The Home Builders Federation has released a report highlighting that government action has done little to alleviate pressures for planners
The planning staff shortage is affecting 9-in-10 local authority planning departments across England and Wales, according to the report.
This in turn is causing delays for the delivery of new homes and further threatens the 1.5m new homes target.
Around 20% below required levels
90% of local planning authorities have said they are operating below full staff capacity, and planning departments are working with an average of 80% of the required staff to work efficiently.
Put in numbers, on average, 44 planning staff members are needed to work at full capacity, but councils are only employing an average of 36.
The government has committed to recruiting 1,400 additional planners in this parliament, as well as investing £100m into planning capacity since 2024, but the HBF ascertains that these measures fall short of what is needed, especially with the new requirements laid out in the National Planning Policy Framework.
The required number of planners has continued to increase over the year, with an estimated 2,660 additional planners now needed to reach full staffing levels, an increase of 20% from 2025’s 2,200.
Both recruitment and retention are major obstacles for the profession, as both planning officers and senior planners account for half of all vacancies in planning departments, and the average staff turnover stands at 11%, leading to more than 50% of councils relying on agency workers and increasing costs.
The effects are plain to see
These shortages cause direct delays in the planning process, and currently only about 20% of major planning applications are determined within the statutory 13-week target. Section 106 agreements also take an average of 515 days to complete, according to HBF research.
Additional regulatory and compliance changes mean that planning departments are facing increasingly complicated issues as well, as well as preventing funds from being spent efficiently as they do not have the time to monitor and allocate them effectively.
Neil Jefferson, chief executive at Home Builders Federation, said: “Planning reform will only succeed if local planning authorities have the staff and resources to deliver it. Our research shows planning departments are operating with significant staffing shortages, making it harder for councils to process applications efficiently.
“At the same time, planning teams are being asked to manage an increasing number of responsibilities, placing even greater pressure on already stretched departments and slowing the delivery of new homes.
“If the government is to achieve its ambition of building 1.5 million homes, it must match planning reform with sustained investment in local planning authority capacity and skills.”
Read the full report here.
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