Planning service peer challenge action plan - Ongoing actions / business as usual: General PAS recommendations
| Ref | Details | Action(s) | Input/service area(s) | Due by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R2 | To support the Planning service’s transition to excellence the council needs to adopt a ‘one council’ ethos The service is living the values of the council, understands its role in delivering strategic priorities and is ‘open for business’. All parts of the council need to be aligned and pulling in the same direction to support the service and facilitate its improvement from high-performing to excellent. | a. Regular reports to CMT to secure corporate buy-in and cross-service input and support where required. b. Improved internal comms strategy to foster greater organisation understanding of service area role in supporting council plan and WAW2024 aims and aspirations, share team achievements, successes and high-performance. | Planning / CMT / comms | a. As and when required b. New comms strategy by July 2025 |
| R4 | The council needs to work to foster a 'one council' approach which is evident to residents, applicants, developers and key partners. The Council needs to develop clear processes for working with key partners, investors and developers, so communications are clear and consistent and signed up to by all parties. One way to achieve this would be by expanding the use of Planning Performance Agreements, which can be an effective project management tool for more complex applications, whilst also enabling cost recovery for officer time. There is scope for more positive comms regarding the planning service and delivering the Walsall is ‘open for business’ message. | a. Refresh of existing developer / agent forum to engage with wider audience. b. Continue to promote the use of PPAs with developers to expand their use. c. Improved external comms strategy to share team achievements, successes and high-performance to challenge the usual negative narrations and perceptions. | Planning / comms | a. December 2025 b. Ongoing c. July 2025 |
| R5 | Planning should be rightly proud of the substantive improvements and the high performing service it is, and this could be better communicated to internal and external stakeholders. There is scope for more positive comms regarding the planning service and delivering the Walsall is ‘open for business’ message. The council should celebrate and communicate the Planning service's successes via strong media relationships and communication strategy. | a. Improved internal and external comms strategy (as above) including joined-up comms on regeneration schemes to recognise, and celebrate planning team input and raise the profile of this high-performing team. | Planning / comms / regeneration | a. July 2025 |
| R6 | The Council should capitalise on the success of the pre-application/PPA offer and expand the Development Team approach to encompass cross-directorate support and build on positive service experience, using PPAs as a tool to facilitate proactive engagement with applicants. By expanding the use of PPA’s to other development partners and key complex projects the Council can benefit from achieving better quality developments, better working relationships and embed the ‘open for business’ message with its key delivery partners. We recommend the council review internal consultee processes and prioritise specialist input to planning applications, ensuring specialist teams have sufficient resources to provide timely advice with a focus on facilitating development. | a. Identify key consultees and address resource challenges to better support the planning consultation process and deliver higher quality development and outcomes and speed of decision-making to attract investment. b. Introduce an additional charge to developers for optional attendance of key consultees outside of the planning service at pre-application / development team stage to support resource costs and offer additional value service. | Planning / CMT | a. Early 2026 b. April 2026 (to form part of existing annual charging schedule review) |
| R8 | The Local Plan needs corporate support and effective councillor engagement needed to achieve the tight timescales This vital project needs buy in from all concerned. The council needs to review the engagement strategy for the Local Plan to ensure all stakeholders can take a meaningful role in its preparation as well as establish a councillor steering group to formalise councillor engagement in the Local Plan. The council needs to review the development management and internal consultee processes to prioritise specialist input to the Local Plan, ensuring specialist teams have sufficient resources to provide timely advice with a focus on facilitating the Local Plan timetable. The Council needs to ensure it has sufficient specialist resources available for both aspects: informing planning decisions and pre-app advice; and informing the Local Plan. Expanding the use of PPAs may assist, providing that the PPAs include cost recovery for specialist officer input. | a. Develop TOR and implement new Member steering group. b. Secure necessary resources to support WBLP progress including:
| Planning | a. July 2025 onwards b. September 2025 |
| R9 | Further work on extensions of time (EoTs) usage is needed to ensure they are being limited to major developments and only where necessary. The council should continue its good work on reducing the use of extensions of time (EoTs) and instead consider an extension to the PPA approach that would further improve efficiency and be a useful project management tool for major schemes fostering key relationships with partners. | a. Continue to apply principles of our implemented customer charter to ensure timely decision-making and less reliance on EOTs. b. Continue to promote use of PPAs to developers where appropriate. | Planning | a and b. Ongoing |