Agenda item

The Technical Services Manager (Worcestershire Regulatory Services) presented the Planning and Environmental Enforcement Business Case for Members’ consideration.

The report detailed proposals for the future provision of planning and environmental enforcement services by Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) on behalf of the Council.  WRS was already providing much of the planning enforcement service for the Council, following identification of a number of challenges that had impacted on the capacity of the Council’s Planning Department to deliver this service. 

Key issues impacting on the existing service included recruitment and retention of suitably qualified staff, with planning enforcement services having been delivered by Planning Officers as part of their wider job roles.  Members were advised that WRS staff were experienced in undertaking enforcement action in relation to a wide range of issues.  Many enforcement cases were complex and impacted by other circumstances, such as noise pollution in respect of a planning enforcement case, and the WRS team could help to address these issues.

There was a backlog in planning enforcement cases at the Council and additional funding had been requested from the Council to help address this backlog.   Members were asked to note that the backlog had partly arisen due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, as Officers had been unable to take certain necessary actions during the lockdown periods.  The complexity of planning enforcement issues also meant that they could take time to resolve properly.

Consideration was given to the financial figures that had been included in the report in respect of salary budgets and Members noted that the figures in the report were incorrect.  Officers clarified that the current total salary spend, including on costs, should have been recorded as £147,750 and the current actual spend on salary costs should have been recorded as £248,889 plus supporting costs.  Members were advised that accurate figures had been included in the report provided for the consideration of Council on this subject and the typographical errors did not change the figures in the recommendations. 

Clarity was provided that the £93,600 requested in the second recommendation would be funded from existing resources.  The Council needed to provide an additional £84,777.50 to support the extra actions proposed in recommendations 3, 4 and 5.  To ensure clarity in the recommendations, Members agreed that the second recommendation should be reworded to clarify that this would be funded by the Council from existing resources.

RECOMMENDED that

1)          The Business case be pursued with the intention to bring together the enforcement functions within Environmental Services and Planning and associated current budget within the Shared Regulatory Service provided by WRS;

2)          An additional £93,600 annually from existing resources be agreed to fund the service to meet the level of demand in Planning Enforcement;

3)          An additional £55,590 be agreed to fund 1.6 FTE additional (Grade 6) resource to support the work in tackling the backlog of Planning Enforcement cases for the next two years only;

4)          An additional £7,537.50 be agreed to fund 0.25 FTE additional (Grade 4) resource for the customer service resource element of fly-tipping, littering and enviro-crime; and

5)          An additional £21,650 be agreed to fund 0.5 FTE additional (Grade 6) resource to support the work on enforcement of fly-tipping, littering and enviro-crime.

(Whilst this item was being debated, there was a brief adjournment, which last from 19.10 to 19.25.)

(During consideration of this item, Members discussed matters that necessitated the disclosure of exempt information. It was therefore agreed to move to exclude the press and public prior to any debate on the grounds that information would be revealed relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matters arising between the authority and employees of, or office holders under, the authority.  However, there isno exempt information in this record of the debate).