Issue - meetings

PAS Peer Review and Action Plan

Purpose

To seek the Council’s endorsement of the findings of the PAS (Planning Advisory Service) Planning Service Peer Challenge report (May 2025) and the proposed Action Plan.

Recommendation(s)

ENDORSE the PAS Planning Service Peer Challenge Report (May 2025) and its recommendations, and to endorse the resultant Action Plan for implementation.
AGREE to publish the report and the accompanying Action Plan on the CDC Planning and Building web pages.

Additional documents:

Decision:

The purpose of the report was to seek Cabinet’s endorsement of the findings of the PAS (Planning Advisory Service) Planning Service Peer Challenge report (May 2025) and the proposed Action Plan.

Councillor Juliet Layton, Cabinet member for Housing and Planning, introduced the item.

The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Layton and seconded by Councillor Evemy with a change to the wording of the recommendations.

RESOLVED that Cabinet

Welcomed the PAS Planning Service Peer Challenge Report (May 2025) and its recommendations and agreed the resultant Action Plan for implementation.
Agreed to publish the report and the accompanying Action Plan on the CDC Planning and Building web pages.

Voting Record:

6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstain.

Minutes:

The purpose of the report was to invite Cabinet to welcome the findings of the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) Planning Service Peer Challenge report (May 2025) and to agree the proposed Action Plan

Before inviting Councillor Juliet Layton, Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, to introduce the report, the Leader of the Council confirmed a minor amendment to the recommendations. The word “endorse” was to be replaced with “welcome” in reference to the report, and Cabinet was to “agree” the resultant action plan rather than “endorse” it, as the action plan would be owned and implemented by Cabinet.

Councillor Juliet Layton introduced the item and confirmed that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had considered the report. She also noted that both she and the report authors had attended the Overview and Scrutiny meeting to address any questions and provide clarification.

Councillor Layton advised that the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) had conducted a peer review of the planning service from 25 to 27 March 2025, engaging with a wide range of stakeholders to assess strengths and identify areas for improvement. The review highlighted the strength and collaborative approach of the planning team, with particular praise for the positive working culture.

The newly appointed Assistant Director of Planning Services and the Director of Communities and Place were present during the feedback session, contributing to a sense of stability and renewed leadership. An action plan had since been developed in response to the PAS recommendations, and confidence was expressed in the team’s ability to deliver the actions within the proposed timescales.

Geraldine LeCointe, Assistant Director of Planning Services, introduced herself to Cabinet and confirmed that she had joined the Council during the week of the PAS peer review. The officer noted the positive feedback received across all areas of the planning service, including policy, development management, and enforcement and confirmed that all 13 recommended actions would be taken forward, recognising this as an ambitious but achievable plan, supported by a strong team and aimed at improving services for residents and stakeholders. Regular updates on progress would be provided to Councillor Layton, and the action plan was seen as a valuable foundation for future local government reorganisation.

The Leader then invited Councillor Gina Blomefield, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to give the committee's view.

Cabinet received and appreciated three key recommendations from Overview and Scrutiny, as outlined by Councillor Blomefield:

Planning Enforcement Resourcing – Councillor Blomefield highlighted long-standing concerns about whether planning enforcement was sufficiently resourced, noting the imminent departure of a valued officer.

Cabinet recognised the challenges in recruitment and retention and confirmed that resourcing enforcement would remain a priority within existing planning team resources, noting that the issue was not budgetary but due to difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff.

Improved Communication Between Officers and Ward Members – It was recommended that enforcement officers engage more regularly with local ward members, where appropriate, to share insights and potentially resolve cases more swiftly.

Cabinet agreed to arrange an all-member briefing on ... view the full minutes text for item 112

Meeting: 08/07/2025 - Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 212)

Webcast for 08/07/2025 - Overview and Scrutiny Committee

212 PAS Peer Review and Action Plan PDF 725 KB

Purpose

That the Committee scrutinises the report and agrees any recommendations it wishes to submit to Cabinet on 9 July 2025.

Cabinet Member

Councillor Juliet Layton

Lead Officer

Geraldine LeCointe

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The purpose of the report was to seek the Council’s endorsement of the findings of the PAS (Planning Advisory Service) Planning Service Peer Challenge report (May 2025) and the proposed Action Plan.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and the Head of Planning made the following points:

The Planning Advisory Service conducted a peer challenge to assess strengths and identified areas for improvement.
Challenges included COVID and interim agency directors, but the appointment of the Assistant Director of Planning Services and Director of Communities and Place had been welcomed.

In questioning and discussion, it was noted that:

Responsibility for plan actions would be shared among several heads of service. Development management and enforcement functions would be directly led, with senior leadership providing overall oversight. Some proposed timescales were acknowledged as ambitious.
The action plan was a living document, reviewed periodically to track progress. Updates were to be reported to the portfolio holder. Positive outcomes would be shared publicly. The process would align with the corporate plan, feeding into service plans, KPIs, team plans, and individual objectives, all regularly reviewed to ensure continuous improvement and accountability.
Planning enforcement remained challenging, but improvements were underway. Priorities included updating the Local Enforcement Plan to set expectations, clarifying case prioritisation, and improving public communication. Team processes would be overhauled to reduce admin burdens, enhance IT use, and introduce a triage system. Recruitment to permanent posts was expected by the end of November, as current agency contracts were unsustainable beyond then.
A Developer Forum was planned, with the first session anticipated in 2026. Sessions would be structured and themed to ensure focused discussion and manageable officer involvement.
Officers were exploring AI tools to improve efficiency in reporting and correspondence. Senior leadership and communications were committed to the responsible adoption of new technology.
Members requested clearer updates on enforcement cases in their wards, including triage details where confidentiality permits. The enforcement team valued member engagement and aimed to reinstate regular updates, though resources currently limited this.
Concerns were raised about past validation processes allowing incomplete applications, causing delays and decision risks. Pre-application advice was encouraged but extensions remained necessary to ensure full consultee input and avoid rushed decisions. A flexible negotiation protocol existed but required more consistent use. Clear service level agreements with consultees would help manage expectations and support decision-making.
The review highlighted that the planning and enforcement team was positive and engaged but required improved processes, IT systems, and tools, such as AI and enhanced performance management, to boost efficiency and effectiveness.
The team planned to better utilise the Enterprise case management system to automate key stages, notifications, and feedback. Performance management improvements, using tools like Power BI and Idox Insights were underway and expected soon.
Service level agreements were developed to formalise collaboration between planning teams, with set expectations and deadlines. Regular reviews and meetings were planned to improve cohesion and efficiency. Tools like Idox supported this process.

16:47 – Councillor Harris left the chamber.

The following recommendations were made to Cabinet:

1. That ... view the full minutes text for item 212

Issue - meetings

PAS Peer Review and Action Plan

Meeting: 10/07/2025 - Cabinet (Item 112)

Meeting: 08/07/2025 - Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 212)

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