Local Authority changes from 1 April 2023
A local government reorganisation that takes effect on 1 April 2023 will see structural changes to Local Authorities in Cumbria, North Yorkshire, and Somerset. These will all see the current, separate, district and county level authorities replaced by new larger unitary ones.
Changes on the Planning Portal
We are working with each of the Local Authorities to ensure that applications submitted, and payments made through the Planning Portal will transition seamlessly to the new authority structures.
Additionally, contact details and branding for the Local Authorities will be updated to reflect the changes.
More specifically:
- Any submissions or payments that are in progress will be picked up by the relevant new authority.
- Draft applications will automatically be reassigned to the correct new authority.
- PDF forms for specific Local Authorities will be replaced with forms for the new authorities.
Changes to individual Local Authorities
The changes to where planning applications will be submitted are as follows:
Cumbria
Six district authorities will be replaced by two unitary authorities:
- Cumberland Council – In place of:
- Allerdale Borough Council
- Carlisle City Council
- Copeland Borough Council
- Westmorland and Furness Council – In place of:
- Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council
- Eden District Council
- South Lakeland District Council
North Yorkshire
Eight district authorities will be replaced by a single unitary authority:
North Yorkshire Council – In place of:
- Craven District Council
- Hambleton District Council
- Harrogate Borough Council
- Richmondshire District Council
- Ryedale District Council
- Scarborough Borough Council
- Selby District Council
- North Yorkshire County Council
Somerset
Four district authorities will be replaced by a single unitary authority:
Somerset Council – In place of:
- Somerset West and Taunton Council
- South Somerset District Council
- Mendip District Council
- Sedgemoor District Council
Planning Portal Blog 