Key planning decisions on Dewsbury and Batley developments to be made under emergency powers

It follows a decision by Jacqui Gedman, chief executive of Kirklees Council, to delegate determination to a senior officer.

That senior officer is Karl Battersby, the strategic director for economy and infrastructure.

He has responsibility for all front-line environmental services, planning, regeneration and development functions, the capital programme and all council land and property assets.

Prior to committee meetings resuming virtually on June 3 Mr Battersby is expected to determine a handful of planning applications.

They include:

40 homes at the former Batley & District Cottage Hospital in Batley

65 apartments at the former Wheelwright Centre in Dewsbury

19 homes on a former railway goods yard in Netherton

A roundabout and access road to land at Lees Hall Road, Dewsbury, which has been earmarked for 240 homes as part of the first phase of the Dewsbury Riverside development

A mezzanine floor for a vacant retail unit at Birstall Shopping Park

The matters for determination were described as “a short-term use of emergency powers” by a council spokesman.

The authority has confirmed that decision-making by committee will resume after June 3.

The council has been criticised for its slowness in setting up virtual meetings and for effectively excluding members of the public from decision-making on planning issues.

One Conservative councillor said it was undemocratic for officers rather than elected members to decide on potentially contentious planning matters.

And the leader of the Liberal Democrats on Kirklees Council said confidence in the planning process was driven by public input.

Councillor Donald Firth (Con, Holme Valley South) said committee decision-making should be re-established as a matter or urgency.

He said passing the responsibility to officers was “disgusting”.

“It’s not what I call democracy. I’m not happy that one person is making decisions that councillors were elected to make.

“Never ever has anybody delegated planning to an officer. I have never known it as bad.”

His colleague Coun Martyn Bolt (Con, Mirfield) said Kirklees had failed a benchmarking scenario as other authorities had been speedier in setting up virtual meetings, which negated the use of emergency powers.

“Why do we need delegated powers? We have them yet we have the process in place to have elected members making decisions at Cabinet.

“The technology is there. The legislation is there. What is missing in Kirklees? That’s the question.”

He added: “A councillor sitting on a planning committee has to undergo training every year. Are the officers that are making these decisions equally trained?

“On a committee there is a vote. How many people are making these delegated decisions? Is it just one member of staff?”

Coun John Lawson (Lib Dem, Cleckheaton) said he wanted a return to public engagement “as soon as possible”.

He added: “While we understand that there are technical difficulties at the moment the lack of public input causes a fundamental weakness in the process.

“The sooner we can get the public involved in that process the more confidence we can have in the decisions being made.”

Green group leader Clr Andrew Cooper (Newsome) said: “We need to restore democratic planning meetings as soon as possible to ensure local people get their say on controversial planning decisions before they are made.”

A spokesman for Kirklees Council said: “The power to make these urgent decisions is delegated to the chief executive in consultation with the chair of the planning committee – as recommended by Government.

“It is a temporary emergency measure until planning committee meetings can be held virtually.

“We’ve been working hard to put these in place and can now confirm that planning committee will meet virtually from June 3.”