Government Shifts Planning Decisions to Officials Across England

Local councils in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Staffordshire are responding to national planning reforms that will transfer more application decisions from elected committees to trained planning officers, with the changes due to take effect across England on 31 October 2026 to improve speed and consistency.

According to the BBC, the National Scheme of Delegation will require councils to allow officers to decide most planning applications unless they involve major economic, social or environmental issues. The government said the reform aims to reduce delays and appeals.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government guidance said: "Planning committees should focus on the key proposals that matter to an area, enabling other, often more minor and technical, decisions to be made by planning officers."

The new rules will still allow planning committees to consider some commercial and residential developments, listed building consent applications, tree preservation order applications and advertisement consent applications. Committee sizes will also be limited to 13 members under the scheme.

Central Bedfordshire Council voted against changing its constitution to reflect the reforms, with 20 councillors opposing the move, six supporting it and 23 abstaining, according to the BBC. The council cannot ignore the national regulations, and its monitoring officer said the rules will apply regardless of the vote.

Independent councillor Hayley Whitaker told councillors the reforms would significantly affect residents and said the authority should take a stronger role in responding.

"These changes are profound; they are going to be really felt by our residents. As a council, we do need to take a bit more of a lead on this," said Hayley Whitaker, an independent councillor.

Conservative councillor Philip Spicer argued that residents would lose a key opportunity to raise planning concerns directly through elected representatives.

"The government scheme would mean residents losing the only opportunity where they could actually speak to the council about an issue about planning, which affects their lives," said Philip Spicer, a Conservative councillor.

Another Conservative councillor, Paul Daniels, said the reform would affect the role of ward representatives in bringing local developments before committees.

"In my view, a vital piece of local democracy is being taken away. If a development impacts our neighbourhoods, whether it's good or bad, as elected ward councillors we have had the ability to bring it before a committee. From 31 October, that will be no more," said Paul Daniels, a Conservative councillor.

Other councils have taken different approaches. The BBC reported that Dacorum Borough Council approved constitutional changes, noting that nine of its last 10 planning committee decisions would have been handled by officers under the new system. Broxbourne Borough Council's cabinet also agreed to update its constitution.

Staffordshire County Council also approved amendments after councillors expressed concerns about the reforms. Council leader Martin Murray said the authority would raise the issue with Angela Rayner, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and local MPs.

Staffordshire councillors were advised that the changes were compulsory and had to be included in the council's constitution to remain lawful.

Green councillor Susan Clinch criticized the legislation while acknowledging the requirement to follow it.

"I absolutely am appalled by this piece of legislation but it is the legislation that we have. We can all vote against it but it doesn't change a thing except that it puts our residents in a really poor situation [and] it puts our offices in a really poor situation," said Susan Clinch, a Green councillor.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said local involvement would remain important while defending the changes.

"Local say from communities and councillors continues to be critical in how new homes and infrastructure are built," said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The ministry spokesperson added that the reforms are intended to modernize planning committees and improve decision-making clarity.

"Our plans will modernise planning committees to improve efficiency over decisions so that planning applicants have the clarity they need, and we can deliver quicker for local people," said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.