Planning is principally a local activity, and the Government recognise the vital role that planning committees play in ensuring that decisions about what to build and where are shaped by local communities and reflect the views of local residents. However, in providing essential local democratic oversight of planning decisions, we must ensure planning committees operate as effectively as possible, focusing on those applications which require member input and not revisiting the same decisions.
At present, every local planning authority has its own scheme of delegation to identify the circumstances in which planning decisions are taken by planning committee rather than delegated to officers. Most local planning authorities already delegate a significant proportion of applications to such officers—such that 96% of planning decisions in England are already not made by planning committees. However, there is significant variation across the country, and this creates risk and uncertainty in the system.
It is for this reason that we took powers in the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 to allow the Government to introduce a national scheme of delegation. By setting out which planning functions should be delegated to planning officers for a decision and which should go instead to a planning committee or sub-committee, a national scheme of delegation will ensure greater consistency and certainty across England about who in a local planning authority will be responsible for making planning decisions.
During the passage of the Act, the Government consulted on proposals relating to the delegation of planning functions, the size and composition of planning committees and mandatory training for members of planning committees. We are today publishing the Government response to that consultation.
As required by the Act, I am also publishing today a further consultation on draft regulations which set out the national scheme of delegation and the maximum size of planning committees, and statutory guidance to support local planning authorities in implementing the reforms. This consultation will run until 23 April 2026.
The draft regulations, which were informed by the responses to the earlier consultation, implement the national scheme of delegation through the creation of a two-tier structure. Schedule 1 of the regulations sets out the applications which must be determined by officers in all circumstances. Schedule 2 sets out the applications that are presumed to go to officers unless they meet the criteria specified in the regulations and the nominated officer, usually the head of planning, and nominated member, usually the chair of the committee, agree that they should be referred to committee—the gateway test.
There are separate provisions for applications made by, or on behalf of, a local planning authority itself, or an officer or member of the authority, to be referred to committee where appropriate even if they do not raise any significant planning, economic, social or environmental issues. The draft regulations also set a maximum size limit of 13 members for a planning committee.
Subject to consideration of the responses received to this latest consultation, we will finalise the regulations and associated statutory guidance, which will then be subject to further scrutiny through the affirmative procedure. The Government’s intention is that the regulations will come into effect in Autumn 2026. We continue to work on the arrangements for the mandatory training of committee members, and these will be announced in due course.
[HCWS1481]