Council officials were told to return to the office amid allegations that working from home had contributed to a series of administrative errors.
Two 60-foot-tall 5G telephone masts that local authorities denied permission were erected outside residents’ homes after employees missed a 56-day blockade.
And there are fears that a third unwanted mast will be installed, after employees again apparently did not object in time.
A local councilor said the mistakes could have been avoided if the planning staff had worked in the office rather than remotely.
Read more: Three 5G masts in Bournemouth despite a planning failure
Marcus Andrews claims that “nine out of ten” employees he works with at Bournemouth Christchurch and the Poole Council work from home.
Mr Andrews, a Liberal Democrat, said: “Every planning organization needs to have systems in which things that come are counted at the end of the day to ensure that everything is processed.
“It is a pity that there is an administrative error, but I know that the planning department has problems with the registration and processing of applications.
“You’ll probably manage things better if you can get people together in one room, not through a Zoom meeting.
Jacob Rees-Mogg called on civil servants to return to the office and I did not ask how many planning staff still work from home, but every time I have a meeting at Zoom with staff, nine out of ten are in their living room or free bedroom.
Read more: 5G mast rises on Broadway Lane due to a “mistake” of the Council
“White-collar workers have to go back to the office – they’re called officers, so they have to be in the office. Otherwise, we would call them “third bedroom people.”
He added: “I do not deal with individual officers or senior managers, but getting quality planning staff across the country is a problem and people are still systematically working from home.
“It’s not just a border checkpoint, the up and down tips are in the country, because they can earn more in private practice.”
Applications for a telephone mast are submitted through the pre-approval procedure, which does not require the same level of consultation as a typical planning application.
The council’s planning department has 56 days to decide not to block the proposal.
The telephone company Three says the council has therefore “agreed” and has no legal force to stop them from raising the mast.
All they can do is advise the Three to “paint green to better suit the surroundings.”
The first missed deadline was an application submitted by the parent company of Three Hutchinson 3G UK Holdings Limited for Castle Lane West in Bournemouth on August 19 last year.
Read more: 5G mast may rise in Poole after another mistake by the border council
Earlier this month, a second mast was erected on Broadway Lane in Bournemouth after another missed deadline, sparking outrage among locals.
The BCP council said it was negotiating with Three about the Merley 5G mast application because they disagreed with them on “alleged consent”.
But David Kelsey, chairman of the council’s planning committee, said he did not believe there was a problem with working from home.
He said: “Most planning applications are registered through an online portal.
“There was a backlog, but we are trying to clear it up as quickly as possible and things have improved over the last six months to ensure that applications are processed as quickly as possible.”
Regarding the provision of work from home, a spokesman for the BCP Council said: “The BCP Council is developing modern working practices that benefit both the provision of services and our colleagues.”
They would not provide figures for the number of employees working from home.
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