Annual Report of the Planning Audit Unit

Introduction

1. Delays in reaching decisions on planning applications have been an issue of longstanding concern not just to Central Government but also to many who are directly involved in the development process. The Planning Audit Unit, which will subsequently be referred to in this report as the Audit Unit, was set up to work with Councils in Scotland to establish the underlying reasons for particular levels of performance and to identify and encourage best practice in handling planning applications. The Audit Unit's established method of working is shown in Annex 1.

2. The first Annual Report of the Audit Unit, published in August 1998, recorded the wide variation in performance between Councils. The Report highlighted aspects of good practice identified during audits as well as key issues which Councils needed to address in order to provide a more efficient and effective development control service. It also set out a number of points raised during audits for Central Government to consider. The COSLA President commented at the time "performance in meeting planning targets is too variable across Councils and there is clear scope for improvement".

3. The second Annual Report of the Audit Unit:

• restates the objectives of the Unit and sets out the current work programmeanalyses the development control performance of Councils since local government reorganisation
• records key issues from the second year's audit programme
• revises and expands the elements of an efficient and effective development control service.
• indicates how the issues identified for Central Government in the first year's report have been taken forward.

Finally the report discusses the relationship between Best Value and development control audits