Calderdale Council ordered to improve planning process

A Calderdale Council spokesperson said extra staff had been appointed to the authority's planning team

A council must improve its planning process or be put in special measures, a government minister has warned.

Calderdale Council decided 53.7% of planning applications on time, against a target of 70%, according to a letter from Housing Secretary Michael Gove.

He warned that if the council did not do better, the Planning Inspectorate would deal with future applications.

Shelagh O'Neill, from the council, said the planning team had "faced particular challenges", but was now improving.

'Very poor quality'

In a letter to Robin Tuddenham, Calderdale Council's chief executive, Mr Gove said he had "significant concerns" about the local authority's performance.

"The government is clear that having an efficient and effective planning service at local authority level is essential to delivering the homes, building and investment the country needs," he wrote.

He said the council's performance was "indicative of a very poor quality service to local residents and a significant deterrent to investment in your local housing market and wider economy".

Mr Gove said he would give the authority until June to demonstrate its performance had improved.

'Now very different'

Ms O'Neill, director of regeneration and strategy at Calderdale Council, said the poor rating reflected "a snapshot in time when the planning team faced particular challenges around staffing levels and competing priorities, for example the completion of the Local Plan examination".

"Planning services across the country are under pressure and we have to balance meeting demand with resources available and recruitment and retention issues in the sector," she added.

"The service is now in a very different place, with additional staff joining the team and investments in new IT systems to increase efficiency and capacity."

The council was "very confident" it would maintain a high performance in future, Ms O'Neill said.