have been pushed aside.

“The impact on this parish is going to be immense and there are still lots of things that we need to be reassured about - we need a hearing with the IPC within the parish.”

West Somerset Council has backed the parish and written to the IPC and its chairman to ask that the situation be rectified as soon as possible.

Director of operations at IPC, Ian Gambles, said: “People can come along to a preliminary meeting on March 21 to discuss how they think the process should be carried out.

“They can tell us if they think there should be a hearing in Stogursey, but we cannot guarantee that will happen.”

The meeting will take place at the Sedgemoor Auction Centre in North Petherton, and a final decision on the process will follow on March 27.