England · July 2025 to June 2026
Planning council rankings
How fast each council in England decides planning applications, and how many it approves. Across England, 291,861 applications were decided in the year. 52% were decided within the standard time with no extension, and 87% were approved. The fastest was Folkestone and Hythe (88%) and the slowest Melton (10%).
The standard time is 8 weeks, or 13 for major schemes. Councils can agree a longer deadline with the applicant, and the government’s headline measure counts those as on time, which puts almost every council near 90%. Ranking on decisions made without an extension shows which councils are actually quick. Councils with fewer than 100 decisions in the year are listed below the table, unranked.
| Rank | Council | Standard time | Approved | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Folkestone and Hythe | 88% | 82% | 697 |
| 2nd | Telford and Wrekin | 88% | 91% | 559 |
| 3rd | Coventry | 88% | 82% | 1,055 |
| 4th | Castle Point | 88% | 84% | 354 |
| 5th | Lichfield | 87% | 84% | 677 |
| 6th | East Riding of Yorkshire | 86% | 90% | 1,794 |
| 7th | Arun | 85% | 87% | 738 |
| 8th | Sutton | 82% | 88% | 879 |
| 9th | Swindon | 82% | 90% | 829 |
| 10th | Enfield | 82% | 79% | 1,919 |
| 11th | Isle of Wight | 81% | 92% | 729 |
| 12th | Chichester | 81% | 88% | 866 |
| 13th | Barking and Dagenham | 79% | 65% | 681 |
| 14th | Epsom and Ewell | 79% | 82% | 591 |
| 15th | Medway | 79% | 92% | 918 |
| 16th | Fareham | 77% | 97% | 575 |
| 17th | North Tyneside | 77% | 97% | 612 |
| 18th | Bexley | 76% | 90% | 1,258 |
| 19th | Rushmoor | 74% | 95% | 276 |
| 20th | Teignbridge | 74% | 80% | 718 |
| 21st | Three Rivers | 74% | 89% | 809 |
| 22nd | Stevenage | 73% | 96% | 246 |
| 23rd | King’s Lynn and West Norfolk | 73% | 88% | 1,126 |
| 24th | Cambridge | 72% | 91% | 986 |
| 25th | Bury | 72% | 86% | 780 |
| 26th | Tunbridge Wells | 72% | 93% | 1,100 |
| 27th | Watford | 71% | 80% | 496 |
| 28th | Barnet | 71% | 74% | 2,417 |
| 29th | Brent | 70% | 77% | 1,916 |
| 30th | Eastleigh | 70% | 90% | 517 |
| 31st | Kingston upon Thames | 70% | 78% | 1,100 |
| 32nd | Broxtowe | 70% | 94% | 477 |
| 33rd | Chelmsford | 70% | 87% | 1,209 |
| 34th | Waltham Forest | 70% | 79% | 1,406 |
| 35th | Tendring | 69% | 84% | 848 |
| 36th | Cannock Chase | 69% | 89% | 251 |
| 37th | Oadby and Wigston | 69% | 73% | 248 |
| 38th | Reigate and Banstead | 69% | 89% | 936 |
| 39th | Pendle | 68% | 84% | 440 |
| 40th | Dartford | 68% | 77% | 596 |
| 41st | Wolverhampton | 68% | 90% | 745 |
| 42nd | Plymouth | 68% | 95% | 672 |
| 43rd | Ipswich | 67% | 93% | 430 |
| 44th | Gosport | 67% | 95% | 247 |
| 45th | Cheltenham | 67% | 97% | 906 |
| 46th | Colchester | 67% | 84% | 1,003 |
| 47th | St. Helens | 66% | 94% | 455 |
| 48th | Bolsover | 66% | 97% | 276 |
| 49th | Norwich | 66% | 95% | 558 |
| 50th | Stockport | 66% | 95% | 1,289 |
| 51st | Lewisham | 66% | 84% | 1,256 |
| 52nd | Dacorum | 66% | 87% | 1,123 |
| 53rd | Richmond upon Thames | 65% | 82% | 1,825 |
| 54th | South Cambridgeshire | 65% | 94% | 1,498 |
| 55th | Windsor and Maidenhead | 65% | 73% | 1,409 |
| 56th | Braintree | 65% | 84% | 911 |
| 57th | Test Valley | 65% | 93% | 993 |
| 58th | Rotherham | 64% | 78% | 731 |
| 59th | Dover | 64% | 89% | 732 |
| 60th | South Hams | 64% | 92% | 976 |
| 61st | Uttlesford | 64% | 76% | 1,215 |
| 62nd | Mid Suffolk | 64% | 90% | 849 |
| 63rd | Milton Keynes | 64% | 88% | 1,030 |
| 64th | Ashfield | 64% | 86% | 402 |
| 65th | Maidstone | 64% | 84% | 1,097 |
| 66th | Lincoln | 64% | 92% | 324 |
| 67th | Harrow | 64% | 75% | 1,362 |
| 68th | Lewes | 63% | 89% | 405 |
| 69th | Leeds | 63% | 82% | 3,465 |
| 70th | Warrington | 63% | 79% | 843 |
| 71st | Shropshire | 63% | 87% | 2,076 |
| 72nd | Newcastle-under-Lyme | 63% | 91% | 441 |
| 73rd | West Oxfordshire | 63% | 95% | 1,117 |
| 74th | Greenwich | 63% | 77% | 1,389 |
| 75th | Manchester | 63% | 89% | 1,807 |
| 76th | Sandwell | 63% | 87% | 856 |
| 77th | Cornwall | 62% | 93% | 4,741 |
| 78th | New Forest | 62% | 90% | 884 |
| 79th | Rutland | 62% | 88% | 510 |
| 80th | Sevenoaks | 62% | 87% | 1,099 |
| 81st | Sunderland | 62% | 91% | 607 |
| 82nd | Thurrock | 62% | 81% | 670 |
| 83rd | East Cambridgeshire | 62% | 89% | 692 |
| 84th | Babergh | 62% | 88% | 803 |
| 85th | Darlington | 61% | 91% | 458 |
| 86th | Burnley | 61% | 87% | 295 |
| 87th | South Ribble | 61% | 97% | 392 |
| 88th | Wokingham | 61% | 95% | 1,117 |
| 89th | Adur | 61% | 94% | 307 |
| 90th | Tameside | 61% | 86% | 553 |
| 91st | Epping Forest | 61% | 68% | 1,282 |
| 92nd | North York Moors National Park | 61% | 96% | 418 |
| 93rd | Wychavon | 60% | 84% | 1,057 |
| 94th | Wyre Forest | 60% | 92% | 434 |
| 95th | Dudley | 60% | 83% | 803 |
| 96th | Malvern Hills | 60% | 82% | 737 |
| 97th | Southwark | 60% | 91% | 1,492 |
| 98th | Southampton | 60% | 90% | 685 |
| 99th | Redbridge | 60% | 73% | 1,638 |
| 100th | Halton | 60% | 96% | 219 |
| 101st | Peak District National Park | 60% | 87% | 513 |
| 102nd | Breckland | 60% | 84% | 774 |
| 103rd | Chorley | 59% | 93% | 536 |
| 104th | Worcester | 59% | 89% | 386 |
| 105th | Blackburn with Darwen | 59% | 97% | 478 |
| 106th | Dorset | 59% | 92% | 2,708 |
| 107th | Luton | 59% | 75% | 731 |
| 108th | North Devon | 59% | 94% | 874 |
| 109th | Lancaster | 59% | 83% | 654 |
| 110th | North Hertfordshire | 59% | 91% | 995 |
| 111th | Central Bedfordshire | 59% | 83% | 1,425 |
| 112th | Gravesham | 59% | 75% | 632 |
| 113th | Doncaster | 58% | 86% | 969 |
| 114th | West Devon | 58% | 87% | 346 |
| 115th | Hart | 58% | 85% | 715 |
| 116th | Waverley | 58% | 88% | 1,362 |
| 117th | Bromley | 58% | 76% | 2,314 |
| 118th | Wealden | 58% | 85% | 1,283 |
| 119th | Trafford | 58% | 86% | 1,352 |
| 120th | Stroud | 58% | 88% | 917 |
| 121st | Redditch | 58% | 95% | 171 |
| 122nd | Spelthorne | 57% | 79% | 566 |
| 123rd | Southend-on-Sea | 57% | 82% | 866 |
| 124th | Mid Devon | 57% | 95% | 663 |
| 125th | Sheffield | 57% | 87% | 1,716 |
| 126th | Sefton | 57% | 93% | 1,033 |
| 127th | Runnymede | 57% | 84% | 600 |
| 128th | South Holland | 56% | 79% | 574 |
| 129th | Torridge | 56% | 90% | 512 |
| 130th | Mid Sussex | 56% | 91% | 1,089 |
| 131st | North Somerset | 56% | 90% | 1,087 |
| 132nd | Surrey Heath | 56% | 86% | 589 |
| 133rd | West Lindsey | 56% | 93% | 556 |
| 134th | Charnwood | 55% | 88% | 895 |
| 135th | Wandsworth | 55% | 89% | 2,123 |
| 136th | Horsham | 55% | 91% | 1,339 |
| 137th | South Oxfordshire | 55% | 94% | 1,465 |
| 138th | Harlow | 55% | 83% | 287 |
| 139th | Redcar and Cleveland | 55% | 95% | 387 |
| 140th | Erewash | 54% | 92% | 401 |
| 141st | Dartmoor National Park | 54% | 84% | 287 |
| 142nd | Fenland | 54% | 86% | 588 |
| 143rd | Lake District National Park | 54% | 89% | 722 |
| 144th | Tower Hamlets | 54% | 84% | 972 |
| 145th | East Hertfordshire | 54% | 83% | 1,111 |
| 146th | Stockton-on-Tees | 54% | 92% | 615 |
| 147th | Eastbourne | 54% | 86% | 350 |
| 148th | Newham | 54% | 83% | 978 |
| 149th | Leicester | 54% | 82% | 997 |
| 150th | Amber Valley | 54% | 97% | 607 |
| 151st | Bristol, City of | 53% | 86% | 2,042 |
| 152nd | Solihull | 53% | 94% | 1,100 |
| 153rd | Havering | 53% | 77% | 1,446 |
| 154th | Hastings | 53% | 87% | 329 |
| 155th | Broadland | 53% | 92% | 719 |
| 156th | North East Derbyshire | 52% | 91% | 503 |
| 157th | Liverpool | 52% | 85% | 1,612 |
| 158th | Croydon | 52% | 73% | 1,576 |
| 159th | Somerset | 52% | 87% | 3,544 |
| 160th | Bradford | 52% | 87% | 2,354 |
| 161st | Elmbridge | 52% | 80% | 1,590 |
| 162nd | Blackpool | 52% | 84% | 314 |
| 163rd | South Derbyshire | 52% | 93% | 596 |
| 164th | Northumberland | 51% | 89% | 2,028 |
| 165th | The Broads Authority | 51% | 97% | 127 |
| 166th | South Tyneside | 51% | 90% | 387 |
| 167th | Peterborough | 51% | 85% | 626 |
| 168th | North Lincolnshire | 51% | 89% | 681 |
| 169th | Bromsgrove | 51% | 93% | 481 |
| 170th | Newcastle upon Tyne | 51% | 89% | 1,018 |
| 171st | Hounslow | 51% | 75% | 1,216 |
| 172nd | Nuneaton and Bedworth | 50% | 94% | 284 |
| 173rd | Wirral | 50% | 88% | 877 |
| 174th | North Norfolk | 50% | 93% | 871 |
| 175th | Basingstoke and Deane | 50% | 91% | 1,037 |
| 176th | Haringey | 50% | 85% | 1,464 |
| 177th | Preston | 50% | 91% | 612 |
| 178th | York | 50% | 83% | 1,198 |
| 179th | Bolton | 50% | 79% | 992 |
| 180th | County Durham | 49% | 93% | 1,679 |
| 181st | Hillingdon | 49% | 85% | 1,633 |
| 182nd | Gedling | 49% | 93% | 376 |
| 183rd | East Devon | 49% | 88% | 1,267 |
| 184th | Forest of Dean | 49% | 93% | 526 |
| 185th | Basildon | 49% | 89% | 824 |
| 186th | Great Yarmouth | 49% | 83% | 333 |
| 187th | Worthing | 49% | 90% | 553 |
| 188th | Exeter | 48% | 83% | 590 |
| 189th | Gloucester | 48% | 80% | 436 |
| 190th | Knowsley | 48% | 96% | 274 |
| 191st | Ashford | 48% | 88% | 942 |
| 192nd | New Forest National Park | 48% | 88% | 471 |
| 193rd | Derbyshire Dales | 48% | 86% | 486 |
| 194th | Hartlepool | 48% | 94% | 215 |
| 195th | Portsmouth | 48% | 86% | 650 |
| 196th | Woking | 47% | 84% | 694 |
| 197th | North Kesteven | 47% | 97% | 616 |
| 198th | East Suffolk | 47% | 92% | 1,897 |
| 199th | Nottingham | 47% | 88% | 922 |
| 200th | Thanet | 47% | 92% | 684 |
| 201st | Ribble Valley | 47% | 82% | 487 |
| 202nd | Yorkshire Dales National Park | 47% | 91% | 434 |
| 203rd | Stratford-on-Avon | 46% | 92% | 1,228 |
| 204th | Rochford | 46% | 80% | 471 |
| 205th | Hackney | 46% | 82% | 1,287 |
| 206th | South Gloucestershire | 46% | 88% | 1,490 |
| 207th | Fylde | 46% | 96% | 413 |
| 208th | South Staffordshire | 46% | 83% | 610 |
| 209th | North East Lincolnshire | 46% | 94% | 447 |
| 210th | Welwyn Hatfield | 46% | 85% | 632 |
| 211th | North Yorkshire | 46% | 89% | 4,642 |
| 212th | East Lindsey | 46% | 93% | 773 |
| 213th | Rochdale | 45% | 86% | 607 |
| 214th | West Berkshire | 45% | 90% | 1,037 |
| 215th | Westminster | 45% | 86% | 4,802 |
| 216th | Cotswold | 45% | 90% | 1,285 |
| 217th | South Norfolk | 45% | 92% | 1,003 |
| 218th | Exmoor National Park | 44% | 96% | 180 |
| 219th | Hyndburn | 44% | 78% | 266 |
| 220th | Lambeth | 44% | 79% | 1,793 |
| 221st | Winchester | 44% | 93% | 854 |
| 222nd | Islington | 44% | 88% | 1,426 |
| 223rd | Tewkesbury | 44% | 88% | 692 |
| 224th | Calderdale | 44% | 83% | 805 |
| 225th | Barnsley | 43% | 92% | 655 |
| 226th | Boston | 43% | 91% | 302 |
| 227th | Wigan | 43% | 85% | 690 |
| 228th | Mansfield | 42% | 96% | 284 |
| 229th | Slough | 42% | 80% | 616 |
| 230th | Middlesbrough | 42% | 74% | 301 |
| 231st | Bedford | 42% | 79% | 1,060 |
| 232nd | Tamworth | 41% | 95% | 152 |
| 233rd | Rushcliffe | 41% | 92% | 760 |
| 234th | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 41% | 82% | 2,189 |
| 235th | Vale of White Horse | 41% | 95% | 981 |
| 236th | Wiltshire | 41% | 93% | 3,509 |
| 237th | West Suffolk | 41% | 93% | 1,000 |
| 238th | Warwick | 40% | 91% | 864 |
| 239th | Broxbourne | 40% | 86% | 477 |
| 240th | Kensington and Chelsea | 40% | 93% | 2,292 |
| 241st | Maldon | 40% | 84% | 478 |
| 242nd | Hertsmere | 40% | 89% | 738 |
| 243rd | Westmorland and Furness | 40% | 93% | 1,131 |
| 244th | Salford | 39% | 87% | 708 |
| 245th | Bath and North East Somerset | 39% | 94% | 1,748 |
| 246th | Huntingdonshire | 39% | 87% | 1,058 |
| 247th | Newark and Sherwood | 39% | 91% | 752 |
| 248th | Oldham | 38% | 93% | 814 |
| 249th | Canterbury | 38% | 95% | 879 |
| 250th | Reading | 38% | 85% | 652 |
| 251st | Ealing | 38% | 83% | 1,955 |
| 252nd | Derby | 38% | 88% | 938 |
| 253rd | Oxford | 38% | 88% | 1,186 |
| 254th | Cherwell | 38% | 91% | 1,022 |
| 255th | Tonbridge and Malling | 38% | 95% | 891 |
| 256th | Cumberland | 37% | 95% | 1,163 |
| 257th | Brighton and Hove | 37% | 90% | 1,659 |
| 258th | Tandridge | 37% | 82% | 712 |
| 259th | Merton | 37% | 91% | 1,073 |
| 260th | Birmingham | 36% | 82% | 3,333 |
| 261st | Chesterfield | 36% | 87% | 357 |
| 262nd | Wakefield | 36% | 92% | 1,084 |
| 263rd | Herefordshire, County of | 35% | 94% | 1,484 |
| 264th | North West Leicestershire | 35% | 95% | 532 |
| 265th | Harborough | 35% | 89% | 774 |
| 266th | Kingston upon Hull, City of | 35% | 90% | 449 |
| 267th | Swale | 34% | 89% | 644 |
| 268th | Camden | 34% | 89% | 1,951 |
| 269th | Kirklees | 34% | 90% | 1,766 |
| 270th | South Downs National Park | 33% | 91% | 1,616 |
| 271st | Blaby | 33% | 94% | 416 |
| 272nd | South Kesteven | 33% | 90% | 961 |
| 273rd | Cheshire East | 33% | 87% | 2,410 |
| 274th | Cheshire West and Chester | 32% | 92% | 1,708 |
| 275th | Walsall | 32% | 84% | 753 |
| 276th | Wyre | 32% | 85% | 529 |
| 277th | Torbay | 31% | 87% | 504 |
| 278th | Mole Valley | 31% | 73% | 857 |
| 279th | Bracknell Forest | 31% | 92% | 474 |
| 280th | West Lancashire | 31% | 81% | 543 |
| 281st | Brentwood | 30% | 83% | 668 |
| 282nd | Staffordshire Moorlands | 29% | 76% | 381 |
| 283rd | St Albans | 29% | 86% | 1,415 |
| 284th | Rugby | 29% | 93% | 443 |
| 285th | Hammersmith and Fulham | 29% | 95% | 1,227 |
| 286th | Guildford | 28% | 85% | 1,362 |
| 287th | North Warwickshire | 28% | 95% | 340 |
| 288th | Buckinghamshire | 26% | 85% | 4,532 |
| 289th | Hinckley and Bosworth | 25% | 89% | 545 |
| 290th | Bassetlaw | 24% | 80% | 564 |
| 291st | Stoke-on-Trent | 24% | 87% | 551 |
| 292nd | Gateshead | 23% | 87% | 510 |
| 293rd | Rossendale | 23% | 86% | 242 |
| 294th | High Peak | 23% | 83% | 340 |
| 295th | Crawley | 23% | 83% | 217 |
| 296th | Havant | 22% | 94% | 407 |
| 297th | East Hampshire | 20% | 88% | 597 |
| 298th | North Northamptonshire | 19% | 90% | 1,111 |
| 299th | East Staffordshire | 17% | 88% | 707 |
| 300th | Stafford | 17% | 81% | 508 |
| 301st | City of London | 15% | 98% | 477 |
| 302nd | Rother | 14% | 89% | 714 |
| 303rd | West Northamptonshire | 13% | 88% | 1,852 |
| 304th | Melton | 10% | 88% | 333 |
Not ranked (under 100 decisions): Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, 26 decisions, 46% within the standard time; Hartlepool Development Corporation, 36 decisions, 36% within the standard time; Isles of Scilly, 57 decisions, 44% within the standard time; Middlesbrough Development Corporation, 69 decisions, 42% within the standard time; Northumberland National Park, 36 decisions, 56% within the standard time; Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, 59 decisions, 61% within the standard time.
Source: MHCLG planning application statistics (table PS2), July 2025 to June 2026. Covers England only; councils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland report separately.
Planning and procurement records contain public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.