Key Points
- Wirral Councillors have highlighted some issues arising out of the Government’s planning reforms to come into force from 31 October 2026.
- Under the reforms, fewer planning applications will be decided by the elected councillors and more by the unelected planning officers.
- Elected councillors’ current power to ‘call in’ applications for determination by the Planning Committee will be abolished under the reforms.
- In the 2025/26 year, of the 907 planning applications received in Wirral, only 13 were determined by elected councillors sitting on the Planning Committee.
- These reforms are in the backdrop of recent rejection by the committee of Whitbread’s proposal to demolish the Glegg Arms in Heswall and extend the Premier Inn Hotel.
- Applications which are larger might still be referred to committee provided the chair of the Planning Committee and the planning officer of the council agree that such applications would raise major local issues.
- Wirral Councillors in a unanimous vote sought political party leaders to write to Government expressing concern of the council regarding the matter.
Wirral council (Liverpool standard) October 30, 2026 — Its have raised serious concerns over new Government planning rules that will change who decides which planning applications are approved in the borough.
As reported by Birkenhead News, a special, off-diary meeting of Wirral Council was called to discuss the reforms before they come into force on 31 October. The rules will reduce the number of planning applications decided by local councillors and place more decisions in the hands of unelected planning officers.
The Government says the changes will add clarity and consistency to the planning system. However, Conservative councillor Simon Mountney described them as an “erosion of local democracy”, according to Birkenhead News.
How Will the New Planning Rules Work?
Under the new rules, some larger applications may still be decided by Wirral’s Planning Committee. But this will only happen if both the chair of the Planning Committee and the council’s planning officer agree that the proposals would cause significant issues for the local area.
The reforms remove the current ability of ward councillors to “call in” an application for committee consideration when residents raise concerns. They also end automatic referrals triggered by residents’ objections, as reported by The Times.
The Times reported that applications for up to nine homes on sites smaller than half a hectare will generally have to be decided by planning officers. Larger developments may be considered by committees only where specified criteria are met and a senior planning officer and nominated councillor agree.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government told The Times: “Elected councillors will still decide the most significant schemes in their area and this is about ensuring expert planning officers can make faster decisions on smaller and more technical applications.”
Why Is the Glegg Arms Case Important?
The concern in Wirral has been sharpened by the recent Glegg Arms decision in Heswall. The “call in” method was used to prevent the demolition of the historic pub and to stop Whitbread’s plans to expand the adjacent Premier Inn hotel.
Whitbread’s proposals were not opposed by planning officers. However, after Reform UK councillor Kathy Hodson took the application to the Planning Committee on 7 October, councillors refused the scheme.
At the full council meeting on 29 October, Cllr Hodson said, as reported by Birkenhead News:
“The exact mechanism that enabled me to secure the committee vote to refuse Whitbread’s application to demolish the Glegg Arms will no longer exist.”
She raised concerns about how “future Glegg Arms proposals” would be decided by planning officers once the “elected member safeguard” is removed.
Wirral Online reported that the Glegg Arms application reached committee because Cllr Hodson called it in. It said officers had recommended approving Whitbread’s plan to demolish the building for 31 Premier Inn bedrooms, but councillors refused it by six votes to three.
What Did Wirral Councillors Say?
The chair of Wirral’s Planning Committee, Liberal Democrat councillor Stuart Kelly, criticised the changes. According to Birkenhead News, he pointed to the Prime Minister’s focus on devolution and the promise to bring “power to every postcode”.
Cllr Kelly said:
“Unfortunately, his definition of devolution, doesn’t cover residents’ ability to influence planning developments that take place in their communities.”
However, Cllr Kelly also reassured councillors that they would still be able to engage closely with decision-makers for every planning application. He said this would help ensure their concerns are fully understood and taken into account by planning officers.
Labour councillor Steve Foulkes took a different view. Birkenhead News reported that he said the current committee system is “broke, busted, and doesn’t work”. He also accused “most councillors” of not understanding what the new rules “are all about”.
Cllr Foulkes suggested that the calling of the meeting by the Conservative Group was highly political, with council elections due next spring.
What Did the Council Decide?
Despite the differing views, councillors unanimously requested that all political group leaders write to Government to express Wirral Council’s concerns about the changes.
The meeting was called after 13 Wirral councillors challenged the reforms. The Times reported that their proposed motion urged the council to seek greater flexibility for applications of significant local concern.
The Times also reported that councils cannot opt out of the legislation by rejecting constitutional amendments. It said the Government has stated that officers can still determine applications in line with the national scheme.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government told The Times: “From October 31 councils will need to comply with the new rules.” It added that all but a handful of councils had already taken action to ensure compliance ahead of the deadline, and that where committees do not comply, decisions can continue to be taken by planning officers under the national scheme.
What Do the New Rules Mean for Residents?
For residents, the most immediate change is that asking a ward councillor to call in a planning application will no longer trigger a committee decision for applications determined from 31 October.
Residents will still be able to object to or support applications during the consultation period. According to Wirral Online, officers must still take relevant planning comments into account.
Residents will also still be able to raise concerns with their ward councillor. However, under the new national scheme, a councillor will no longer be able to require that a case be referred to the Planning Committee.
Wirral Online reported that a Schedule 2 case — which includes larger housing and commercial schemes, listed building consent, advertisements and tree preservation order works can only be referred to committee if it raises an economic, social or environmental issue of significance to the local area, or another significant planning matter.
The same report said the Government guidance states that such referrals should happen “only exceptionally”. If the chief planner and committee chair disagree, officers will decide.
Background of the Development
The new rules arise from the Government’s wider planning reforms, which are intended to speed up housebuilding and reduce delays in the planning system. The Times reported that the measures are designed to let councillors concentrate on significant developments while officers handle smaller and more technical applications.
Wirral Council’s own documents confirm that the changes come from the Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026, issued in draft by Government on 1 June 2026 and effective from 31 October 2026. The council said the regulations introduce a new national scheme of delegation affecting which applications are determined by officers or by the Planning Committee.
The council documents also state that some application types will not be determined by the Planning Committee, while others may be determined by committee subject to a “gateway test”. Councils must redraft their constitutions to comply with the regulations, although they have some flexibility in defining that gateway test.
The reforms form part of a broader change to England’s planning framework. Wirral Council is also preparing a new Local Plan, the Wirral Local Plan 2045, under the revised plan-making system introduced through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 and the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026.
Prediction: How Could This Affect Wirral Residents?
For Wirral residents, the development is likely to change how they engage with controversial planning proposals. Applications that would previously have reached councillors through a ward member’s call-in may instead be decided by planning officers, unless the new gateway test is met.
Residents opposing smaller housing schemes, extensions, minor commercial developments or similar applications may find that their objections remain part of the consultation record but no longer automatically lead to a public committee debate. The Times reported that automatic referrals triggered by residents’ objections will end under the reforms.
For larger or more locally significant schemes, the outcome will depend on whether both the Planning Committee chair and the council’s planning officer agree that the proposals raise significant local issues. This could make early engagement with planning officers and ward councillors more important for residents who wish to influence a decision.
For councillors, the change reduces one of their most direct tools for representing constituents on individual planning applications. The council’s unanimous request for political group leaders to write to Government indicates that Wirral’s elected members intend to press for greater flexibility, although the Government has said councils must comply with the new rules from 31 October.
