Town councillors have approved funding to pay for planning consultants to help push back on major housing applications.

Kenilworth Town Council had already spent £6,000 on a consultant to help it write a detailed objection to the South Warwickshire Local Plan.

And now councillors have backed further funding which will be used to help pay for professional advice when major housing applications are put forward.

A report said up to £10,000 will bring "consultancy assistance, to enable the council to respond effectively to major development proposals, participate in pre-application discussions, and protect the interests of Kenilworth and its residents".

It also noted the town is "experiencing a significant level of residential development and is increasingly attracting interest from developers".

Speaking at last week's council meeting, Cllr James Kennedy explained how new planning laws will mean officers at Warwick District Council will make more decisions and fewer will go to the planning committee to be voted on by councillors.

He said this, and the fact the district council is behind in its housing targets, means as much professional support as possible is needed as the town is "really up against it".

"Even before the local plan comes in, at the moment it is an absolute free for all for developers, who are putting in development proposals right, left and centre because Warwick District Council - as over half the local planning authorities in the country - does not have a five-year housing land supply," he explained.

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"This means there is a tilted balance which means, in my view, an unlevel playing field.

"It means the planning department and committee have to approve everything unless there is a really good reason."