City MPs and local Tories call for independent inspection into Milton Keynes Council's planning department following 'deeply concerning' allegations

They are asking the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, to order an independent inspection into the department under the Local Government Act 1999

To date there have been only nine ‘best-value’ independent inspections authorised nationally by the Secretary of State. These include one into Northamptonshire County Council for financial mismanagement in 2018 and another inspecting the London Borough of Tower Hamlets for alleged mismanagement of public money in 2014.

The move follows calls from the Blakelands Residents Association for government intervention into MK Council’s planning department.

It comes as the department has faced questions over general performance issues. There have been wide-ranging criticisms of process and content, covering all four main aspects of the planning service - plan-writing, development control, enforcement, and appeals - and a growing number of mistakes at every level in the

department, say councillors.

Under powers granted to him under the Local Government Act 1999, the Secretary of State can commission an independent inspection to better understand whether a council is complying with its ‘best value’ duty – a legal requirement to ensure good governance and effective management of resources.

Councillor John Bint, the Conservative group’s planning spokesperson, said: “We have been supporting residents with concerns about the council’s planning department. Given the range of concerns raised about failures across all aspects of the planning service, by residents and councillors alike, I fully support the request for an independent inspection into Milton Keynes Council’s planning department.”

Iain Stewart, MP for Milton Keynes South, said: “I am deeply concerned by these allegations and they must be thoroughly investigated. The Labour-run council wants massive housing expansion in Milton Keynes. How can we have any confidence that this would be done well if there is truth in these allegations?”

Ben Everitt, MP for Milton Keynes North, said: “My team get a huge amount of correspondence relating to MK Councils’ planning department, including the Blakelands warehouse and other controversial developments. It’s clear there are concerns of prevailing failures in the planning service and I hope we can swiftly get to the truth

of the matter, because this is really important to local people.”