RULE changes that mean fewer planning decisions will be made by councillors have been called an “attack on democracy”.
The national scheme of delegation being implemented by the government will see more decisions made by planning officers behind closed doors rather than in committee meetings.
Some applications will only be able to be decided by officers, including the majority of housing plans.
In order to refer a decision to a planning committee, councils will have to demonstrate the application meets certain criteria.
ATTACK: Deputy leader Adam Kent said the planning reforms are an attack on democracy (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones/LDRS)
At a full meeting of Worcestershire County Council, councillors made clear their opposition to the planning reforms but voted to accept them, because they had no real choice.
The council has been told it must have the new arrangements in place by October 31 or its planning decisions could be ruled unlawful and subject to judicial review.
Martin Allen, chair of the council’s planning and regulatory committee, warned that councillors would take the fall for government decisions and would be “accused of taking brown envelopes” by residents.
He said the change wouldn’t impact the county council, which doesn’t deal with the majority of housing applications, as much as it would district councils.
Councillor Seb James said: “Fundamentally, this is removing the local voice.”
He said it will put the “brunt of public outrage” onto council officers, adding that the council does not have the money to fight the changes by bringing a judicial review.
Deputy council leader Adam Kent called the changes an “attack on local democracy”.
Cllr Marcus Hart said he has sat on a district planning committee for 25 years and is starting to wonder “what is the point”.
“I think the government has done this entirely wrong,” he said.
Cllr Roger Bennett, who chairs Redditch Borough Council’s planning committee, calls it an “assault on local democracy”.
“I’m going to vote for this because at the end of the day we’ve got no bloody option,” he told the meeting.
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Reform group leader Alan Amos said the government has a “contempt” for local councils and that this is not a one-off.
“This is almost the last nail in the coffin,” he said. “It’s very sad, very serious.”
Labour’s Richard Udall said he has concerns himself but that the changes are about efficiency, not about taking powers from councillors.
He said the planning system as it stands is broken and told councillors to “get a grip”.
Councillors did eventually vote through the changes, but asked Cllr Allen to write to ministers to make the council’s opposition known.
