Cllr Diogo Rodrigues has warned that Somerset Council’s planning enforcement service is no longer functioning effectively, with a growing backlog of cases and residents left facing the consequences of unlawful development.
Speaking at a recent council meeting, Cllr Rodrigues, Leader of the Conservative Opposition, revealed that the number of enforcement cases closed between January and March 2025 had fallen by 50% compared to April to June 2024, with the current backlog now standing at 873 unresolved cases.
“This is no longer just a service under pressure but a service struggling to function,” said Cllr Rodrigues. “Enforcement officers are doing their best in difficult circumstances, but there simply aren’t enough of them. The public are paying for a service they are not receiving, and confidence in the planning system is eroding.”
Cllr Rodrigues highlighted several examples raised by parish councils across Somerset:
- Shipham Parish Council waited nearly two years for a substantive response to enforcement complaints, with key issues still unresolved.
- In Corton Denham, Sparkford, Queen Camel, and South Cadbury & Sutton Montis, concerns about HGV tipper trucks moving demolition waste have gone unaddressed.
- In Burtle, a mobile building subject to an enforcement notice due to expire in May 2022 still stands, visibly decaying.
“Residents are being forced to live next to unlawful development while their concerns are ignored. This is not just an administrative failure, it’s a breakdown in trust between local communities and the planning authority.”
In response, Councillor Mike Rigby confirmed that the current enforcement team is short-staffed, with some vacant posts. An agency team leader has now been appointed, and the Council hopes to recruit into a graduate post in September. Additional measures, including recruitment allowances and use of a talent spotter service, are being considered to help fill the remaining roles.
Cllr Rodrigues welcomed these steps but said more urgency is needed, “It’s clear the system isn’t working as it should. While some action is now being taken, the Council must move faster to get a fully functioning enforcement service in place.”
