A 'cost-cutting' way of dealing with planning applications has angered councillors and the public.

South Oxfordshire District Council cut the number of committees dealing with applications from four to one.

But the first meeting under the new system lasted five hours, and the second, on Wednesday, ended after four hours -- with four major applications still not dealt with.

Unresolved items were put back to the next meeting in two weeks time, angering councillors -- and members of the public who had gone to the meeting for the items which were not dealt with.

The meeting followed five and a half hours of site visits on Monday where members inspected plans on sites as far apart as Henley and Horspath.

Committee chairman Pearl Slatter apologised and said: "There were far too many items on this agenda. We are dealing with the backlog of applications from before the May elections."

But former western area planning committee chairman John Stimson said: "That excuse is wearing a bit thin."

The council used to have three area committees which met monthly to deal with local issues, and an overall planning committee which handled the major applications. When the Conservatives took control in May they changed the system to a single planning committee dealing with the whole of south Oxfordshire, meeting fortnightly.

Member Anne Tomline said the new system was not fair on members of the public who had to wait at meetings, then be told their cases would not be heard.

She added: "They should have been told earlier when it was obvious we were not going to finish.

"This is not working and it does not represent best value for either applicants or councillors."

One applicant, who declined to be named for fear of prejudicing his application when it comes before the next committee, said: "This was total farce. It is crazy -- even by South Oxfordshire District Council's standards.

"We have been assured we will be heard at the head of the list at the next meeting.

"But we have wasted a great deal of time listening to waffle and watching councillors dither."

Mrs Slatter said the teething troubles would soon be resolved and meetings would be shorter and more efficient.

Sue Cooper, Liberal Democrat group leader, attacked the new system.

She said: "It was rail-roaded through by the Tories as a cost-cutting exercise.

"It resulted in an unwieldy 22-member committee whose members are inevitably unfamiliar with many of the very local issues involved in planning.

"It seems unclear how costs will be reduced or planning statistics improved."