Rochford District Council has one of the very worst records in the country for deciding on planning applications on time, it has been revealed.

A Government survey has shown that during 1998, the council managed to decide only 38 per cent of applications within guideline time limit of eight weeks - target is 80 per cent.

Nearby authorities fared better, with Castle Point Council completing 70 per cent, while Brentwood managed 86 per cent, and Southend 60 per cent.

The results were revealed in a survey by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, which studied 346 authorities in England.

Only two other authorities in the England came out worse than Rochford in the study - Wychavon in Worcestershire with 31 per cent, and East Hampshire which scored 20 per cent.

Promising to improve the council's performance, Rochford District Council head of planning services, John Whitlock said changes were already under way.

He said: "Up to about 18 months ago, this council was in the top seven to ten per cent in the country, year on year, but we have been hit by a spiral of decline around staffing."

Mr Whitlock added the council had undertook a "benchmarking exercise" and had agreed a new structure with the council which would involve recruiting more staff.

He continued: "I am confident that once this new structure is in place, and people become familiar with the practices and procedures, the performance will once again rise."

Chairman of the council's planning committee, Richard Vingoe, is sure the poor performance is a mere blip in the council's "outstanding record."

He said: "Certainly councillors are not happy, but every now and then any organisation can have problems.

"Nobody is going to be happy until it is right, and we won't stop addressing the problem until it is put right, but in life circumstances come to you and it is up to you to address them."

As well as staff shortages, Rochford District Council, along with other authorities, has had to deal with changes in local government structure, and a rise in planning applications submitted which have gone up four per cent in the south east.

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