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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen the capacity of local planning authorities in the light of their commitment to recruit 300 additional planning officers by 2026, and in order to increase access to qualified design expertise.

My department intends to update the National Design Guide and National Model Design Code in Spring 2025, and we will continue to bolster design skills and capacity through the £46 million package of capacity and capability support provided to local planning authorities. This will be used to fund the recruitment and training of 300 graduate and apprentice planners, along with £1 million of funding to Public Practice for the recruitment of planners, architects and urban designers.

Together, this framework provides a clear basis for the delivery of more high-quality, well-designed homes.

Additionally, our commitment to recruit 300 additional planners, taken alongside wider planning policy changes, will help us to deliver the housing and economic growth this country desperately needs.

We are also developing a wider programme of support, working with partners across the planning sector, to ensure that local planning authorities have the skills, including around design, both now and in the future.