Council receives £100,000 award to ease planning backlog

Walsall Council was granted the award in December 2023 following the submission of a detailed bid as part of a Government scheme to help local authorities across the country increase productivity and reduce planning application backlogs.

Walsall Council's planning service has already had relative success in reducing the backlog by 50 percent since November 2022; The funds will go towards supporting the council in continuing to reduce the backlog further.

Councillor Adrian Andrew said, deputy leader and portfolio holder for regeneration at Walsall Council, said: "This is a fantastic achievement for Walsall and will enable the service to significantly reduce the backlog by autumn 2024, providing an improved service to customers.

"Walsall is in the middle of a £1.5billion programme of investment to transform the borough, and this grant funding will help us to ensure that resources are focused on progressing the developments that will help us to deliver our vision for the borough."

Customers that submit planning applications, along with residents and businesses that engage in the planning process, can expect to see further service improvement in 2024, including additional online guidance, website content and streamlined processes.

For information on the We are Walsall 2024 campaign, and key regeneration projects, can be found on the council website.