Powys County Council has rejected concerns raised by a councillor about potential conflicts of interest ahead of a debate on planning protections around a major military training area.

Reform UK group leader Iain McIntosh wrote to the council’s monitoring officer before Thursday’s meeting questioning whether members of the administration should declare interests during the discussion.

The debate concerned his motion calling for the reinstatement of a 2017 Statement of Common Ground between the council and the Ministry of Defence into the Local Development Plan.

The document refers to a 10-kilometre planning buffer zone around the Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA).

Cllr McIntosh suggested there could be a perceived conflict because members of the administration had previously expressed supported proposal for the council to receive a financial share from large-scale energy developments in Powys.

In his letter to the council’s head of legal services, Clive Pinney, he said it was important the authority’s decision-making was “not only impartial but seen to be impartial”.

He asked whether councillors who had backed the idea of the authority benefiting financially from renewable energy projects should declare a personal or potentially prejudicial interest.

However, the council said this was not necessary.

A spokesperson for Powys County Council said: “Members of the administration who may have previously supported proposals that in the future might provide a financial benefit to the Council do not have personal interests to declare as they will not personally benefit, other than through future possible reductions in council tax in the same way as any council tax payer.

“Cllr McIntosh has been advised of this position.”

During Thursday’s meeting councillors were told there is no legal mechanism to add the Statement of Common Ground back into the current Local Development Plan once it has been adopted.

A closure motion was later passed, bringing the debate to an end without the motion being put to a vote.