Recommendation 6

Local planning authorities across England are frequently under-resourced and stretched to deliver on local priorities. The Government’s funding for 300 new planning officers demonstrates that it recognises this problem, but this announcement equates to less than one planning officer on average for each local authority in England. At the same time, the Government is restricting access to apprenticeships to train the next generation of public sector planners, despite the Government’s ambition for more young people to pursue degree-level apprenticeships. The establishment of Strategic Authorities and the reintroduction of strategic planning in England is an opportunity to address these resourcing challenges. The Government must ensure that all levels of local government are collaborating effectively on shared planning matters. The private sector stands to benefit from a better resourced and more streamlined planning system, so developers should also make an additional contribution towards the staffing of Strategic Authorities. (Conclusion, Paragraph 47)