Government delegation scheme could erode role of councillors as "backbone of English planning system", LGA warns

The warning came in a response to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's (MHCLG) consultation on reforming planning committees, which also proposed requiring separate, smaller planning committees for strategic development and mandatory training for planning committee members.

The consultation was launched in March and closed to responses on Wednesday (23 July).

In its response, the LGA said: "While we support the Government's aim to improve the efficiency and consistency of the planning system, we have significant concerns about the limited flexibility within the proposed reforms.

"A standardised approach does not account for the diversity across local planning authorities, and it is essential that councils retain the ability to tailor decision-making processes to reflect the specific needs of their communities."

The response said flexibility is needed in the national two-tier scheme of delegation to accommodate for differences across local planning authorities, as what works for one local authority's planning committee does not reflect what is suitable or workable for another's.

It also said that the impact of the proposals on local democracy "must be considered", adding that the involvement of elected councillors in planning decisions "is the backbone of the English planning system and our reservations about a national scheme of delegation centre on this role potentially being eroded".

In addition, it urged the Government to rapidly come forward with their proposals for National Development Management Policies (NDMPs) and the approach to a new-style of plan-making so that councils have the certainty they need to make Local Plans.

Elsewhere, the response raised concerns regarding the "gateway test" proposed to determine which Tier B applications are taken to committee, particularly surrounding the legal implications, the level of public transparency, and the added pressure on the Chief Planning Officer and Committee Chair.

It said that further guidance around the practicalities of this process is needed.

The LGA meanwhile said it does not support legislation to impose a maximum of 11 members on planning committees.

"The size of a committee does not always equate to its effectiveness, and we are concerned that this mandate could impact the political and geographical proportionality of existing committees," it said. I

Instead, the LGA recommends that the Government issue best practice guidance on committee size and composition, allowing councils the flexibility to structure their committees in a way that reflects local needs and governance arrangements.

The LGA supports plans to introduce mandatory training for planning committee members, adding that certification for this training should be administered at a local level to ensure that training and assessment includes a blend of national and local content.

On plans to reduce the threshold for assessing quality decision-making from 10 per cent to 5 per cent, the LGA warned that such a change "would disproportionately affect smaller planning authorities".

"Lowering the threshold risks a substantial increase in the number of authorities subject to designation, undermining confidence and capacity in the planning system without delivering meaningful improvements in decision quality," it said.

Adam Carey