Aisling Byrne is Senior Public Affairs Officer at the RTPI
On Budget day , all eyes were on Westminster as the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, delivered a historic first Budget for the new Labour government. Earlier this summer, the Government had identified a £22 billion “black hole” in public finances, leading to speculation that spending cuts and tax rises would feature heavily in this Autumn Budget.
It was evident that, as seen during their election campaign, planning reform has been identified by this Government as a driver of economic growth. At the despatch box Reeves noted planning transformation as a key component in increasing investment, building new infrastructure, and delivering the Government’s growth strategy.
Growing capacity in the planning system
Reeves confirmed £46 million of additional funding to support recruitment and training of 300 graduates and apprentices into local planning authorities. A first step in the delivery of the Labour party manifesto commitment of increasing the number of planning officers in local authorities to help boost and upskill local planning authority capacity to deliver the government’s wider reform agenda.
The RTPI welcomes this announcement as a positive move in addressing resourcing pressures placed on the profession. As an organisation, we are dedicated to supporting a diverse and robust pipeline of young professionals entering planning, as demonstrated by the launch of our BALANCE (Build a Legacy And New Community Equality) initiative in January by RTPI President, Lindsey Richards.
Given the continued capacity strain on the system, particularly with the Government’s drive to deliver their 1.5 million housebuilding target, we will continue to call for more attention to be given to strategic long-term solutions to boost the productivity and capacity of the planning system.
Our State of the Profession 2023 report found that the number of planners working in the public sector shrunk by a quarter between 2009 and 2020. Planners will now be looking to the Government to develop an ambitious approach to resourcing, with a view to improving public sector retention. Further support needs to be in place to ensure that more planners; apprentice, graduate, mid-level and senior are incentivised to develop and continue as planning professionals in the public sector.
Delivering on affordable new homes
In the weeks leading up to the Budget it was reported that capital injection for social and affordable housing was a contentious subject in government discussions. However, on the day itself, the Chancellor announced a housing package that will deliver up to 5,000 additional affordable social homes with £500 million boost to the Affordable Homes Programme.
This funding will help councils to continue to provide essential new affordable housing under a programme which has already been instrumental in housing delivery, but there is potential for wider exploration of pathways to delivery.
In our 2024 Planifesto we called for the new Government to support councils in playing a “master developer” role in assembling and supplying land. The Government can play a key role here in unlocking potential within local authorities by supporting strategic funding and skills development, enabling more local authorities to be involved in direct delivery.
At the RTPI we will also be examining and continuing to push for the prioritisation of sustainability within housing delivery. Accessibility to services by walking, cycling or public transport is key to building thriving, healthy communities. On Wednesday 6 November, the RTPI and LandTech will be publishing a joint research report examining the sustainability of housing delivery over the past decade under the previous NPPF.
As the Government continues its housing delivery mission, the new NPPF must prioritise housing developments in locations that reduce car reliance and close regional and rural-urban accessibility gaps, to truly support and deliver sustainable, healthy communities.
