OFFICERS from a council in the West Midlands are being drafted in to enforce planning issues in Somerset, it has been revealed.

Somerset Council in theory has a planning enforcement section to take action when conditions around approved developments are breached, or building takes place without consent.

But the authority has struggled to recruit enforcement officers in recent years and has a backlog of more than 1,000 cases which is growing year on year.

Now, chief planning officer Alison Blom-Cooper has admitted the authority has been forced to rely on help from enforcement officers drafted in from Lichfield District Council more than 150 miles away in Staffordshire.

Ms Blom-Cooper said: “We pay them for the service by results, and we are using them to help us attract candidates to apply for the permanent posts in our service, which are remunerated in accordance with the agreed pay grade and retention recruitment allowance.”

She said Somerset was thought to be the only Westcountry authority using Lichfield’s services

Ms Blom-Cooper said a pay and grading review for all staff and a review of recruitment allowances had been undertaken by Somerset for all departments other than planning enforcement.

She said: “The one area where we have not got those allowances in place is in the enforcement team, and that is probably where we now need to concentrate.”

Ms Blom-Cooper said one of the issues affecting efficient planning enforcement was the quality of information received.

She said: “We would ask members if they have enforcement complaints that they use our online form to ensure we get sufficient information to enable effective triage and to then take action.

“One of the issues we have had is that these reports come in many different forms from councillors and members of the public, and we do not always have all the information that we need.”