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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Pursuant to the answer of 25 July 2024, to Question 1007, on Planning Authorities: Staff, whether the 300 planning officers will be recruited in addition to the Planning Capability and Capacity programme.

The Department continues to assess options for delivering 300 additional planning officers to ensure their recruitment supports the quality of local planning services, proposed reforms to the system, housebuilding priorities and our manifesto commitments. The recruitment will be overseen by the Department’s dedicated Planning Capacity and Capability team under the Chief Planner in MHCLG, in addition to its wider work to support local planning authorities.

This work includes funding the recruitment of new graduates into local planning authorities across England, and their professional training, through Pathways to Planning; as well as the national roll out of the Public Practice associate programme, which brings mid-career professionals into local authority employment to fill skill gaps in areas such as urban design.