Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown today reaffirmed today the Government’s commitment to reform the planning system. Speaking at the joint ODPM/Treasury/CBI/LGA Planning and Productivity conference, Prescott outlined proposed reforms, including the introduction of an optional tariff in place of section 106 negotiations and an overhaul of local and regional planning. "This Government wants to enhance economic stability; further reform and improve public services; and create a fairer, more secure and more just society,” he said. "Planning can and must play a role in achieving these goals. And we need a faster, fairer, more efficient planning system to do that. "Planning must be about people and the quality of life. It must be a positive force to achieve things – not one hundred ways to say no. And it must engage actively with communities. "We must build a planning system in which people are proud to work because they know they provide a valued service to their communities"