Scottish Government

Issues Arising From Second Year's Audit Programme

17. The first Annual Report identified both a range of good practice in Councils' development control services and points for action. Experience with the second year's audit has tended to confirm these issues. There are, however, some comments which need to be reinforced and other issues have emerged in the second year of the audit programme :

• In an increasing number of Councils the planning function has been split, with development control often brigaded with what are termed regulatory services. It is not for the Audit Unit to prescribe the organisational structure of individual Councils. However, where development control and development planning are in separate departments, effective lines of communication must be established to ensure a single and consistent planning view in pre-application discussions, to enable efficient consultation with policy teams, to allow case officers opportunities to contribute to policy development and to ensure the public receives a quality service.
• We have seen convincing evidence of the central role administrative and technical support plays in providing an efficient service. This is particularly true where Councils are dealing with a high volume of applications with all the demands this places on registration, placing of advertisements, sending and receiving consultations, etc. Support services should be given a high priority by management and they need to be adequately resourced in terms of staffing, office equipment and technology backed up by a programme of training.
• Providing relevant and up-to-date management information on a regular and consistent basis is important. This is particularly true in Councils where the development control service is provided on a decentralised basis and where variations in performance can work against the provision of a unified service throughout the Council area. Managers need to know how different areas are performing and, where there are variations, what are the possible causes, for example volume/type of application, staffing levels, office procedures, conduct of Committee business, etc.
• Up-to-date, adopted local plans which are relevant to current and emerging issues remains important. The importance of involving elected members in the development of policy and ensuring they are aware of the implications for individual decisions cannot be overemphasised. This is an area that requires attention if Councils are to maintain a consistent approach to the application of policy. Development control staff should have opportunities to make an input to influence the policy content of plans and to monitor their continuing effectiveness.
• The greater use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has brought benefits to the development control service in a number of Councils. In some areas it has speeded up and improved communications within and between Council departments and between Councils and their customers. The potential for new technology to bring greater benefits is very evident through, for example, the development of e-mail to circulate weekly lists of applications and the use of the Internet to obtain forms or check progress with an application. However, one area where regular concerns have been expressed relates to the provision of adequate training prior to the introduction of new computer software. Failure to provide adequate training can delay the benefits of ICT and can be damaging to staff morale. Training should, we believe, be given a higher priority than it currently receives in some Councils.

18. The Foreword to the first Annual Report noted that "the audit programme cannot be expected to lead to instant results". We have become increasingly aware of the time required to take forward organisational changes and for the subsequent benefits to become evident. Many of the discussions on audit reviews have demonstrated a strong commitment among senior managers to improving the delivery of the development control service and a wide range of measures and initiatives have been or are being put in place to achieve this. We look forward to seeing the results in terms of further improvements in performance, greater customer satisfaction and better quality on the ground.

19. Authorities consistently claim that the development control audits focus on speed of handling planning applications and neglect quality of outcomes. We have sought to address the issue of quality by asking Councils to show audit teams examples of how the development control process has significantly improved the layout or design of a new development. With the exception of Dundee we have found Councils generally reluctant to respond to this challenge.