Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 34
34
Accepted
Assess local authority capacity for monitoring BNG commitments and ensure adequate resourcing.
Recommendation
The Government should conduct an assessment of the capacity and performance of monitoring of BNG commitments by local authorities. Local authorities must understand their responsibilities to ensure that BNG promised is delivered and buy in expertise and resource if it is not currently employed. LPAs should be held to account for adequate monitoring of BNG and resourced to deliver it. (Recommendation, Paragraph 118) 91
Government response summary AI-generated
The government states it continues to work with stakeholders to strengthen the planning workforce and already supports local planning authorities with ecology through existing recruitment, skills development, and specialist training programs, but does not commit to conducting a specific assessment of BNG monitoring capacity or new accountability measures.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
61. Alongside the publication of the BNG consultations in May, Government announced £10m funding for local planning authorities to deliver BNG in this financial year, and has committed to a further £29m in total for the next 3 financial years. 62. We want to ensure that local planning authorities have the resources to implement BNG and support developers to meet their requirements. The funding will help them to recruit and expand ecologist teams, invest in green jobs and increase capacity to create their own wildlife-rich habitats for developers who need to go off-site within a planning authority’s area. 63. The Government has also funded the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) to build awareness of mandatory BNG and support skills development in local planning authorities.
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