21/06/2026
Have your say on where local planning decisions should be made-
https://www.nigelhuddleston.com/stand-local-democracy-planning-decisions
We are challenging a government-imposed planning sanction that could see decisions on major development taken nationally rather than by your locally elected councillors.
The Government has decided to designate us under Section 62A of the Town and Country Planning Act because, over a two-year period from 2023 to 2025, 10.7% of major planning applications refused by the council were later allowed on appeal. This is marginally above the Government's 10% threshold.
Designation means developers submitting certain major planning applications can choose to bypass the council and instead apply directly to the Planning Inspectorate, which would decide those applications on our behalf.
We strongly dispute the decision. It ignores evidence we provided demonstrating the significant improvements made to our planning service over the last two years, including reducing successful appeals to around half the Government's designation threshold and being recognised as the RTPI West Midlands Planning Team of the Year.
Cllr Emma Kearsey, our Executive Board Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Urban Design, said:
"How dare they! This is an outrageous decision by a Government that thinks it can simply dictate to local communities in complete defiance of the evidence and common sense.
"We have no problem with accountability. We do have an issue with a decision based on historic data that ignores the reality of the planning service we have today.
"We will challenge this affront to local democracy and fight to return decisions on major planning applications to democratically elected councillors as soon as possible."
Read our full statement here đŸ‘‰ https://bit.ly/43CxFWN
