The end of democracy in planning decisions?
The planning system interferes with the rights we have to do what we want with our own land, and tries to influence the use of land so that it serves the public interest. So it’s always been important that planning decisions have democratic legitimacy. But all that is about to change – here’s why that’s a worry.
The change comes from a new regulation which makes local councils delegate planning applications to officers rather than to committees of elected councillors. The statutory instrument (SI) is being debate in the House of Lords chamber and in a House of Commons committee tomorrow (Tuesday 30 June) and will then go to a vote in both houses.
The SI comes from the Planning and Infrastructure Act passed last year, which created the power for Government to create a “national scheme of delegation”. Currently most minor applications already go to officers for decision already under their own local schemes of delegation. The new national scheme of delegation just creates a rule that this always has to happen.
But what we’re most worried about is that the national scheme of delegation also makes it much harder for big or controversial schemes to be decided by councillors meeting in public. Schemes would only now be allowed to go to committees if both the lead officer and the chair of the committee agree that it should, and the statutory guidance that they must follow in making that decision says this should only be in “exceptional” circumstances.
This means virtually all decisions being taken behind closed doors and with the public not being able to have their voice heard in committee as most councils currently allow.
We’ve set out concerns in this briefing alongside the Town and Country Planning Association and the Campaign to Protect Rural England. We hope Ministers reflect on their plans and ensure councils can still take the most significant decisions transparently and democratically.
Briefing for MPs and Peers on the national scheme of delegation: https://betterplanningcoalition.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/National-Scheme-of-Delegation-Brief-BPC-TCPA-CPRE-1.pdf