Buckinghamshire Council has for now ruled out changing its policy on publishing public comments on planning applications.

The issue was raised at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday by Independent councillor Robin Stuchbury.

He asked whether the council would review its approach to publishing public comments on planning applications to improve transparency and help local councils participate more effectively in the planning process while still complying with data protection rules.

"I don't think the question will be of any surprise," Cllr Stuchbury said. "It's an ongoing topic of concern within parishes."

Responding, deputy cabinet member for planning Cllr Michael Bracken said the council had previously reviewed the issue after a data breach was identified.

He said: "As a data controller, the council takes its obligations around privacy and the lawful handling of personal data extremely seriously."

Cllr Bracken said legal advice had concluded that stopping the publication of public comments was the only approach that fully mitigated the risk of breaching data protection legislation.

He said a range of alternatives had been considered, including the use of artificial intelligence to automatically redact personal information, requiring residents to give explicit consent through a tick-box declaration, and manually removing names and contact details before publication.

However, he said none of the options was considered sufficiently robust to meet the council's obligations under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

"We will, however, keep all of these options under review," he said.

While acknowledging that some residents and community groups valued the ability to see other people's comments, particularly to gauge local interest in an application, Cllr Bracken said this was not essential for meaningful engagement in the planning process.

He told councillors that planning decisions must be based on whether applications comply with planning policy and other material considerations.

"The council does actively encourage public engagement in the planning process through the submission of comments on planning applications," he said.

"All representations received are taken into account as part of the decision-making process."

Cllr Bracken added that comments submitted by statutory consultees, including town and parish councils, locally elected members and MPs, continue to be published.

He said the issue had remained under review since the original decision was taken but there had been no change in data protection legislation or its interpretation.

"As there has been no change in the underlying data protection legislation or its interpretation, there are currently no plans to formally review or change the council's position," he said.

Council leader Cllr Steven Broadbent said all comments submitted on planning applications are available to decision-makers.

He said: "We are one of the busiest, largest planning services in the country.

"The key point in all of that is all comments made are available and accessed by the decision makers on every single planning application."