Elected members have a crucial role in the decision-making process within the planning system, being a vital part of our democratic process by carrying out specific planning functions including the determination of certain planning applications for their local authority. Elected members do not necessarily have a planning background and it is vital that adequate training is provided to ensure that elected members have the knowledge and understanding to help them make decisions that are robust and sound in planning reason.
The Scottish Government is intending to implement mandatory training on planning for elected members as part of a wider package of measures to improve the performance of the planning system as a whole. Section 45 of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019, once in force, will prohibit elected members from carrying out certain specified planning functions if they have not completed training specified by Scottish Ministers. This consultation is seeking your views on the proposed approach to implementing this training.
We would highly encourage you to read the consultation paper in full before you begin the consultation. The consultation paper provides a useful introduction and policy background to mandatory training and sets out current practice on training and previous stakeholder engagement undertaken in 2022.
Consultation and feedback is an essential part of the policy making process. The Scottish Government will review your responses to inform the development of implementation of mandatory training in planning for elected members.
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