Improvements to planning service

A strengthened planning service which aims to ensure that Northampton can meet the demands of a growing town has been approved.

Northampton Borough Council's cabinet meeting has backed £600,000 plans which include making the head of planning a senior manager within the council.

The council also aims to tackle issues of underinvestment in the planning service over recent years.

It will also take steps to retain and attract professional staff.

In the last report by the Audit Commission, the planning department was rated as "poor".

There's more to be done to improve the service and one of the options is to appoint a planner at corporate manager level within the council Councillor Richard Church

Councillor Richard Church, cabinet member for regeneration, said: "There's been a real focus on performance and in the last six months our performance on the speed of determining local planning applications within the government's target has been amongst the best in the country.

"But there's more to be done to improve the service and one of the options is to appoint a planner at corporate manager level within the council.

"This person would provide leadership of the planning service, and actively promote the significant contribution that the planning service will make to the achievement of the council's vision and the vision of Northampton."

In the past week, the government has proposed that Northampton Borough Council receives close to £600,000 to support the delivery of planning services and the growth agenda.

The plans were backed at a meeting on 30 July.