Agenda item
Planning Enforcement Update
Purpose
This report provides an update on the performance, staffing, and capacity of the Planning Enforcement Team following the transition of planning services back into the Council in November 2024 and the subsequent PAS Peer Review.
It summarises progress against the PAS Action Plan, identifies continuing service pressures including recruitment challenges and backlog management, and sets out the measures underway to improve resilience, service efficiency, and performance.
Cabinet is asked to consider the progress made and note the areas where performance remains constrained.
Recommendation
That Cabinet resolves to:
1. Endorse the Chief Executive’s decision under delegated authority (Part C4 of the Constitution and section 112 of the Local Government Act 1972) to establish and appoint to a time-limited Enforcement Leadership role and approve the additional budget provision required to fund the role to be funded from the Council’s earmarked ‘Capacity Building Reserve’.
Decision:
The purpose of this item was to provide an update on the performance, staffing, and capacity of the Planning Enforcement Team following the transition of planning services back into the Council in November 2024 and the subsequent PAS Peer Review.
It summarised progress against the PAS Action Plan, identified continuing service pressures including recruitment challenges and backlog management, and set out the measures underway to improve resilience, service efficiency, and performance. Cabinet was asked to consider the progress made and note the areas where performance remained constrained.
Councillor Juliet Layton, Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing introduced the report, and noted the challenges associated with existing systems and data retrieval processes, as well as the work underway to support the transition and improvement of the service. To provide additional leadership capacity during this period of change, the committee was asked to endorse the Chief Executive's delegated decision to establish a time-limited enforcement leadership role until 31 March 2028. The additional budget provision required for the post was to be funded from the Council's earmarked Capacity Building Reserve.
The Leader, Councillor Mike Evemy added that the Overview and Scrutiny committee had considered the report on 29 June and that the Vice-Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee would present their concerns.
Members of the Committee recognised the value of the Planning Compliance and Enforcement service in providing information and assurance to Members, residents and the wider public, and expressed support for further strengthening the service. The committee noted the findings of previous work, including the PAS review, and acknowledged that significant issues relating to systems and processes had been identified and were continuing to be addressed. The importance of improving these systems was emphasised and the proposed appointment of an officer with the necessary skills and experience to review current arrangements and identify opportunities for improvement was welcomed. The committee encouraged Cabinet to ensure that adequate resources were made available to support this work and to address the existing case backlog, recognising the importance of maintaining an effective and resilient service during the transition to local government reorganisation.
Cabinet Members backed the planned employment contract. The Leader agreed to put the request on the Council Forward Plan and requested that a progress update be added to the Cabinet Agenda for January 2027.
The recommendation was proposed by Councillor Juliet Layton, Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning and seconded by Councillor Mike Evemy.
Cabinet RESOLVED to:
1. Endorse the Chief Executive’s decision under delegated authority (Part C4 of the Constitution and section 112 of the Local Government Act 1972) to establish and appoint to a time-limited Enforcement Leadership role and approve the additional budget provision required to fund the role to be funded from the Council’s earmarked ‘Capacity Building Reserve’.
2. Consider a further report, at January 2027 Cabinet which would outline the service performance and highlight any problems or particular highlights.
Voting record:
8 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstentions.
Minutes:
The purpose of this item was to provide an update on the performance, staffing, and capacity of the Planning Enforcement Team following the transition of planning services back into the Council in November 2024 and the subsequent PAS Peer Review.
It summarised progress against the PAS Action Plan, identified continuing service pressures including recruitment challenges and backlog management, and set out the measures underway to improve resilience, service efficiency, and performance. Cabinet was asked to consider the progress made, note the areas where performance remained constrained and endorse the Chief Executive's delegated decision to establish a time-limited enforcement leadership role to support service improvement.
Councillor Juliet Layton, Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing, introduced the report and referred to the detailed discussion that had previously taken place at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The challenges associated with the Council's existing planning systems and data retrieval processes were highlighted and it was noted that these had become increasingly apparent following the transfer of the service back in-house. It was explained that a temporary leadership post, until 31 March 2028, would provide additional capacity and expertise to oversee improvements to the service, support the implementation of the PAS recommendations, and strengthen the transition arrangements. The additional budget provision for the post would be met from the Council's earmarked Capacity Building Reserve.
The Leader, Councillor Mike Evemy, advised that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had considered the wider Planning Enforcement performance report at its meeting on 29 June and invited the Vice-Chair of the Committee to summarise the Committee's observations and recommendations.
Members recognised the significant value of the Planning Compliance and Enforcement service in providing assurance to Members, residents and the wider public, and expressed strong support for further strengthening the service. It was acknowledged that planning enforcement was a high-profile area of the Council's work and one that generated considerable public interest and expectation.
Members welcomed the findings of the PAS review and recognised that substantial work remained to address weaknesses in systems, processes and data management. They supported the appointment of an experienced officer to provide additional leadership and to undertake a comprehensive review of current working practices, with a view to improving performance, resilience and efficiency. The importance of ensuring that adequate resources were made available to support both the review and the reduction of the existing case backlog was emphasised, particularly in advance of local government reorganisation.
Several Members noted that improved digital systems and reporting arrangements would help officers manage cases more effectively, provide greater transparency for Members and residents, and reduce unnecessary administrative activity. It was recognised that the new post should not only address current operational challenges but also identify longer-term improvements to processes and service delivery.
Members also acknowledged the complexity of planning enforcement work, recognising that cases often involved lengthy legal processes, careful consideration of proportionality and expediency, and close collaboration across planning, legal and other Council services. Whilst there was broad support for strengthening enforcement activity, Members recognised that enforcement remained a discretionary function and that resources should continue to be focused on those cases where formal action was justified and in the public interest.
Cabinet Members expressed confidence that the appointment would provide valuable additional leadership during a period of significant organisational change and welcomed the opportunity to build a more resilient and effective enforcement service before transition to the future unitary authority.
In summing up the discussion, the Leader thanked officers for their work in managing the service during a challenging period and acknowledged the commitment shown by both the Planning Enforcement Team and the wider planning service. He emphasised the importance of monitoring progress following the appointment and proposed that a performance update be brought back to Cabinet in January 2027. The update would report on service performance, progress against the improvement programme, the impact of the additional leadership capacity, and identify any further resource requirements should they become necessary.
The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Juliet Layton, Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, seconded by Councillor Mike Evemy and put to the vote.
Voting record:
8 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstentions.
Supporting documents:
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