SHEFFIELD City Council could axe its commercial planning department and call in an outside company in a bid to inject commercial reality and a 'can do' attitude into development decisions.
That is one of the options which Council leader Paul Scriven told local business leaders he is considering, when he attended a round table discussion, hosted by accountants and business advisers Grant Thornton.
Ten local business chiefs, including senior executives from Henry Boot, Independent Forgings and Alloys, DLA Piper, Sheffield United and Grant Thornton attended the event.
They told Coun Scriven Council planners had a "Can't Do" mentality, were out of touch with commercial reality, put stumbling blocks in the way of affordable development and stifled business opportunities.
Grant Thornton audit partner Paul Houghton, who organised the meeting, praised Coun Scriven for taking part in the discussion.
What do you think? Post your comments below."It was one of the most positive meetings with a council that I have ever been involved in," said Mr Houghton.
"Coun Scriven was very willing to agree with people about what should be the top priorities on his agenda - particularly on planning. He was pretty damning about his own planning department and was in agreement with the general consensus about the planning department having a 'can't do' attitude.
Cultural change will help city business pledges Scriven."He was clear that (dealing with) that might require, potentially, the outsourcing of the commercial planning department."
Coun Scriven, whose Liberal Democrat party took control of the Council in May, won respect from the business community at the Sheffield Economic Summit, when he publicly acknowledged that the Council had let local business down, apologised on the Council's behalf and pledged to make the Council more business friendly.
He also accepted Grant Thornton's invitation to the round table discussion, organised on the back of a study by the firm which showed three out of four Sheffield business leaders felt they didn't get the support they deserved from the Council.
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