The meeting of the Portfolio Holder Decisions/Leader Decisions of Warwickshire Council on Friday 6 March 2026 was scheduled to consider proposed changes to fees for pre-application planning advice on flood risk management and a concession for an ice cream vendor at Kingsbury Water Park.

Fees and Charges for Pre-Application Planning Advice for Flood Risk Management 2026/27

The meeting was scheduled to discuss proposed changes to the fees and charges for pre-application planning advice for Flood Risk Management, to take effect from 1 April 2026. This advice is provided by the Council's Flood Risk Management (FRM) Team, which acts as the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA). While the Council has a statutory role as a consultee on major planning applications concerning surface water drainage, it does not have a statutory duty to provide pre-application advice. However, it has a discretionary power to do so under section 111 of the Local Government Act 1972, with section 93 of the Local Government Act 2003 allowing the Council to charge for this service, provided that income does not exceed costs.

The report pack indicated that providing this advice allows the FRM team to comment on developments at an earlier stage, giving applicants the opportunity to resolve issues before site layouts are finalised, potentially leading to a smoother planning process. The service, which began as a trial and was formalised in 2023, is proposed to see most charges increase by approximately 8% for 2026/27 to reflect increased delivery costs, including staffing. Some charge bands were noted to increase by more than this to correct previous calculations. The report stated that the proposed rates were considered justified and proportionate when compared to those of adjacent authorities such as Birmingham City Council, Coventry City Council, and Leicestershire County Council.

The report also detailed the financial implications, noting that income for pre-application services can fluctuate due to its ad hoc nature. For the 2025/26 financial year, the Quarter 3 forecast indicated that income generated by these fees and charges was in line with, and slightly exceeded, budget expectations. The proposed increases were presented as necessary to ensure income keeps pace with rising costs.

The report highlighted environmental benefits, suggesting that early involvement of the FRM team can influence design and resolve issues, potentially leading to additional improvements that could reduce existing flooding and future-proof sites. This, in turn, could reduce the likelihood of emergency call-outs for other council services during flood events.

The detailed charges for various levels of pre-application advice, including site-specific requests and document reviews, were outlined in Appendix 1 of the report pack. These prices, which exclude VAT, showed proposed increases for 2026/27 compared to 2025/26, with rationales such as reflecting increased costs including staffing and corrections to previous pricing calculations.

Kingsbury Water Park Ice Cream Concession

The meeting was also scheduled to consider the Kingsbury Water Park Ice Cream Concession. Further details regarding this item were not publicly available in the provided documents.