Councils across England are uniting against the Government's planning reforms, citing a risk to local decision-making and trust. Leaders criticize the proposed two-tier system and increased housing targets as unnecessary and unrealistic. Vale of White Horse District Council warns that smaller developments could be decided by officers without council involvement, compromising transparency. Bolton Council leaders express concern over plans that may exclude minority parties from planning committees. Both councils demand the preservation of call-in powers for controversial applications to maintain local governance and public confidence.
Leaders from urban and rural authorities express strong opposition to the proposed planning reforms, claiming they undermine local decision-making and damage public trust in the planning system. They argue that the two-tier system and tougher housing targets lack realism and create unnecessary centralization that ignores local issues.
Vale of White Horse District Council articulates that the introduction of a "two-tier" planning system would lead to less transparency and notionally violates the vital principle of local democracy, reducing council discretion in smaller developments.
Critiques from various councils point out that the reforms to fast-track applications threaten to marginalize minority parties within planning committees, which are crucial for local representation in decision-making.
The councils unanimously call upon the Government to uphold existing call-in powers for controversial applications, arguing that maintaining local oversight in planning decisions is essential for community trust and effective governance.
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