Audit Wales has praised Powys County Council's Planning Service for quickly implementing all recommendations from its 2023 review.

The latest follow-up report highlights that the council has taken "decisive action" to address the findings of last year’s damning review.

Auditor General, Adrian Crompton said: “We recognise the effort and commitment of the Planning Service team in Powys County Council to strive for continuous improvement in response to our review."

As a result of the findings, no further recommendations have been made to the Planning Service.

Cllr Jake Berriman, Cabinet Member for a Connected Powys, said: “I was not surprised to read the Audit Wales’ findings when they conducted their review into our planning services back in 2023 and we fully accepted them at the time.

“On becoming the portfolio holder for planning, it was evident to me that when we were coming out of the Covid crisis, we were not offering the best planning service to applicants, planning agents or to the general public.

“I very much welcomed the Audit Wales report in 2023 for the opportunity it provided me to conduct a full review of the service."

Cllr Berriman chaired the Planning Improvement Board and set ambitious targets for the service.

“Working within existing budgets, I asked the Planning Service itself to take responsibility for and lead the work in transforming development management and enforcement," he said.

“What the follow-up review by Audit Wales tells us is that the service has successfully owned the problem and brought forward multiple ideas and initiatives, delivering service improvements and changing the culture of the team to one which is far more proactive and engaged.

“Not only have the initial recommendations from Audit Wales been met in full, but I am proud to say that in some areas of our work, our planning service is now being held up as an exemplar to others."

“Staff within our planning service will be the first to recognise that they still have room for improvement, but I have to offer them a huge congratulations in recognition that, through their own endeavours, they have rightly become highly regarded," added Cllr Berriman.