Planning inspectors and professional staff at the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) are to begin industrial action following a dispute over pay and job evaluation
Members of the Prospect union working at PINS voted in favour of action after rejecting a pay deal that the union says would leave many staff with below-inflation pay rises.
In the ballot, 79% of members supported taking action.
The dispute also centres on a contested job evaluation exercise and the freezing or reduction of pay bands for some grades.
Industrial action short of strike to begin 15 December until May 2026
The industrial action, which begins today (15 December), will take the form of action short of strike and could continue until 23 May 2026 unless an agreement is reached. Measures include working to contracted hours only and a voluntary overtime ban.
Prospect said inspectors play a critical role in delivering the government’s growth agenda, including nationally significant infrastructure projects, housing delivery targets and planning appeals.
Dependent on goodwill and taken for granted
Steve Thomas, deputy general secretary of Prospect, said: “The Planning Inspectorate has long depended on the dedication and goodwill of its workforce. Because of their dedication to their jobs, our members routinely work beyond their hours, often spending long periods of time working remotely away from home, so that the Inspectorate can continue to perform its duties. But repeated pay restraint, increasing workloads and the erosion of trust mean increasingly members feel their goodwill is taken for granted.
“The work of our members is essential both to the government’s growth mission and to the delivery of 1.5 million new homes. All our members want is a fair pay offer, a promise to look again at the job evaluation scheme, and a solution to the structural pay issues. If changes aren’t made, there is a real danger of a collapse in morale and that the Inspectorate will face an insurmountable recruitment and retention crisis and will not be able to fulfil its duties.”
Low pay is deterring talent
Concerns about resourcing at the Planning Inspectorate have also been raised in Parliament. Speaking in the House of Lords in June, Lord Banner KC said: “The Planning Inspectorate is the keeper of the keys in relation to DCOs, Local Plans, Spatial Development Strategies, when they come forward, and Planning Appeals. It is massively under-resourced. The Inspectors are not paid enough, which is an issue in attracting the widest possible pool of people to that role.”
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