Issue - meetings

Appendices 1 to 7 are only available on the Council’s website as part of the electronic version of the agenda. 

Any comments from the Planning Committee held on 1 November will be reported verbally.

Cabinet, acknowledging that work on the majority of the key actions identified was already underway, AGREED that the following summary conclusions be adopted as an action plan to address the key actions required in response to the audit reports:

(a)               that a revised workforce plan be produced;

(b)               that a service recruitment strategy be prepared;

(c)               that the transformation plan address the capacity of senior management;

(d)               that an officer working group be put in place to identify alternative areas of funding;

(e)               that a local agents’ panel / forum be established;

(f)                 that a wider satisfaction survey of service users be carried out;

(g)               that householder advice be made more accessible through the web and through other means including leaflets and use of South Cambs Magazine;

(h)               that Service First customer service standards be introduced;

(i)                  that an officer / member working party be established to recommend on revised Planning Committee arrangements including public / applicants addressing the Committee;

(j)                  that the Service Plan properly addresses maximising service delivery of corporate priorities and objectives;

(k)                that results of Premier Division on comparative costs be reported to Cabinet;

(l)                  that benchmarking comparisons within the Premier Division be reported to Planning Committee;

(m)             that delegation protocol be reviewed at the end of the year; and

(n)               that the conclusion of both reports about the financial uncertainties threatening service delivery be made part of the Council’s case in respect of next year’s Council tax.

The Audit Commission, following its inspection of the planning service, had included five recommendations, work on which already had begun.  The Planning and Economic Development Portfolio Holder congratulated the planning section for the outstanding achievement of being the first authority to have its Local Development Framework Core Strategy approved and attention was drawn to the letter from Baroness Andrews describing the Council’s progress as “excellent”.  The Leader added congratulations to officers for doubling the within a year the number of major applications dealt with within thirteen weeks.  Members expressed dismay that, in light of these substantial achievements by a lean section compared to that of most authorities, there had been suggestions that the government wanted to take over the Council’s planning powers, implying that the government’s own new planning system had failed.  The Planning and Economic Development Portfolio Holder reported that Chris Elliott of the Cambridge Evening News had expressed his view that the Council’s expertise gained at Cambourne and Arbury Camps would be wasted if the government intervened.

The Planning and Economic Development Portfolio Holder also noted that the number of planning applications coming before the Planning Committee was dropping and it was hoped to rationalise that body in the future, for example, moving to half-day meetings to reduce costs.  The procedures governing members of the public speaking at Planning Committee were being reviewed and consultations were underway with other authorities on their experiences of residents making representations at meetings.

The Resources, Staffing, Information & Customer Services Portfolio Holder explained that the Planning Advisory Service was unable to provide planning training as intended and that Democratic Services were sourcing another trainer.

Cabinet, acknowledging that work on the majority of the key actions identified was already underway, AGREED that the following summary conclusions be adopted as an action plan to address the key actions required in response to the audit reports:

(a)               that a revised workforce plan be produced;

(b)               that a service recruitment strategy be prepared;

(c)               that the transformation plan address the capacity of senior management;

(d)               that an officer working group be put in place to identify alternative areas of funding;

(e)               that a local agents’ panel / forum be established;

(f)                 that a wider satisfaction survey of service users be carried out;

(g)               that householder advice be made more accessible through the web and through other means including leaflets and use of South Cambs Magazine;

(h)               that Service First customer service standards be introduced;

(i)                  that an officer / member working party be established to recommend on revised Planning Committee arrangements including public / applicants addressing the Committee;

(j)                  that the Service Plan properly addresses maximising service delivery of corporate priorities and objectives;

(k)                that results of Premier Division on comparative costs be reported to Cabinet;

(l)                  that benchmarking comparisons within the Premier Division be reported to Planning Committee;

(m)             that delegation protocol be reviewed at the end of the year; and

(n)               that the conclusion of both reports about the financial uncertainties threatening service delivery be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11

In the interests of sustainability, Appendices 1 to 7 are available on the Council’s website as part of the electronic version of the agenda. 

Noted for onward reporting to Cabinet.

The Committee ENDORSED the conclusions set out in paragraph 11 of the report from the Head of Planning Services, and RECOMMENDED that Cabinet adopt them as an Action Plan in response to the findings of the Audit Commission’s Environment Inspection in July 2006 and the investigation carried out by the Department for Communities and Local Government (formerly the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister).

As Monitoring Officer, the Head of Legal Services was anxious to see clear target dates for the achievement of each part of the Action Plan and to ensure that the Committee received regular performance management reports.

Councillor Mrs DSK Spink paid tribute to the manner in which officers had addressed the concerns raised by the Audit Commission and DCLG.

The Committee was advised of the following initial comments from the Consultants retained to review progress following South Cambridgeshire District Council’s designation as a “majors” Authority:

·                      Development and Conservation Control Committee agendas were too long - the Team recommended more delegation;

·                      Members required training; and

·                      the Development and Conservation Control Committee was too large.

Resolved as report. 

The Committee NOTED that, following last year’s letter from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister setting South Cambridgeshire District Council a new target for the percentage of major applications determined within 13 weeks, a further letter had been received from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on the subject.   A report from the Deputy Director of Development Services outlined the actions that would be necessary in order to achieve the new target.

The most significant action required was to secure full staffing levels within the Development Control Section as quickly as possible.  It was essential that the case load be reduced to, and then maintained at, a figure of about 150 per Case Officer.

The Leader of the Council expressed concern at increased officer workloads brought about by mounting development pressures, extra responsibilities imposed on local government by central Government (without any increase in financial support), and the general adverse effects of having been Council Tax capped, resulting in the reduction in budget levels, and the leaving unfilled of vacant posts.  He urged officers to state the Council’s case very forcefully through agencies such as Cambridgeshire Horizons.

Other Members highlighted the specific resource-intensive issues of infrastructure provision and community development in new settlements such as Northstowe.  The recently announced Development Tax initiative gave further cause for concern.