The Government should commit to an earlier review of the rule
changes into how planning decisions are split between council
officers and planning committees of elected councillors, the
Local Government Association (LGA), says today.
New National Scheme of Delegation (NSD) rules, which come into
force on October 31, will limit the ability of local councillors
to call-in' planning decisions for committee scrutiny.
The LGA said this risks eroding the democratic role of planning
committees.
A one-size-fits-all approach is also unlikely to adequately
reflect the diversity of local planning authorities, particularly
in large geographic areas, or in communities where developments
can have significant local impacts.
Instead, councils should be able to determine the planning
governance arrangements that work for their unique local areas.
While the Government has pledged to review the rule-change in
2028, the LGA is also calling for this to be brought forward to
2027 to more quickly assess any impact on local democracy.
Cllr , Chair of the LGA's Inclusive
Growth Committee, said:
Councillors are concerned this could negatively impact their
democratic mandate and ensure their views about how their area is
developed are taken into account. We support creating a more
efficient and effective planning system, but we do not believe
the government's plans address this.
Elected councillors are the backbone of the English planning
system.
Government needs to review the impact of this change earlier to
ensure it does not come at the expense of local democratic
accountability.
Notes to Editors
Read the LGA's position paper on NSD here.
The Planning Advisory Service (PAS) advice to councils on NSD is
here
