Response 3830700

Response to request for information

Reference

3830700

Response date

20 October 2025

Request

Development management

• How many full-time equivalent planning staff (not including administration staff) do you have on the establishment in your “development management team” or equivalent?   
• How many full time equivalent vacancies are there currently in your development management team?  How many temporary staff or consultants are currently employed in your development management team?

Planning policy

• How many full-time equivalent planning staff (not including administration staff) do you have on the establishment in your “planning policy team”?   
• How many full time equivalent vacancies are there currently in your planning policy team.  How many temporary staff or consultants are currently employed in your planning policy team?

Planning enforcement

• How many full-time equivalent planning staff (not including administration staff) do you have on the establishment in your “planning enforcement team”?  
• How many full time equivalent vacancies are there currently in your planning enforcement team.  How many temporary staff or consultants are currently employed in your planning enforcement team?

Expert planning advisors

• Does your local council have in-house expert planning advisors to deal with issues such as ecology, heritage and design?  
• Does your local council ever have to access external expert planning advice on such issues as ecology, heritage and design? If so, what areas do you have to request external advice on?

Entry level planners 

• Do you fund entry level planning staff to undergo university courses or apprenticeships?  
• If yes, how many entry level planners have you provided such funding for in the last 5 years?  

Case loads

• What was the average annual case load that planning officers in your planning enforcement/development management teams were carrying in the financial years
  1. 2020/21
  2. 2022/23
  3. 2024/25

Local Plan

• Does your council have an up to date local plan? If it does, when was it last formally approved?

Response

Development management

• How many full-time equivalent planning staff (not including administration staff) do you have on the establishment in your “development management team” or equivalent?  
  • 17.8 FTE including 2 FTE Planning Technicians but administration staff not included.
• How many full time equivalent vacancies are there currently in your development management team?  How many temporary staff or consultants are currently employed in your development management team?
  • 1 FTE Vacancies, 2 Consultants

Planning policy

• How many full-time equivalent planning staff (not including administration staff) do you have on the establishment in your “planning policy team”? 
  • 4.3 FTE
• How many full time equivalent vacancies are there currently in your planning policy team.  How many temporary staff or consultants are currently employed in your planning policy team?
  • 0 FTE vacancies, 0 temporary staff or consultants

Planning enforcement

• How many full-time equivalent planning staff (not including administration staff) do you have on the establishment in your “planning enforcement team”?
  • 2.7 FTE 
• How many full time equivalent vacancies are there currently in your planning enforcement team.  How many temporary staff or consultants are currently employed in your planning enforcement team?
  • 0 FTE vacancies, 0 temporary staff or consultants

Expert planning advisors

• Does your local council have in-house expert planning advisors to deal with issues such as ecology, heritage and design? 
  • Conservation 1.4 FTE
• Does your local council ever have to access external expert planning advice on such issues as ecology, heritage and design? If so, what areas do you have to request external advice on?
  • Yes but only really in relation to Planning Appeals and not regularly

Entry level planners 

• Do you fund entry level planning staff to undergo university courses or apprenticeships? 
  • Not at present
• If yes, how many entry level planners have you provided such funding for in the last 5 years
  • Not applicable

Case loads

• What was the average annual case load that planning officers in your planning enforcement/development management teams were carrying in the financial years
  • Information not held

Local Plan

• Does your council have an up to date local plan? If it does, when was it last formally approved?

  • The Borough Council adopted the Local Plan Part 1: Core Strategy on 22 December 2014. 

  • The Borough Council adopted the Local Plan Part 2: Land and Planning Policies on 8 October 2019.