Decision details

To accept £100k grant funding from DLUHC as part of the Planning Skills Delivery Fund (‘PSDF’) award for dealing with CDC’s backlog planning applications.

Decision Maker: Assistant Director Economy and Environment

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: No

Purpose:

This will help to deal with our ‘backlog’ planning applications ensuring that they are priortised on criteria such as age, transformational benefits and planning fee at risk of return. Staff are busy
with current planning applications so this affords a ‘one-off’ opportunity to tackle the backlog that has built up since COVID and during periods of staffing reductions. This will be done via the
temporary employment of 3 x agency Planning Officers (2 x for 6 months and 1 x 3 months with an option to extend by a further 3 months). These agency staff are due to begin with CDC from
the w/c 5th February 2024 and as such, given the terms of the MOU received on 31.1.24 , CDC will have committed the spend of the £100k – as required by the MOU.

Decision:

To accept £100k from DLUHC under the PSDF to help deal with historic backlog applications and to commit to spending this money before end of March 2024.

Alternative options considered:

Not to accept the external funding awarded to numerous Local Planning Authorities in England to deal with the recognised concern – REJECTED

Publication date: 10/04/2024

Date of decision: 07/02/2024

Accompanying Documents: