Anger as planning advisers face axe

WENTWORTH MP John Healey has criticised plans to cut funding to a service giving free planning advice to communities and individuals.

Planning Aid recently gave advice to residents concerned about Rotherham Council’s Core Strategy, which aims to map development for the next 25 years.

Planning Aid advisers attended meetings for concerned residents and helped them understand the plans and make comments.

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Last year, as the Government’s housing and planning minister, Mr Healey  increased support for Planning Aid.

The Wentworth and Dearne MP said: “Scrapping Planning Aid runs counter to everything the Government say they support—empowering local communities to stand up for themselves and play a greater role in the decisions that directly affect them.”

Steve Ruffle, development manager for RotherFed, said that Planning Aid had successfully supported communities, groups and tenants'’and residents’ associations (TARAs) in Rotherham.

He said: “Staff and volunteers have worked with tenants and residents to understand and become engaged with the planning process, and have played a major role in educating and enabling communities to be involved in community planning.

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“It is of great concern that the government has decided to cease Planning Aid's funding from March 31.

“This goes against many of the aspirations behind the Localism Bill to empower communities and enable them to have control of their own future.”