A SENIOR councillor has defended Colchester Council’s decision to charge a charity more than £10,000 to handle a planning application for a centre caring for wounded service personnel.

Responding to Tory critics, Lib Dem Lyn Barton, councillor responsible for planning, said officials had no choice but to charge Help for Heroes to process its plans, The charity paid a £10,720 fee to submit its £5million specialist rehabilitation centre application.

However, Mrs Barton said from the outset, she had told officials to give as much help as they could with the application.

She added: “Everyone wanted it to be a success and we didn’t want any hold-ups.

“I investigated the standard fee set out by the Government, and £10,000 is a fair fee for an application on that scale.

“We have hundreds of applications from charities and we can’t just waive a fee or make exceptions.

“The main point here is neither the garrison, nor Help For Heroes has contacted us, or raised any objection.

“They are totally happy with the way the whole application was been handled.”

Mrs Barton is angry that Kevin Bentley, Tory opposition group leader on the council, had criticised the fee.

Accusing him of “trying to make a political gain” from the row, she added: “With troops about to be deployed in Afghanistan this is a very sensitive time to be bringing up this issue.”

However Mr Bentley denied he had been motivated by politics. He said: “This is about being decent and doing the right thing.

"I am not calling for charities to be treated differently, but this is a very specific building in a garrison town.

“Given the nature of this building, which is for military personnel, I have suggested we should give a proportion of the fee back and offer to buy an item of equipment for the centre.

“You need to have a planning fee – I am not saying it should be waived. But I think £10,500 is a lot of money.”

The centre is to built in Berechurch Road, with public donations to the charity paying the bill.

It will be jointly run by the Army and the Royal British Legion, and will offer ensuite accommodation for 20 people, plus kitchens, a fitness centre, offices and facilities for day patients.