Tuesday
23
April
Councillors slam county planning services
28/04/2011 @ 08:41
Conservative County Councillors have slammed the planning process and accused officers of having the wrong attitude towards the private sector.
Councillors Aled Davies and Russell George said they are constantly receiving complaints from constituents about the negative attitude towards development proposals and have called for action.
Their comments come after a review of the service by the watchdog Regeneration and Environment Scrutiny Committee set out a 14-point list of urgent recommendations which inbcluded:
- regular monitoring of planning applications "delayed in the system"
- getting across to officials "that regeneration is one of the main priorities"
- tackling underperformance by officials "vigorously"
And the two councillors are pressing for action from portfolio holder Cllr Wynne Jones.
Cllr Davies said: “I am constantly getting complaints from my constituents about the negative attitude of officials towards development proposals - just when Powys most needs to be encouraging economic regeneration. Powys Planning Services needs a completely different attitude towards the private sector. That's where the work and the jobs are being created.”
Cllr Russell George himself gave evidence to the Scrutiny Review and added: "One of the major problems in Planning Services is the underperformance of some officials. That puts an extra burden on those who are working properly and so often is at the root of the poor service which the Scrutiny Committee has highlighted. We have known about these problems for a very long time. The time for action is now."
- regular monitoring of planning applications "delayed in the system"
- getting across to officials "that regeneration is one of the main priorities"
- tackling underperformance by officials "vigorously"
And the two councillors are pressing for action from portfolio holder Cllr Wynne Jones.
Cllr Davies said: “I am constantly getting complaints from my constituents about the negative attitude of officials towards development proposals - just when Powys most needs to be encouraging economic regeneration. Powys Planning Services needs a completely different attitude towards the private sector. That's where the work and the jobs are being created.”
Cllr Russell George himself gave evidence to the Scrutiny Review and added: "One of the major problems in Planning Services is the underperformance of some officials. That puts an extra burden on those who are working properly and so often is at the root of the poor service which the Scrutiny Committee has highlighted. We have known about these problems for a very long time. The time for action is now."
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