(Report of Management Team)

The report gave details of a proposal from the Government to offer local authorities an increase in planning fees providing they committed to invest the whole additional income in their planning department.  Approval was sought for action taken on behalf of the Council to accept the offer by the deadline of 13 March 2017.

The Cabinet resolved that:

(1)             retrospective approval be given to the urgent decision taken by the Management Team in liaison with the Leader, Cabinet Member for Finance, Innovation and Property and Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure to accept the offer from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to increase planning fees by 20% from July 2017; and

(2)             it be noted that the Director of Finance and Transformation submitted the required certified return to the DCLG prior to the deadline of 13 March 2017.