Open consultation

Consultation on proposed changes to The Planning Inspectorate official statistics publications

Applies to England

Summary

The Planning Inspectorate is committed to publishing statistics in which the public finds trust, quality, and value.

This consultation closes at

Consultation description

We are considering making changes to our current Official Statistics in support of this and would like to make sure that the changes that we make, are the right ones. We want to make sure that the statistical publications that we produce are providing value for users and any that are not, are appropriately removed or reduced. We would like to be able to devote more time to assuring the quality and increasing the value of these outputs in the future, which may include expanding what we publish to meet more of our users’ needs.  

Proposed Changes 

Monthly Statistical Release 

Planning Inspectorate statistical release 22 August 2024

We propose that this publication, which is currently monthly, becomes quarterly. We currently publish an expanded bulletin and additional tables and charts in April, July, October, and January each year. These quarterly publications would be unaffected, but the shorter bulletins published in the other months (and their accompanying charts and tables) would stop.  

We believe quarterly publications provide a better indicator of performance and are less affected by temporary fluctuations than monthly releases. We believe users will be able to more accurately understand our performance through quarterly releases.  

Staff Diversity Official Statistics 

Planning Inspectorate Staff Diversity Statistics 14 September 2023 

We propose to stop publishing the annual Staff Diversity Official Statistics. There would be no further publication. The statistics are not part of statutory reporting requirements. Data shows these statistics are very seldom accessed, leading us to believe we could better deploy our resources and provide better value for our customers.   

The Planning Inspectorate would continue to submit gender Pay Gap statistics,  produced as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey and published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and follow any changes in reporting standards in the future. 

How to Respond 

Please email statistics@planninginspectorate.gov.uk with any contribution that you would like to make to this consultation. Support, objections and alternative suggestions are all welcomed.  

Whatever your view on the proposals above, you may wish to share needs that you have for Planning Inspectorate data and statistics, that are not being met by existing publications.  

As well as stating your preferences, please also tell us how you or your work would be impacted by our proposed changes, or by your suggested changes. 

All these contributions will help us to decide how to proceed. 

When you email us, please let us know if you are responding as an individual or on behalf of an organisation. Please also let us know if you do not wish to have your comments published. 

What happens next 

This consultation is open until 19 September 2024. After that, we will consider all the input that we have received and decide how to proceed. We will publish an account of the consultation as well as our decision in relation to the proposed changes. This will happen within 12 weeks of the consultation closing.

Ways to respond

Updates to this page

Published 22 August 2024

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