The English councils missing the 8-week planning deadline (2026)
By Housey · Data: 12 months to end of March 2026
Somewhere in England right now, a kitchen extension is sailing through planning inside 8 weeks — and somewhere else, an identical one is gathering dust. Across 296 English planning authorities, 91.5% of non-major decisions landed within the 8-week deadline (or an agreed extension) in the year to March 2026; in Cumberland, the slowest of all, just 66.6% did.
- 296
- Councils ranked
- 91.5%
- Average on time
- 96
- Below 90%
- 66.6%
- Slowest council
non-major, within 8 weeks
32% of councils
Cumberland
| # | Local planning authority | % on time (8 wks) | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barking and Dagenham | 100.0% | 577 |
| 2 | Blackburn with Darwen | 100.0% | 287 |
| 3 | Rotherham | 100.0% | 440 |
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| 294 | Stafford | 70.4% | 90 |
| 295 | Melton | 69.1% | 22 |
| 296 | Cumberland | 66.6% | 360 |
Methodology & sources
% of non-major planning decisions made within 8 weeks or an agreed extension (MHCLG Table P153, with penalty for missing data).
- Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-planning-application-statistics
- Period: 12 months to end of March 2026
- Data retrieved: 7 July 2026
- Authorities ranked: 296
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