Agenda item

Cabinet

1.     Approved the Business Case for the new Planning Service attached (see Appendix 1)

2.     Agreed that South Cambridgeshire District Council is agreed to be the Employing Authority for this shared service. 

3.     Agreed that Delegated authority be given to the Director of Planning and Economic Development, in consultation with the Planning Portfolio Holder, to deliver the phases of the proposal as set out in the Business Case.

Cabinet considered a report on proposals for a new, transformed Planning Service between South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridge City Council, and seeking approval of the Business Case in line with the principles approved by this Council in April 2017.

Councillor Robert Turner (Planning Portfolio Holder) referred Members to paragraph 11 of the report, highlighting some of the benefits of creating a shared service, and the opportunities it would create for both Councils, and for those individuals seeking to further their careers in the planning profession. For South Cambridgeshire District Council, a principle objective would be to maintain and improve performance. In the context of ICT, it was recognised that the two authorities currently operated different systems, and procurement of a suitable system to support the new planning service and enable the alignment of processes and procedures was accepted as being of paramount importance. Referring to paragraph 15 of the report, Councillor Turner said that Option 1 was not an option, and he commended to Cabinet the creation of a Greater Cambridge Planning Service as being good for both employees and residents.

Councillor Sue Ellington (Health and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder) expressed concern at the potential workload that would fall on officers given the proposal to continue with just three area teams. In response, Councillor Turner said that those areas had been carefully identified to ensure that workload was evenly spread. He drew attention to the fact that Cambridge City had been split between Areas 2 and 3 in order to emphasise the joint nature of the proposed service.

The Joint Director for Planning and Economic Development explained the rationale behind the proposed team structure. He said that the overriding aim was to support and enhance existing strategies, and improve opportunities for staff. Achieving a greater locus was a key objective.

Councillor Nick Wright (Business and Customer Services Portfolio Holder and Deputy Leader) noted that Cambridge City Council had already approved the Business Case, and said this represented a huge vote of confidence in the concept of a shared planning service.

Referring to Appendix 5, Councillor Hazel Smith noted that the major new development in Greater Cambridge seemed to be concentrated on Area 2. In reply, the Joint Director for Planning and Economic Development pointed out that, in terms of geographical spread, Area 2 was smaller than each of the others. He said that Northstowe was now in delivery mode, and that a balance would be struck by resourcing each team to reflect the difference in requirements.

Councillor Cicely Murfitt mentioned a potential conflict between urban and rural approaches to planning. In response to her concerns, the Joint Director for Planning and Economic Development confirmed that Parish Councils would continue to play an essential role in determining planning applications in South Cambridgeshire, and that officer site visits would continue to take place.

Councillor Bridget Smith referred to the major risks identified in Section 5 of the Business Case. In particular, she expressed concern about the ‘recruitment challenges’ highlighted by Risk R3. The Planning Portfolio Holder said that a shared planning service would meet these challenges through being better placed to offer development opportunities for staff. While recognising that one of the difficulties faced in attracting staff was the cost of living in the Greater Cambridge area, Councillor Turner pointed out that the new service would benefit from having several experienced officers, who already lived in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire. The Joint Director for Planning and Economic Development commended the prospect of enhancing the status of Greater Cambridge nationally to reflect its global reputation. The shared planning service would provide an opportunity to invest in people in what would be the biggest planning service in the UK, and thus provide the best chance to deliver against the scale of economic growth envisaged during the coming years.

Cabinet

1.     Approved the Business Case for the new Planning Service attached (see Appendix 1)

2.     Agreed that South Cambridgeshire District Council is agreed to be the Employing Authority for this shared service. 

3.     Agreed that Delegated authority be given to the Director of Planning and Economic Development, in consultation with the Planning Portfolio Holder, to deliver the phases of the proposal as set out in the Business Case.