13 Mar 2025
Years of developers being subsidised by local taxpayers has come to an end thanks to the efforts of St Albans MP Daisy Cooper.
For more than two years Daisy has campaigned to scrap a Government-imposed cap on the planning fees that local authorities can charge big developers.
In 2020-21 the cap led to SADC taxpayers subsidising developers to the tune of £3.2 million each year.
But not only has money been shovelled into developers’ pockets, but the cap has limited the funds available for the council’s planning department to consider applications and conduct enforcement activity.
The Government has now agreed to scrap this cap as part of their Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
Daisy said: “I’m delighted to have finally won this long-running campaign.
“The cost-of-living crisis continues to impact St Albans residents, so it’s outrageous that alongside this, local taxpayers have been subsidising big developers to the tune of millions of pounds each year.
“At the same time, the planning fees cap is starving our district council of vital resources to support them in considering and enforcing planning decisions on major developments. It’s a lose-lose situation – costing local residents and putting pressures on key services our council delivers.
“The Government’s decision to finally scrap this nonsensical cap is a victory for taxpayers and for common sense.
“It’s a huge relief that after years of campaigning my calls for this have been recognised, but this change cannot come soon enough. I’ll keep urging the Government to drive this forward as a priority.”
The decision has been welcomed by SADC leader Cllr Paul de Kort, who said: “I am delighted that Daisy’s campaign has borne fruit and we have ended the ridiculous situation where for many years, developers have been subsidised by local taxpayers.
“We do not yet know when this will become law and we can start charging at an appropriate rate to cover our costs, but when we do, it will certainly help both our financial and resource planning.
“Importantly, the Government has stated that the extra money revenue raised is ring fenced for the planning service, but it should allow us to end the cross-subsidy previously forced on us and also to try to increase our capacity in the planning department to produce a better service for all planning applicants, including householders and small developers.
“However, this additional recruitment is not without its challenges as there are acute shortages in the planning workforce, especially in the south east. This problem has been exacerbated by the Government’s push to build much more housing with its increased top-down targets.”
