2. ‘The research suggests that government planning performance
targets may be driving perverse behaviour,’ he said.
‘This is especially worrying as the research also finds that a focus
on good practice in local planning authorities is required if the
NPPF is to be fully effective.
‘A number of local authorities are exemplary according to the
performance data but described as ‘horrendous’ by those with
first-hand experience of working with them.’
Under this regime, efficient authorities that focus on customer
service and enabling good development could be placed in
special measures because they miss their targets, while others
could be lauded for gaming the system.
‘The evidence from the research suggests that government
proposals to increase the threshold for designating authorities as
underperforming may only make matters worse,’ Betts added.
• Clive Betts, Chair of all-party select committee
[4th April 2014]
3. Why PAS can help
• Benchmarking since 2009. Trusted. Expert.
• Bring together all the components (now)
– Leadership
– Positive planning
– Good practise
– Peer working
• Working towards integrating
– Plan-led system
– Quality and focus on development (not consents)
4. Why PAS can help
• Benchmarking since 2009. Trusted. Expert.
• Bring together all the components (now)
– Leadership [councillors; AMR; standards]
– Positive planning [pre-app; PPA; evaluation]
– Good practise [s106; cttee;]
– Peer working [design; cohorts]
• Working towards integrating
– Plan-led system [policy ?]
– Quality and focus on development (not consents)
5. A framework based on three things
• Application data (inc quantitative ‘quality’)
• Survey data
• Feedback on quality
• Powerful as three separate things
• We’re going to bring them together
• We’ve never done this before
6. PAS Benchmark Quality Framework
You have to do it all The more chunks you do the
better the value
Once per year, and if you
miss the boat – tough.
Just begin.
Snapshot in time Trend over quarters
Industrial strength cost
accounting
Low hassle and easy. Means
to end.
Internal management tool External badge of quality
• Both free, sector-led (designed through pilot
group) and based on “understand to improve”
7. What’s the commitment ?
• You need to provide
– A chief data wrangler to set up, maintain
– Annual survey of councillors, staff, amenity groups
• What do you get ?
– Detailed understanding of what’s happening
– Survey feedback on peoples’ opinions
– Data on quality of work and outcomes
• Together = balanced, holistic framework
8. What next?
• The Planning Quality Framework will be
launched in September
• Preparing more Good practice sharing
materials:
- committee structures
- project management of major schemes
- s106 processes
• What else?