Local Planning Authority Capacity
House of Commons · Written Statements · 16 Jul 2026 · 1 speech · Official Report
It is essential that local planning authorities have the resources and skilled planners they need to provide a proactive, efficient planning service for local communities and support housing delivery, economic growth and the provision of infrastructure. Yet we know that planning departments across the country are experiencing challenges with resourcing, recruitment, retention, and skills gaps, and that in many cases these issues are having a negative impact on service delivery. That is why the Government are investing heavily to boost local planning department capacity and capability. At the autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced a £46 million package of investment into the planning system as a one-year settlement for 2025-26. At the Budget on 26 November 2025, the Chancellor announced a further £48 million of investment over three years to support local planning authorities to attract, retain and develop skilled planners over a sustained period. However, we recognise that more must be done to better resource LPAs and drive better outcomes including faster determination times, improved service standards and stronger performance across the planning system. To address local planning department underfunding, we included in the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 powers that allow the Secretary of State to delegate planning-fee setting to local planning authorities, enabling them to recover costs and reinvest to provide a more efficient and responsive planning service. To...