A day after the debacle of false reports announcing his resignation, Cllr Tony Ball is facing a challenge to the legality of a committee meeting due next week to fix plans for the now hugely contraversial Dale Farm eviction operation.

Ball has merely stepped down as leader pending possible re-appointment by the first full council meeting following the recent elections. That meeting is scheduled to take place on 26 May.
 
But while this piece of council business may be running smoothly, the other looks likely to run off the rails. If the committee meeting goes ahead on Tuesday evening as publicized any decisions it makes could be declared invalid. 

The reason is that like Ball, committee chairpersons etc need to be appointed by a full council. Clearly, in the case of the development control committee this can only happen after the event - and that's not proper according to Basildon's own constitution.
 
Both council executives and committee members have been appraised of the ultra vires issue, which appears to have gone unnoticed by Basildon's lawyers. If the meeting can't be legalized it must surely be postponed.
 
Action concerning the bulldozing by Constant & Co bailiffs of at least one yard at Hovefields Drive and the delivery of the final 28-day Notice to Dale Farm residents could thereby be delayed for some weeks, a small but significant victory for Dale Farm campaigners.