The opposition to the government changes was voiced at a meeting of our Full Council on Wednesday 7 October.
The reforms, to be introduced by the government as part of wider efforts to speed up housebuilding and infrastructure delivery, include a national scheme of delegation that will require certain planning applications to be determined by planning officers rather than elected members (councillors).
The government says the changes will make the planning system faster and more consistent, while councils across the country, including us, have expressed serious concerns about the impact on local democratic decision-making.
At our meeting, we reaffirmed our previous resolution opposing the loss of local democratic oversight and meaningful member involvement in planning decisions that directly affect local communities. However, councillors acknowledged that we are legally required to implement the changes from 31 October 2026.
A lengthy debate involving councillors from across the chamber was had before the report, with amended recommendations, was voted on and passed.
Many councillors made it clear in the meeting that they agreed to making the changes only because they were required to do so by law and not because they support the government’s proposals.
At the meeting, Full Council approved the constitutional changes required to implement the national scheme of delegation from 31 October 2026, having considered legal advice on its statutory obligations.
We have resolved to:
- reaffirm our resolution of 15 July 2026 on Planning Reforms and Local Democratic Oversight and remain opposed to the loss of local democratic oversight and meaningful member involvement in planning decisions where communities are directly affected
- approve amendments to our constitution, taking effect from 31 October 2026, in line with the legal requirement to implement the national scheme of delegation
- record that we are making the changes only because the law requires it and not because it supports the national scheme of delegation.
Council Leader Councillor Alan Graves said:
"Local people rightly expect elected councillors to have a meaningful say in planning decisions that affect their communities. While Derbyshire County Council will comply with the law, we remain extremely concerned that these reforms reduce local democratic oversight and move decision-making further away from the people most affected by it.
"We continue to believe that local knowledge and local accountability are essential parts of a fair and effective planning system, but have reluctantly had to agree to this as we had no choice to do otherwise.’’
Read the report here