Wirral warns new planning rules will erode local democracy

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 29 Oct, 17:40 · Archive

Wirral Council says new Government planning rules coming into force on October 31 will remove councillors' power to intervene in planning decisions.

Wirral Council held a special meeting on October 29 to discuss new Government planning rules coming into force on October 31. Under the changes, fewer planning applications will be decided by elected councillors representing residents' views. Instead, more decisions will fall to unelected planning officers. In Wirral, this shift accelerates an existing trend: in 2025/26, just 13 of 907 planning applications were determined by elected councillors on the planning committee.

The key change is the removal of councillors' power to 'call in' applications for committee review if residents raise concerns. Conservative Councillor Simon Mountney described this as an 'erosion of local democracy'. The Government says the changes will add clarity and consistency to the planning system.

The call-in power was recently used successfully: Councillor Kathy Hodson called in Whitbread's application to demolish the Glegg Arms pub in Heswall and expand a Premier Inn hotel. Although planning officers did not oppose the plans, the committee voted to refuse them on October 7. At the council meeting, Cllr Hodson said the mechanism that enabled this intervention 'will no longer exist' under the new rules.

How it is being reported

• How major new rules will change how crucial decisions are made in WirralThe current system is said to be "broke, busted, and doesn't work"Liverpool Echo · 29 Oct, 17:02
• Wirral planning rules branded ‘erosion of local democracy’Wirral Council warns new planning rules from October 31 will remove councillors’ call-in powers, shifting more decisions to unelected local planning officers.Wirral Globe · 29 Oct, 16:35

In this story: Wirral Council · Wirral · Simon Mountney · Kathy Hodson · Glegg Arms · Heswall · Whitbread · Premier Inn

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log