Council loses powers for 'dragging feet' on housing

A Lancashire council has been stripped of the power to make decisions on major planning applications by the government for "failing to build enough homes".

Labour-run Rossendale Council has been handed a designation notice for under-performance, and as a result, developers can now submit major applications directly to the Planning Inspectorate.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the notices were intended to speed up delivery of homes by taking away powers from councils who "drag their feet"

The authority said it did not believe designation was "appropriate".

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook has handed the notices to nine councils, based on planning appeal rates where more than 10% of appeals were allowed by inspectors following refusals by councils – or other issues such as failing to make a decision.

Rossendale Council had the highest rate of planning appeals allowed by inspectors, at 15.4% based on statistics covering a 24-month period to late 2025.

New data on planning applications shows only 261,700 decisions were granted in the year ending December 2025, which was a 4% fall on the previous year, the government said.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Our message is clear: if you drag your feet to get on with the job, we will take away your right to make those decisions.

The designations will remain in place until ministers are convinced councils can turn around their "poor performance" and demonstrate they can make "quality planning decisions", they added.

Rossendale Council said the council's high rate was due to two major applications that were recommended for approval but refused by the planning committee and later allowed on appeal.

"Because we receive a relatively small number of major applications each year, these two appeal outcomes were enough to take us over the government's 10% threshold," a spokesman said.

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