New National Scheme of Delegation (NSD) rules
The Local Government Association has reported that it has been concerned over how rule changes into how planning decisions are split between council officers and planning committees of elected councillors.
It states that Government should commit to an earlier review of the New National Scheme of Delegation (NSD) rules, which came into force on October 31, which it says will limit the ability of local councillors to ‘call-in’ planning decisions for committee scrutiny.
The LGA comments that this risks eroding the democratic role of planning committees and 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 Carl Cashman, 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.”
Read the LGA’s position paper on NSD here.
The Planning Advisory Service (PAS) advice to councils on NSD is here
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