THE councillor given the task of improving Craven District Council’s ‘struggling’ planning services has said he plans to get the ‘ship running smoothly’ as soon as possible.

Cllr Simon Myers, deputy leader of the council and also lead member for enterprising Craven, was unanimously voted into the role of lead member for planning at the recent, full extraordinary meeting of the council.

Cllr Myers said all members recognised there were difficulties in planning and that an expected peer review - when another authority reviews a council department - was expected to make recommendations for change.

“We do have a new chairman of planning, Linda Brockbank, and deputy chairman, Carl Lis, and they are already working on implementing changes. I look forward to working with them and officers and all members to get the ship running smoothly as soon as we can,” he said.

Cllr David Ireton said: “This is a right move to go forward to improve the planning services. We have struggled for several months now in the planning department. I look forward to seeing a vast improvement.”

And, council leader, Cllr Richard Foster, said the role of lead member for planning was something that the authority needed, and even though it might not last long following local government reorganisation, he hoped it would be taken forward by any future authority. Cllr Myers would represent planning at leadership meetings, he said.

“With a bit of luck, this will mean that the peer review gets implemented and we have a proper and well functioning planning committee that properly serves this community," he said.

“It may be only for a short time, but hopefully that model will be taken forward.”

Former planning chairman, Cllr Richard Welch, wished Cllr Myers good luck in the new role and added that he was ‘going to need it’.