Report attached.

The Sub-Committee received a report following the recommendation of the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) review of resources for the Enforcement function within planning had been undertaken.

The report detailed that the review had been completed, setting out the current issues within Planning Enforcement and making recommendations in relation to recruitment, enforcement plan, business support, interaction with planners and performance monitoring and performance.

The report informed the sub-committee of the following issues identified:

·         Significant backlog of cases: Historically, case levels have been very high, but there has been successful effort over recent years (particularly when fully staffed) to reduce the number of cases on hand. Despite this, the current number of cases on hand (604) exceeds the number of cases received in each of the last two years (469 22/23 and 414 23/Feb 24). At present there are over 300 cases which are over a year old, which is a significant number of the total caseload.

·         The number of cases per officer being very high: The number of cases per officer makes it difficult for officers to manage cases in order to respond in a timely manner to new cases received and ultimately to resolve cases (the problem identified by the LGO). Members seeking updates which itself contributes to the officer workload. The consequences of high officer workloads contributed to the backlog of cases.

·         Notices served reflects staffing levels: A high number of notices served was not necessarily an indication of a good or efficient service albeit it is currently the only planning enforcement ‘performance’ indicator that central government monitors. Based on previous statistics, it is considered about 60 notices a year would be expected to be served and that a manageable workload per officer would be in the order of 80.

Members were informed that the specific reasons why the LGO sought a review of the service was that at present the planning enforcement team in the planning service does not have the resources to carry out its functions.

The report detailed the following action plan to address this issue:

Recruitment to vacant Establishment Posts: Recruitment would enable reduction in officer workloads and allow more timely resolution of complaints or the taking of formal action. Recruitment would be dependent on agreement of the Recruitment Panel and ensuring that sufficient budget is available. Timescale: To begin progress from April 2024.

Adoption of Enforcement Plan: An updated enforcement plan has been drafted and will form part of an overall Enforcement Policy for the Planning and Public Protection Directorate for approval this year. Timescale: Policy adopted by December 2024.

Explore Additional Business Support: Explore scope of business support needs across Place, which the Planning and Public Protection Directorate forms part of. Timescale: Ongoing as part of review

Greater Interaction between Enforcement and Planning Officers:Better interaction would result in increased learning and development for officers; prioritisation of retrospective planning applications and making better informed decisions as to whether to invite planning applications to regularise any breach. Timescale: From April 2024

Expand Reporting on Performance to Lead Member and Planning Committees:Currently, only numbers of cases received and closed and notices served is reported to the committees each quarter. It was recommended that in addition, current case load, including number of open cases per officer be included in any reporting so issues of backlog and output can be more easily identified and reported on. Timescale: From April 2024

Following the presentation and discussion the sub-committee noted the content of the review and the actions recommended.