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NALC warns mayoral planning powers must not sideline local communities
We have warned that new mayoral planning powers must strengthen, rather than weaken, the role of parish and town councils in shaping development in their communities.
In our response to the government's consultation on planning powers for mayors in England, we supported reforms that can improve strategic planning and economic growth. We stressed that devolution must empower communities rather than transfer decision-making further away from them.
We agreed with the Local Councils Network that devolution should empower people locally, rather than simply moving powers from local councils to more geographically distant bodies. Parish and town councils must continue to have a meaningful role in planning decisions affecting their communities.
A key recommendation is that parish and town councils should become statutory consultees on strategic planning applications affecting their areas. We believe councils should also be kept informed throughout the decision-making process, ensuring communities have a clear voice on developments that could have a lasting impact on their local area.
We also raised concerns about the potential expansion of the Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy (MCIL). We called for any new mayoral levy arrangements to include a neighbourhood share for parish and town councils equivalent to the share received through the existing Community Infrastructure Levy.
We argued that communities should see tangible benefits from development taking place in their areas. Parish and town councils should remain eligible for neighbourhood infrastructure funding and have direct access to appropriate mayoral funding streams, allowing them to invest in local improvements and deliver community priorities.
Our response also highlights the importance of protecting neighbourhood planning as mayoral powers develop. We describe neighbourhood planning as one of the most successful tools for community-led development and urge the government to ensure strengthened strategic planning does not undermine adopted neighbourhood plans or reduce communities' ability to influence future development.
We believe that effective devolution should create a stronger connection between strategic decision-making and local communities, rather than creating additional distance between the two.
The response concludes that parish and town councils must be treated as essential partners in the new planning landscape, with a meaningful voice in strategic applications, a fair share of infrastructure funding and continued opportunities for communities to shape the future development of their areas.
