A REPORT on the quality of planning services offered by Thurrock Council has delivered a damning critique of failings and a lack of direction and good management.

The review, which was carried out by the Local Government Association's Planning Advisory Service (PAS) at the council's request, took place between 30 October and 2 November last year.

A range of council partners and community and business representatives were interviewed as part of the review as well as council officers and councillors.

Their findings make difficult reading for the council, handing out the occasional bouquet where officers have acted above and beyond what might be expected of them in difficult circumstances, but it delivers brickbats in abundance with a litany of failings.

It says the council planning service lacks vision and leadership and says: "Significantly, the service was unable to provide a single, authoritative position statement reflecting the whole service and Thurrock as a place."

The report team identified a "vision vacuum" which it says is constraining progress on many planning issues. Similarly, Thurrock Council does not have an up-to-date corporate plan or set of agreed corporate priorities to help guide the work of the planning service, inform planning decisions and shape the development of policy through the local plan.

Many planning officers pointed to a lack of leadership within their service and poor management direction to help shape their work.

The report says officers are frustrated at the inability of the service to work together across different teams, are uncertain on some basic issues like the budget for key pieces of work and describe poor visibility or involvement of senior managers in the operational work of the service.

It goes on to add: "There appears to be a lack of join up in the management and decision-making processes, both within planning and between planning and other council services.

"This can mean that critical tasks do not take place in line with the planning service's priorities and individuals in other teams or services do not appreciate their important role in this process.

"The team also identified some risks in the way that administrative and financial controls are managed by the planning service and wider council, and the impact that this can have on delivery."

Among recommendations made by the review panel is the need to 'urgently' recruit a chief planning officer.

The council is also urgently advised to develop a new 'Vision for Thurrock' and a new corporate plan with clear strategic priorities to address the 'silo working' by all departments and develop and agree a stronger corporate narrative, with the planning service helping to shape a strong communications strategy.

It is also directed to ensure a new local plan is created and approved as soon as possible and that sufficient resources are allocated to it.

The peer review team reported a number of difficulties during their investigation, with important documents not being available, though it acknowledges 'managing this complex situation was challenging'.

The report, with detailed recommendations, is now available on full via this link

Cabinet member for regeneration and highways Cllr Ben Maney spoke about the report at last evening's (Wednesday, 10 January) cabinet meeting, saying: "It was a thorough review and we had every confidence they would do a thorough job which they did.

"The review has now resulted in a final report which we have had a chance to look at. There are a number of recommendations and a number of issues that I think council will have to respond to.

"We will seek to implement all the recommendations of the report and we are committed to making sure that the peer review was a worthwhile exercise and we are committed to ensuring these recommendation.

"Some of them will prove challenging of course, because there's a resource issue there.

"It will take time to digest and how we can implement those recommendations.

"The real challenge now is not just to see the report and note what's in it, nothing will come of it unless we act in the recommendations.

"We will prepare a report on how we will embed that into the planning service and improve it. so that it is fit for purpose.

"We want to have the best planning service that we can have and that is important when you think about the regeneration agenda."

Today he added: "The report identifies important issues that need to be addressed as well as strengths within the team and improvements already underway that can be built on.

"We will bring a report to full council for discussion by all 49 members setting out our approach to implementing the recommendations."

Cllr leader Cllr Andrew Jefferies added: "I have asked officers to draw up an action plan based on the recommendations in this report for consideration by cabinet and councillors.

"We welcome this report, it will form the basis of an improvement plan which will be debated by full council as soon as possible."

In September last year the five independent members of the council successfully called an extraordinary meeting to discuss the state of planning in the borough.

There was much criticism of the service and a unanimous motion at the end of it called for Thurrock Council to 'commission a fully independent inquiry into the management and achievements of Thurrock Council's planning department since 2015'.  

The council had already arranged for the peer review, which would inevitably cover some of the same ground.

However, after studying the report released today, spokesperson for the independent councillors, Cllr Neil Speight, said: "We will take a little time to disgest everything in front of us provided by the peer review team but on first reading I fear it does not go far enough and leaves a number of questions unanswered.

"For example the peer team declined to review in detail why and how a significant number of residential planning applications recommended for refusal by officers were granted permission.

"Myself and colleagues on the council believe a deep rooted forensic investigation is needed. I am hesitant to go so far as to suggest criminality at this stage, but even the peer group have recognised there were 'unusual events'.

"I welcome the words of Cllrs Maney and Jefferies but I fear they are overlooking an as yet undisturbed hornets' nest and I think, though we will talk to others within the council, the need for a fuller investigation into specific issues remains."