Planning Officers Society (POS)

What’s going on at PAS? Anna Rose, Head of the Planning Advisory Service 25th January 2019 www.local.gov.uk/pas Introduction

• What is the Planning Advisory Service (PAS)? • How do we work with MHCLG and the LGA? • Our grant work – Plans, Infrastructure, Decisions and Delivery • What else? • How can you help us? • Questions? What is PAS?

• Funded to support English planning authorities • PAS exists to – support local planning authorities in providing effective and efficient planning services, – to drive improvement in those services and to support the implementation of changes in the planning system • We also work directly with councils • Part of the Local Government family How we work with the MHCLG, PINS and LGA • PAS lives inside the LGA – Alongside leadership, improvement, housing etc • Responsible to MHCLG – Demonstrate value for money and impact (evaluation!) • Liaison with PINS and MHCLG to share thoughts and reduce duplication Our Work

Currently 5 areas of work;

• Strategic Planning • Local Plans • Infrastructure • Decisions • Delivery Strategic Planning • MHCLG grant from Planning Delivery Fund • Allowed a new post to be created in PAS team • Events – 3 in February and follow on events in 2019/20. • On site support for around 5 groups of authorities – Work will start with 3 groups shortly – Will help with plan making and facilitation • Evaluation of on site support will lead to case studies and best practice • Topic/Research papers to be written Local Plans

Supporting LPAs with local plan advice • Piloting Local Plan Reviews & Proportionate Evidence support – opportunities for LPAs to be involved – access to support for LPAs • Updating our local plan advice & tools – including Local Plan Soundness & Legal Compliance checklists • Supporting LPAs in producing SOCGs – template & advice is out • Supporting LPAs at risk of local plan intervention Infrastructure – S106, CIL and Viability

• Working with MHCLG on technical reforms to developer contributions – consultation closes 31/01/2019 • Design and pilot support to LPAs on the effective use of CIL and S106 including; - Incentivising CIL and consideration of strategic pooling - Good governance – spend and deliver • Supporting LPAs on implementing revised NPPF and NPPG on viability in planning • Working with MHCLG digital team and LPAs to meet the requirements for transparency Decisions

• Supporting LPAs to understand speed and quality of decisions • ‘get ahead of designation’ events • Quarterly monitoring on your behalf • Self help; monitoring toolkit ('crystal ball') • Shale Delivery 2018 • Understanding the Housing Delivery Test – Events for monitoring officers – It is a beast. But don't be scared / surprised by it – Think about 3 years ahead (transition & tougher targets) • A dozen pilot councils – The first Action Plans are out – Thinking about delivery = a good thing ! • Our guide to HDTAP is on second draft – see also template / dataset Delivery 2019

• HDT announcement - “soon” ? “in due course” ? – 100 (ish) councils caught – Land supply consequences • Action Plan support – At scale. Cohorts. Learning as we go. • A fantastic collective dataset – What are the problems ? – Where are the differences ? – Who is involved and what are they up to ? What else? • Planning service & planning committee reviews through the planning peer challenge • Supporting and developing the PAS planning peer group to continue to give support to the sector • Leadership training for councillors on planning service reform & planning committee leadership • Mentoring, critical friend, sounding board • Process improvement • Productivity & resource review • Performance Management Framework STOP PRESS ! • We are doing a survey for the LGA and MHCLG • We need you to take part (soon) – The impact of the 20% increase in fees – Resourcing and capacity in LPAs • If you take part, we will share the data with you – including how life has changed since 2011 • when we did the national benchmark for local fees • we have kept safe a dataset of 245 councils • Don't worry. No timesheets. – staffing, incomes, pressures e.g. in the south east we have an old snapshot for .... Council Milton Keynes Council Ashford Borough Council District Council Aylesbury Vale District Council Council Borough Council New Forest National Park Authority Brighton & Hove City Council City Council County Council Reading Borough Council Canterbury City Council Reigate & Banstead Borough Council Council Council Chiltern District Council Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead East District Council Runnymede Borough Council County Council Borough Council Borough Council South Bucks District Council Elmbridge Borough Council South District Council Epsom & Ewell Borough Council Spelthorne Borough Council Fareham Borough Council County Council Guildford Borough Council Borough Council Hampshire County Council Swale Borough Council Council District Council Borough Council District Council Havant Borough Council Waverley Borough Council Council Council Council West Council Council District Council Maidstone Borough Council County Council Council Winchester City Council Council Woking Borough Council Wokingham District Council How can you help us?

• Subscribe to our bulletin. - It’s not another newsletter – our events and materials • Talk to us. We are friendly. [email protected] – Tell us what we can do to help – Invite us to your local POG – Show off if you are doing great things • Remember the Khub practitioner network – We hang out there too We are at local.gov.uk/pas Questions?

Email [email protected] Web www.local.gov.uk/pas Phone 020 7664 3000 Twitter @Pas_Team @EPlanna