Election candidate reports objections to his planning application to police

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

An election candidate in Oldham claims he's been the victim of 'hate speech' after comments made about a planning application - and has made a report to police.

Independent candidate Paul ‘Boots’ Errock submitted his application for three new homes on three Burnedge Lane. The plans saw a backlash online and received five objections related to the nearby greenbelt land.

But Errock claimed the comments were part of a “smear campaign” and reported one resident to police for “malicious communications”.

GMP have since said the investigation has now been concluded and “no suspect found”. READ MORE: Manchester health boss threatens to intervene over beauty procedures 'taking place in hotel rooms' But in a message to the M.E.N., Mr Errock said: “These ‘objections’ were received following a post … on Social Media, which is in clear breach of the Malicious Communications Act 1997." He added that the allegations "are false, malicious and contravene hate speech laws, The malicious communications Act (1988), and Protection from Harassment Act 1997. “My own application does NOT breach any Greenbelt [sic] whatsoever, and this is simply a smear campaign seeking to score points by spreading malicious, false communications, which is intended to cause harassment, alarm and distress.” Neighbours had raised concerns over the application - calling the three-storey, four-bedroom homes “humongous”, “ludicrous” and “excessive”.