Three Surrey councils face planning department cutbacks

Councils must determine at least 70% of non-major planning applications within eight weeks, or agree an extension

Three councils in Surrey have been warned that their planning departments may have their decision-making powers stripped.

Guildford, Waverley and Epsom and Ewell Borough Councils have each been written to by housing secretary Michael Gove over their “very poor” quality of service.

All councils must determine at least 70% of non-major planning applications within eight weeks, or agree an extension.

The three Surrey councils have fallen below that figure, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said.

In a letter sent to the councils, Mr Gove raised “significant concerns” about the performance of the local authorities.

For Guildford, its performance of 50.1% between October 2020 and September 2022 was below the expected threshold.

Meanwhile in Epsom and Ewell, the level was 52.5%, and in Waverley it was 61.7%.

The letter said: “That is indicative of a very poor quality service to local residents and a significant deterrent to investment in your local housing market and wider economy.

“That is not good enough, and despite some more encouraging recent data, I am therefore minded to designate [the council].”

The impact effectively strips the authority's say over planning matters.

‘Teething issues’

The councils have until June to make the required improvements to their planning service.

A Waverley Borough Council spokesperson said its planning performance suffered in 2021 and early 2022 as a result of the pandemic, “teething issues” with a new planning IT system, an increase in applications following lockdown and a nationwide shortage of planning officers.

“Mr Gove has acknowledged the improvement in our performance and rather than moving to formally designate the council, has given us the opportunity to demonstrate this improvement over a longer period of time,” they said.

A Guildford Borough Council spokesperson said it has been working to reduce its backlog since June, but that caseloads remain high.

Jackie King, chief executive of Epsom and Ewell Borough Council, said the authority was hopeful the secretary of state would recognise the “significant” improvements it had made in recent months.

She said: “The council has been fully aware of this historic issue relating to performance over that period, which was a result of Covid and capacity-related issues."