COUNCILLORS in Ribble Valley have introduced sweeping changes in the way future planning applications will be decided.

But one councillor has accused the government of bribing local authorities in an attempt to speed up the planning process and appease housebuilders in the South East.

Ribble Valley planning and development committee heard the government wants 90 per cent of planning applications delegated to council officers in return for "delivery grants."

Up to £75,000 will be handed out to local authorities across the UK who successfully speed up their planning process.

Councillors heard under the new scheme they could now expected to consider six or seven planning applications, as opposed to the 50 or so that currently came up before committee.

Planning committee chairman Richard Sherras said: "There is no doubt that delegation will speed up the application process and the consequences of not meeting these targets from a funding point of view are pretty horrendous.

"If we don't do anything to meet these targets, we risk losing funding."

But Frank Dyson, leader of the council's Liberal Democrat group, claimed the delivery grants were a bribe and the council risked sacrificing its democratic process.

Under current council rules, members of the public have the right to speak for three minutes on any planning application under consideration at the meeting.

The meeting also decided that a working group should be formed to look at ways of keeping a check on transparency in Ribble Valley planning matters.