Portsmouth councillors have voiced strong concerns over government plans to reform the planning system, warning the changes could “kill democracy”.

At a recent full council meeting, members debated a notice of motion about the government’s new Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

The bill, currently in its third reading in the House of Lords, aims to speed up development by giving planning officers greater power to decide applications without going through planning committees.

Fewer applications would therefore be decided by councillors — a move supporters say would make the process faster and more efficient.

Introducing the motion, Conservative councillor Spencer Gardner said the bill’s implications for local accountability were “of profound importance”.

He told the chamber that most councillors would be “united” in believing planning decisions should be made “locally” and as “transparently as possible”.

Cllr Gardner noted that most planning applications are already handled by officers. Nationally, 96 per cent were decided under delegated powers in 2023/24.

“Councillors are the last line of defence for residents,” he said. “When a developer wants to cram yet another House in Multiple Occupation into a quiet street, who speaks for the families already there? We do.

“When a developer wants to squeeze an inappropriate property onto a back garden as back land development, who opposes it? We do.

“Take that away, and you don’t streamline planning – you kill democracy for local people.”

Councillor Hugh Mason, cabinet member for planning policy, also opposed the reforms. He said they could undermine trust in a system already “difficult to maintain because people’s cherished ambitions are often destroyed by the planning regulations.”

Councillor Judith Smythe said she and her Labour colleagues would abstain, acknowledging concerns about representative democracy but supporting the bill’s aim to create a clearer, plan-based system.

Councillor Russell Simpson criticised Labour’s stance, saying: “We’ve been elected to represent the concerns of residents and for Labour not to support it is a real cop out.”

The motion passed with 25 votes in favour, eight abstentions, and no objections.

A joint letter will be sent to Steve Reed OBE, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, outlining the council’s opposition.