Thirty-three organisations have signed a letter to Matthew Pennycook, urging urgent support for planning schools to continue recruiting and training apprentice planners
The joint letter—backed by organisations across planning, housing, nature, and energy—calls for a £6.8 million investment in planning schools. This funding is seen as essential to sustain recruitment and training of apprentice planners, following the Department for Education’s recent decision to cut funding for Level 7 apprenticeships for older learners.
New restrictions from January 2026 will mean that funding for level 7 planning apprentices will only be available for 16-21-year-old learners.
RTPI warns of planner shortage
The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has since warned that this could lead to as many as 200 fewer planners per year.
Dr Victoria Hills, chief executive, the Royal Town Planning Institute, said: “We’re about to see measures taken by the Government that will choke off a vital pipeline of talent, just when local authorities need it most.
“Planning is at the heart of so many of the country’s biggest challenges, from building the homes we need and revitalising town centres, to protecting nature and meeting net zero. Without enough planners, these ambitions simply cannot be delivered.
“This is why urgent investment in skills and training is essential, to ensure every community has the planners it needs to thrive, now and in the future.”
The letter and signatories are in full below:
Dear Minister,
An open letter on the need for an immediate capital investment into planning education
On 30 July, the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) wrote a letter to you highlighting the significant impact that changes in funding for Level 7 apprenticeships will have on planning education and the subsequent number of planners entering the profession.
We have significant concerns about the planning system’s capacity to support and deliver the Government’s programme of planning reform and growth agenda, whilst facing an expected loss of 200 planners a year due to these changes. The RTPI presented you with a short-term solution of a capital investment of £6.8 million to support Planning Schools to recruit and train approximately 400 apprentice planners over the remainder of this Parliament. This proposal is yet to be taken forward by the Ministry, with the viability of the Level 7 Chartered Town Planner apprenticeship route, as well as planning courses across the board, becoming more tenuous by the day. We ask that this happens as a matter of urgency.
As organisations concerned with the use, management and development of land, we recognise the vital role that planners play in supporting the delivery of homes, communities, infrastructure, nature recovery, and net-zero ambitions. But the planning sector is facing a capacity crisis. Whilst we understand the Government has committed to recruiting an additional 300 planning officers, research by Unison suggests an additional 600 planners on top of that figure are in fact needed. The Home Builders Federation goes further in its estimations, calculating an existing shortage of over 2,200 planners in local authorities. In addition, the British Property Federation has called for 3,000 additional planners to support the development ambitions of both commercial and residential investors. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s own Local Authority planning capacity and skills survey 2023 demonstrates the constraints within the system, with over 90% of planning departments reporting some difficulty with recruitment. As you know, Local Planning Authorities play a crucial role in the consenting of critical infrastructure, housing and nature recovery.
The previously announced 300 new planning officers does not appropriately address the existing capacity gap, let alone the reduced workforce pipeline numbers due to the Level 7 funding changes, and the expected increase in demand.
There are increasing concerns about the viability of Chartered Town Planner Level 7 apprenticeship courses, given the expected reduction in student numbers due to age restrictions on funding. Planning Schools are making decisions imminently on continuing apprenticeship provision beyond 2026, with over half of England’s Planning Schools affected by these changes.
The £6.8 million investment from the Ministry will help support Planning Schools to continue to provide Level 7 courses to students over the age of 21, maintain the 200 a year number of apprentices entering the Planning workforce for the remainder of this Parliament, and support the viability of planning courses.
Unless immediate, significant intervention is made, we are anticipating a net-loss of planners within the next 12-18 months, which will hamper the successful implementation of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, the Government’s programme of planning reform, and in turn, the delivery of the Government’s growth ambitions. A well-trained, resourced planning system, with built-in capacity, is essential for progressive sustainable development that enhances economic, social and environmental standards.
We urge you to take immediate action to ensure stability in the capacity of the planning system during a crucial time for the built environment sector.
Yours sincerely,
- Dr Victoria Hills MRTPI FICE, chief executive, The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)
- Gavin Smart, chief executive, Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH)
- Graham Watts OBE, chief executive, Construction Industry Council (CIC)
- Catherine Williams, planning director, Home Builders Federation (HBF)
- Samuel Stafford MRTPI, managing director, Land, Planning and Development Federation (LPDF)
- Brian Berry, chief executive, Federation of Master Builders (FMB)
- Melanie Leech, chief executive, British Property Federation (BPF)
- Chris Henning, chair, The Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT)
- Dr Mandy Crawford-Lee, chief executive, University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC)
- Mike Kiely, chair, Planning Officers Society (POS)
- Nicola Kane, chair, The Transport Planning Society (TPS)
- Charles Wood, deputy director of policy, Energy UK
- Sarah Mukherjee MBE, chief executive, The Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP)
- Kit Stoner, chief executive, The Bat Conservation Trust (BCT)
- Magnus Gallie MRTPI, senior planner, Friends of the Earth
- Corinne Pluchino, chief executive, Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE)
- Seán O’Reilly, director, The Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC)
- Eddie Tuttle, director of policy, external affairs and research, The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)
- Michael Copleston, director, RSPB England, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
- Dr Ingrid Samuel OBE, placemaking and heritage director, National Trust
- Fiona Howie, chief executive, Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA)
- Sam Peacock, managing director, corporate affairs, regulation and strategy, SSE
- Kate Henderson, chief executive, National Housing Federation (NHF)
- Lawrence Slade, chief executive, Energy Networks Association
- Sue Percy, chief executive, The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, (CIHT)
- Robert Hughes, chief executive, Landscape Institute
- Richard Hebditch, BPC coordinator, Better Planning Coalition (BPC)
- John Dickie, chief executive, BusinessLDN
- Paul Miner MA MRTPI FRGS, head of planning, CPRE, The Countryside Charity
- Chris Todd, director, Transport Action Network
- Kerry Booth, chief executive, Rural Services Network (RSN)
- Nida Al-Fulaij, chief executive, People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES)
- Becky Pullinger MRTPI, head of land use planning, The Wildlife Trusts
- Sam Peacock, managing director, Corporate Affairs, Regulation and Strategy, SSE
- Nicola Kane, chair, The Transport Planning Society (TPS)
- Charles Wood, deputy director of Policy, Energy UK
- Kate Henderson, chief executive, National Housing Federation (NHF)
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