REGARDING your article (LET, August 13) on Blackburn with Darwen's performance in the Government's new planning performance tables - which covered the year following the council receiving unitary authority status, ending March 31, this year.

During this period the council experienced the considerable knock-on effects of having to accommodate large numbers of former county council staff, including the relocation of the whole planning service from the tower block into the town hall.

Although every effort was made to reduce the service impact of this move, unavoidable delays were incurred. In addition, the development control section, whose performance is specifically measured by the tables, was restructured and the new arrangements took time to bed in.

These factors, coupled with unforeseen long-term sickness in the section, resulted in the short-term deterioration in service recorded in the survey.

This unique combination of circumstances is now behind us and readers can be assured that the council will continue to strive to provide the best possible planning service it can with the resources available to it.

COUNCILLOR FRANK CONNOR, Chairman, planning sub

committee, Blackburn with Darwen Council.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.