Issue - meetings

            The Committee considered a report of the Director of Law and Corporate Governance recommending that the Committee approve the revised ‘Swindon Borough Council – Members’ Planning Code of Good Practice’, including amendments made by the Monitoring Officer to reflect the LGA Guidance Note ‘Probity in Planning: the role of councillors and officers dealing with planning matters’ and attaching the LGA ‘Positive Engagement – A Guide for Planning Councillors’ as an appendix. The Monitoring Officer confirmed that the Planning Committee, the Developers Forum, Parish Councils, Borough Councillors and relevant Officers had been consulted on the changes, and consultation responses received had welcomed the amendments.

            Resolved – That the ‘Swindon Borough Council – Members’ Planning Code of Good Practice’ be approved with all amendments and adopted, subject to a typographical correction to the Declarations of Interest flowchart.

The Director, Law and Democratic Services submitted a report concerning (a) the key points contained in the updated guidance note published by the Local Government Group (LGA) in May 2009, entitled, ‘Probity in Planning: the role of councillors and officers – revised guidance note on good planning practice for councillors and officers dealing with planning matters’; (b) seeking  approval of the amendments to the Members Planning Code of Good Practice, which have been made pursuant to the LGA revised guidance note and recent case law; and (c) seeking agreement that the current protocol for consideration of officers’ reports should be amended to reflect latest advice in the LGA guidance note.

Resolved - That the Planning Committee:  

(1) Endorses the proposed amendments to the Members Planning Code of Good Practice (‘the Planning Code’) which are highlighted in track changes in the draft attached to this report at Appendix 1 and recommends its adoption by the Standards Committee;

(2) Notes for the purpose of pre-application discussions, the guidance to Planning Councillors issued by the Local Government Group in 2008: Positive Engagement – A Guide For Planning Councillors attached as Appendix 3 to the report

(3) Authorises the Director of Law and Democratic Services to amend the Protocol for Consideration of Officers’ Reports attached as Appendix 4 to the report to include a requirement to formally record factual changes or updates to the Planning Officer’s report; and a decision made by the Planning Committee which is contrary to the officers’ recommendation (whether for approval or refusal), with detailed reasons, and for a copy to be placed on the relevant application file.