Labour MP Alex Ballinger has defended new planning regulations that remove councillors' right to 'call-in' applications for committee decisions, saying they will unblock the system. His comments come in response to complaints from Belle Vale councillor Simon Phipps, who signed a joint letter from Conservative councillors to the Prime Minister calling for a U-turn to scrap the policy.
Councillor's concerns over loss of powers
Cllr Phipps said the changes, which come into force at the end of October, will leave local councillors "almost powerless to challenge unacceptable planning applications in our area." He added: "Our right to ask that a decision is made by elected councillors is being removed, so more decisions will be made by unelected officers."
Cllr Phipps also criticised the Labour government's approach, saying: "This is part of the Labour government's developers' charter, which our local MP Alex Ballinger is seemingly in complete support for. Remember, before being elected he told us that Halesowen's green belt will be safe, but now he's in power his government is going to reclassify swathes of the countryside as 'grey' belt so it can be built on."
MP's response on National Scheme of Delegation
Mr Ballinger responded that he was happy to discuss issues with councillors and was aware of their concerns about the National Scheme of Delegation, which will see almost all applications determined by council planning officers. Only the biggest proposed developments, plans submitted by councils themselves, and applications meeting strict criteria will be put before councillors on planning committees.
Mr Ballinger said: "The National Scheme of Delegation introduces a consistent, national framework for planning decisions, under which council officers handle applications by default, with defined criteria for elevating cases to elected planning committees. These changes will reduce deadlocks and backlogs in planning processes and make decisions more consistent."
Broader planning reforms and next steps
The MP highlighted the importance of national planning reform for "renewing our railways, modernising the grid, and re-building our housing stock and industrial capacity." He also noted that the government is giving councils new powers to block unwanted gambling premises and vape shops, giving local communities more say over their high streets.
Mr Ballinger concluded: "I am following these reforms closely in Parliament and will always advocate for our area." The regulations are set to come into force at the end of October, with the Conservative councillors' letter to the Prime Minister calling for a policy reversal.
