AS PAILIAMENT today (December 10) debates a new Bill designed to streamline the planning laws in England and Wales, Prime Minister Gordon Brown comes under a vicious attack for having got his figures wrong.

The new Bill if passed will sweep away many local planning powers and place them in the hands of a newly created quango in a move which, says Mr Brown, will save the country millions of pounds.

But the much-respected Campaign to Protect Rural England says he has got his sums wrong because although the new system will save property developers and builders money, it will land the taxpayer with huge extra costs.

"It seems that the Prime Minister and Prudence have reached a parting of the ways," says Neil Sinden, CPRE Policy Director, a reference to the Prime Minister's regular claims to prudence.

The campaign is part of a broad coalition of conservation, environmental and civic organisations which has already raised serious concerns about the implications for democracy of establishing an independent Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) to make decisions on major developments.

And it is particularly alarmed by the dismissive attitude of the Government response to public concerns about its planning proposals because 31,000 of the 32,100 responses to its consultation on the Planning White Paper in the summer came from supporters of coalition organisations.

But they had little impact on Ministers' plans, and - unlike other representations - did not elicit a detailed response.

Neil Sinden said: "'The Government's plans for a new IPC will make the planning system less open and accountable than it is now, but it also seems they will make it more expensive for the taxpayer.

"The figures suggest savings for taxpayers of around £900,000 from reduced costs of Government departments and agencies, but these will be more than offset by annual running costs for the IPC of £9.3 million per year, on top of a one-off £5 million bill for establishing the body."