Government Privitises Development Management (and Consultants Get to Choose who Writes the Report)

Astonishing new clause in Housing and Planning Bill laid three days before xmas- the consultant gets the fee and thier is even a clause to require the LPA to pay the bill

To move the following Clause—
		“Regulations under section (Processing of planning applications by alternative
		providers): general
		(1) Regulations under section (Processing of planning applications by alternative
		providers) may make provision—
		(a) requiring a designated person to process a planning application, except in
		specified circumstances, if chosen to do so by an applicant;
		(b) allowing a responsible planning authority to take over the processing of
		a planning application from a designated person in specified
		circumstances.
		(2) The regulations may make provision about—
		(a) eligibility to act as a designated person;
		(b) the capacity of a local planning authority to act as a designated person;
		(c) actions to be taken or procedures to be followed—
		(i) by persons making planning applications,
		(ii) by designated persons, or
		(iii) by responsible planning authorities,
		and periods within which the actions or procedures are to be taken or
		followed;
		(d) matters to be considered by designated persons or responsible planning
		authorities;
		(e) performance standards for designated persons;
		(f) the investigation of complaints or concerns about designated persons;
		(g) the circumstances in which, and the extent to which, any advice provided
		by a designated person to a person making a planning application is
		binding—
		(i) on the responsible planning authority, or
		(ii) on designated persons other than the one providing the advice;
		(h) cases where a person ceases to be a designated person or where a
		designated person is unable to continue processing a planning
		application.
		(3) The provision that may be made under subsection (2)(c) includes provision
		requiring a designated person to provide assistance to the responsible planning
		authority in connection with—
		(a) any appeal against the authority’s determination of the application;
		(b) any application to the court made in relation to that determination.
		(4) The provision that may be made under subsection (2)(f) includes—
		(a) provision about the payment of compensation;
		(b) provision for a designated person to be required to indemnify the
		responsible authority for any compensation that the authority is required
		to pay;
	Notices of Amendments: 17 December 2015 53
	Housing and Planning Bill, continued
		(c) provision applying anything in Part 3 of the Local Government Act 1974
		(local government administration) with or without modifications.
		(5) The regulations may confer powers on the Mayor of London or the Secretary of
		State in cases where a direction is given under section 2A or 77 of the Town and
		Country Planning Act 1990 (“call-in” directions).”
		Member’s explanatory statement
		This new clause provides that regulations under NC43 may provide for various matters including
		the actions and procedures to be followed during the pilot schemes, the eligibility of persons to act as designated persons, the setting of performance standards, and how conflicts of interest and the investigation of complaints are dealt with.