内容摘要：Outside legal advice said it could be debated if insisted upon, but councillors must demonstrate they have an open mind about the local plan and not suggest they have already decided before the process is complete.

Outside legal advice said it could be debated if insisted upon, but councillors must demonstrate they have an open mind about the local plan and not suggest they have already decided before the process is complete.

A community has rallied round to help a 79-year-old woman whose house in Stoke-on-Trent was struck by lightning.The property on Bambury Street, Longton,

, but now a neighbour has set up a fundraiser to help with repairs.More than £5,000 has been raised and people have also offered time and materials to help get the house sorted out.“There’s been so many people that have been involved, I still can’t believe it,” said local resident Hayley Johnsons, who started the fundraiser.

“It feels a little bit surreal with how many people are involved. I did not expect to get everything moving as fast as it has.”Roof tiles were strewn "everywhere" after the strike, she said, with people coming out out into the street to investigate, with a man leading the woman to safety.

A small fire as a result of the strike had caused an external gas pipe to rupture, said Staffordshire Fire and Rescue, but no-one was injured.

The upstairs ceilings in the house had also partially collapsed, with the electrical supply blown, leaving it unsafe, said Ms Johnson.or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.

The controversial Chatham Docks plans have been approved but its fate is yet to be sealed.Owner Peel Waters wants to redevelop the site - the last working docks in Medway - into a business hub.

At a special planning meeting on Thursday, Medway Council approved the plans with eight votes for and seven against but the application cannot proceed due to the general election.Phil Taylor, a member of the campaign to keep the site as a working dockyard, said they were "hugely disappointed" but said the decision "wasn’t unexpected".