The sporadic nature of planning meetings in Powys is set to stop.

At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Planning Taxi Licensing and Rights of Way committee on Wednesday, September 24, it was revealed that behind the scenes talks had been taking place in order to formalise a new process for meetings in the future.

Committee Chairman, Cllr Gareth D Jones (Powys Independents – Llanfair Caereinion and Llanerfyl) made an announcement at the meeting so that the changes will be put on the public record.

Cllr Jones said: “As you’re all aware, we’ve agreed to go to monthly meetings, and this was agreed in a previous closed session.

“This is for the minutes to note, and I just like everyone to agree what was decided so that it can be recorded that from now on we will be going to monthly meetings.”

Cllr Jones opened the item up for questions from councillors, but none were forthcoming as they indicated their support for the move.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic the committee has moved to hybrid meetings.

This allows councillors, staff and other participants to be present at the council chamber in Llandrindod Wells or online elsewhere.

This year, out of 13 meetings that had been set out in the council’s calendar to take place, six have been cancelled, including in two in August and two in June.

The council’s constitution does mention the planning committee in section nine – which sets out how many councillors should be appointed to it.

Section 13 of the constitution outlines the committee’s powers in terms of planning, as well taxilLicensing and right of way, including how and when these powers can be delegated to council staff.

Planning in Powys has been under the spotlight in recent years.

In May 2023, Audit Wales published a damning report into the state of Powys council’s planning service and issued a number of recommendations for the council to address.

In response, the council set up an internal board to help steer improvements in the service.

Last November, Audit Wales issued a follow up report which said that “overall” they had found that Powys planners had “responded quickly” to improve its arrangements.

Audit Wales said that the planning service has: “implemented the 2023 recommendations in full.’

But the department has come in for more criticism this year from Conservative Senedd Member for Montgomeryshire Russell George.

Mr George has met with the Auditor General for Wales Adrian Crompton and a team from Audit Wales to work through a list of concerns about the council’s planning service.