MP's office sign in breach of planning rules

An MP has fallen foul of council planning laws after putting up an office sign without permission.

Darlington's Lola McEvoy opened her new office on Blackwellgate to the public this week, six months after being elected as a Labour MP.

She faced criticism for the delay, but insisted the safety and security of office staff was a "top priority".

A spokesman said McEvoy had not been aware permission was needed and staff had now applied for it.

The red banner attached to the town centre building reads "Lola McEvoy Member of Parliament for Darlington".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands it required advertisement consent and listed building consent.

Local Conservative councillor Jonathan Dulston said it appeared the MP "failed to apply for planning permission for the installation of her new office sign" and asked: "Will the Labour-controlled planning committee just rubber stamp this and push it through retrospectively?"

A spokesperson for McEvoy apologised for what they described as an "administrative error".

They added: "The office received permission to replace the previous signage on the building with our own, but were not aware that additional planning consent would be needed."

Announcing the opening earlier this week, McEvoy said: "The signs are up, so I'm thrilled to say that we're now able to welcome constituents to our Darlington office on Blackwellgate.

"My team has been working from this office since last year, but we've had to hold meetings with constituents in various locations around the town as we waited for security to be installed.

"As I'm sure you understand, the security of our staff and any visitors is the top priority, so we're really glad that's now sorted."

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