Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has plans to increase the number of additional planning officers.

MHCLG does not hold detailed data on the number of planning officers recruited by individual local authorities.

In 2023, the Department commissioned a nationwide survey to improve understanding of the capacity and capability issues reported in local planning authorities. The findings of the local authority planning capacity and skills survey have been used to guide support and monitor investment impacts. We are currently analysing the results of the 2025 pulse survey, which will update key metrics and compare them to the 2023 baseline.

Our manifesto committed us to appointing 300 new planning officers into local planning authorities. We are on track to meet that commitment through two routes, namely graduate recruitment through the Pathways to Planning scheme run by the Local Government Association and mid-career recruitment through Public Practice.

On 27 February, the government announced funding to support salaries and complement graduate bursaries. Further information can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 27 February 2025 (HCWS480).

The government has also increased planning fees for householder and other applications from 1 April 2025, which will provide much-needed additional resources for hard-pressed local planning authorities. The government is also taking forward measures in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill that will enable local planning authorities to set their own planning fees to cover their costs.

Through our funding of the Planning Advisory Service, support is also being provided to local planning authorities and their staff (including ecologists) in relation to the implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain.