Cuts to Havering Council’s planning enforcement team are likely to delay investigations and enforcement, a cabinet member has said.
Earlier this month the council confirmed it let go of more than half of its enforcement team, all believed to be agency staff, in a bid to close a £13 million budget gap.
Cabinet member for development and regeneration Cllr Graham Williamson said there are five staff handling more than 600 cases, although this number rises and falls depending on demand.
READ MORE: Warning of ‘unscrupulous developers’ as planning enforcement staff cut
Responding to a question from Cllr Darren Wise, he told a full council meeting last week (November 24) that if casework is equally split each officer “could have approximately 180 cases each”.
He added: “It will not be possible for the officers to each handle a caseload of this size.
“There will be an impact on the time it takes to investigate cases and to take action where it is needed.”
Lead member for development and regeneration Graham Williamson. Image: Havering Council
To help the smaller team cope with the increased workload, the council will put forward a “revised planning enforcement policy”, he added.
Cllr Williamson said that the “contraction” of the team’s size is a temporary measure to cut spending this year and that the council hopes to “return to a substantial structure” next year.
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