Every application page now shows a Planning Authority Score for the council handling it. It's a single number out of 10 that tells you how the council actually performs - not what they claim, but what the government data shows.
The score is calculated from the most recent MHCLG PS2 dataset, which covers every English local planning authority. We rank each council on three factors:
- Approval rate - what percentage of householder applications get approved
- Decision speed - what percentage are decided within the statutory 8 weeks
- Time extensions - how often the council extends the deadline beyond the standard time limit
Below the score, you'll see a plain-English summary of what to expect. Here's Fareham - one of the top-performing councils in England:
And here's Wiltshire, which scores significantly lower. The council extends the time limit on 56% of applications - one of the highest rates in England:
Each scorecard includes sparkline trends across four quarters, national average comparisons, and breakdowns for householder, minor dwellings, major dwellings, and change of use applications.