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Parish Councils (Planning)

Life is full of ironies, one of which is that this extended debate has prevented me from attending a meeting in the Department to discuss neighbourhood empowerment, but I think that I have learned a lot in the debate. I am genuinely grateful for that and congratulate the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr. Heath) on securing the debate. I do not suppose that he imagined, when he submitted his letter to Mr. Speaker last week, that he would be given such an extensive debate. It has been a good debate, and I want to try to take on board and answer the points that have been made. I hope that it is accepted that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and the Government generally, greatly appreciate the efforts that parish councils, and the individuals within the parishes, make to ensure that planning applications are decided in an informed way. I should add that we are also grateful for the valuable work that is done outside the planning remit. Of course, a parish council is not a local planning authority. Nevertheless, along with policies in the local planning authority’s local development documents, and any relevant national guidance, the input from parish councils on individual planning applications continues to help planning decision makers to shape our communities and the built environment in a sustainable way. That is the goal of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and it is taken very seriously. The Government have an agenda of neighbourhood empowerment, neighbourhood service delivery, neighbourhood governance and what we describe as the double devolution deal, wherein, as we introduce our policies to devolve powers to local areas, we expect upper and second-tier authorities similarly to devolve powers and services further down. That agenda is at the heart of the Government’s policy, as will be seen when we publish our White Paper in the summer. It can also be seen in the White Papers and policy documents that we have published. I have meetings with the representatives of the National Association of Local Councils, who do invaluable work. I suspect that this debate will be read in Hansard by many people who are active in the parishes—more, perhaps, than some other debates that get the attention of the national media. So I am choosing my words carefully and deliberately; this is an important area of policy. I want to try to answer some of the specific points that hon. Members have raised. The hon. Members for North-West Norfolk (Mr. Bellingham) and for Kettering (Mr. Hollobone) mentioned the code of conduct. The House should know that the revisions to the code of conduct and the standards and ethical regime are out for consultation at the moment. My own view is that the worries that were expressed when the code was first introduced in relation to parishes have not been realised, and that things have become steadier. There is an acceptance that we need an ethical code of conduct for parish councillors, but I accept that, if petty matters are getting in the way and causing undue concern, we should be made aware of that. The hon. Member for Somerton and Frome made a number of big points and asked several specific questions. I shall try to answer them, but if I do not do so, I am sure that he will tell me. His argument about marginal seats was interesting, and it is one with which I am familiar. I can confirm that turnout can be increased in such seats. However, it does not necessary follow that parish council seats will be marginal. I work closely with two parishes in my constituency, and I hope that they benefit from that relationship as much as I do. Furthermore, I am not sure that planning authorities on the whole ignore parish councils. From my experience, I suspect that the two bodies concur on the vast majority of decisions, although attention is inevitably paid to those cases in which there is a disagreement. I do not have any research on that point, however, so I cannot back that assertion up. The hon. Member for Somerton and Frome, and other hon. Members, also mentioned the quality and training of parish councillors and parish clerks. The Government are addressing that issue with funding, as well as with policies. Several hon. Members mentioned the future debate on unitary authorities. We have made our views on that process very clear. I want to reassure all hon. Members who have spoken tonight that two factors will be at the core of the debate about whether an area should be unitary. One is that we ask the opinion of the area concerned. The second is that we ensure that the empowerment of the third tier—the neighbourhoods, including parishes or other parts of urban areas—is key to the policy. I take the advice not to tinker with traditional boundaries. I represent Saddleworth, so I am aware, although perhaps less so than the hon. Gentleman, of that important point. The hon. Gentleman also said that it was difficult to recruit planners. The Government have recognised that through their policy and their actions. We are contributing £1.32 million annually for 132 postgraduate bursaries to get more planners into the system. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will recognise that there is a time lag, but he makes a valid point. We believe that we have turned round the shortfall in numbers and that not only will more planners come through, but their status and quality will improve as a result of the training. That is not a criticism of existing planning officers, in case any of them read Hansard.