New Planning Rules Shift Power from Councils

The Governments new planning guidelines come into force across England at the end of this month, shifting real decision-making from elected councillors to unelected planning officers working to central rules.

West Berkshire Council must rejig how it handles planning. It will vote this week to replace three planning committees western area, eastern area and district with a single committee.

Under the National Scheme of Delegation, more smaller-scale and routine planning applications will be decided by planning officers using delegated powers rather than being publicly debated by councillors. Ward councillors will largely lose the right to call in local applications, so committee debates will be limited to exceptional cases.

Some councillors warn the reforms shut residents out, weaken local accountability and undermine elected representatives mandate.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says the changes are meant to streamline the system, speed up housing delivery (targeting 1.5 million homes), make decisions more consistent and reduce costly appeals so committees can focus on major strategic proposals.

Councils, including West Berkshire, also face higher mandatory housing targets and a permanent presumption in favour of development, which local leaders say limits their ability to block or reshape developments that conflict with local infrastructure capacity.

The councils officers appear broadly happy with the shift: fewer committees means less officer time and resource spent on committee business.

"The increased levels of delegation are expected to significantly reduce the number of planning applications that are determined by planning committee," it says.

"Consequently, part of these proposals is to replace the current planning committee structure with a single planning committee.

"There is a need for additional training for members and officers, and for public communications regarding the changes.

"However, it is anticipated that these can be accommodated within existing resources."

If the National Scheme of Delegation is not implemented locally, the council says some planning applications could not legally be determined, risking appeals against non-determination (with costs) or judicial reviews, both with significant financial implications.

Planning law still requires decisions to follow the development plan unless material considerations say otherwise. These reforms do not alter the National Planning Policy Framework (revised separately on August 17, 2026) or local planning policies.

The Scheme does not change the ability of residents, businesses, town and parish councils and other interested parties to comment on planning applications; such comments will still be taken into account where they raise material planning considerations.

Ward councillors remain an important voice: they can still represent residents, businesses and parish councils and make representations on planning applications.

The regulations were made in July 2026 and come into effect on October 31. It is proposed the new planning committee will have 11 members.

Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter