Dacorum Borough Council put into special measures
It means major planning decisions have been taken out of the hands of the council
Major planning decisions have been taken out of the hands of Dacorum Borough Council after the Government placed it into special measures today (Monday, June 15).
Developers seeking permission for major planning applications, including those for ten or more homes, will now be able to apply directly to the planning inspectorate.
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government can issue a designation notice and place an authority into special measures when more than 10% of its rejected applications are then overturned on appeal by the planning inspectorate.
Its designation notice said housing secretary Steve Reed had looked at the “quality of decision-making” for decisions made in the two years up to the end of March last year.
The designation notice will remain in force until it is revoked by the Government.
Adrian England, portfolio holder for place at the Liberal Democrat-run council, said the government’s move was “a power grab”.
He said they were “shutting out local communities … just as our council is on the cusp of finally getting a Local Plan in place after years of Conservative failure to deliver one”.
A new Local Plan – the blueprint for housing delivery in an area – was submitted to the planning inspector for examination in March last year.
The Liberal Democrat MP for Harpenden and Berkhamsted, Victoria Collins, said she will be “pressing ministers to reverse this decision and to back, not punish, councils working hard for local communities”.
She added that Dacorum had been “caught between a rock and a hard place” with “more rules, more applications and … no extra funding”.