URGENT repairs to listed buildings are being held up by "understaffing and inefficiency" in Cotswold District Council's (CDC) planning department.

A resident who calls himself a "disgruntled and angry council tax payer” has written an anonymous letter to the Standard in which he berates CDC.

He wrote: “CDC has one of the largest number of conservation areas and possibly listed buildings in the country, and the understaffing and inefficiency of the department is creating huge problems for owners and architects attempting to preserve listed buildings which make the Cotswolds the place it is.

“This is holding up building projects and delaying repairs to unsound buildings."

He believes that planning officers could make simple changes to the system which would save applicants money and time and speed up decisions.

At the moment applicants are asked to re-submit an entire planning application when an officer could just make a small amendment.

A spokesman for CDC admitted there is a problem. He said: "The planning service has been dealing with an exceptional workload, including many major applications for large scale housing and commercial developments.

"The volume of work has resulted in the validation of applications and the subsequent processing taking longer than has previously been the case. Staff turnover and other staff absences have exacerbated the problem. That said, this situation is not unique to Cotswold District.”

He said the council was addressing the issue and has hired consultants and agency staff as a short-term measure.

The spokesman added: “It is hoped that the recruitment and retention initiatives recently put in place will help in the longer term, although we acknowledge that the job market for suitably skilled staff is currently very competitive.”