Grant for computers (From Stroud News and Journal)

Grant for computers

WHITEHALL has given Stroud District Council a £340,000 grant to pay for more planning officers and update their computer system.

Cash from the planning delivery grant will be used to provide more incentives for sought-after planning officers to stop them being poached by private firms.

And some of the £339,780 will go towards improving the council website by ensuring scanned building plans are available for the public to see.

Development control manager Ian Gobey explained that the cash boost had risen from £60,000 last year after the council improved its performance figures.

"We get it because we have been good this year," he said.

"Last year we had a significantly improved turnaround in planning applications. From 50 per cent of applications dealt within eight weeks, we are now at 80 per cent.

"Year on year we have had about a 20 per cent increase in our workload, so some of the money will go to funding extra staff."

The allocation of funding is based on performance between October 2003 and September 2004. Stroud's grant puts them within the top half of authorities in the south west.

Councillor Barbara Tait, Cabinet Member for Planning, called the award "a wonderful achievement, and a just reward for the tremendous effort and hard work put in by staff".