Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of planning applications that were considered by local authorities in 2024 were determined by (1) planning applications committees, and (2) planning officers.

Our live tables on planning statistics show that in 2024 for district planning decisions 96% of applications were delegated to officers, and for county planning decisions 81% of applications were delegated to officers.

Proposals in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill in relation to planning committees and a national scheme of delegation do not include changes to requirements to declare interests for either officers or councillors.

Clause 46 of the Bill gives the Secretary of State the power to, through regulations, require planning decisions to be made by committees or officers. We will consult on the details of this in due course.