Public Practice receives £1 million to boost council planning skills

Social enterprise Public Practice has announced that it is to receive £1 million of additional funding from the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC).

The money will go towards expanding Public Practice’s work with councils into the Midlands and the South West for the first time. The announcement follows the organisation’s recent expansion into the North West, North East and Yorkshire.

The focus of Public Practice’s work will be on helping councils recruit planning staff and develop skills within their planning departments. Public Practice will also seek to develop greater awareness about planning and urban design-related careers in local government, as well as sharing best practice around improving communities in the public sector.

The funding decision followed a recent government announcement that it would be undertaking a consultation on increases to planning fees in order to generate additional income for councils to help deliver and improve planning services.

“Planning and placemaking is one of local government’s most important functions as it shapes the places we all live in, work and visit.”

In parallel, the government is also backing a wider programme of support and investment in data and digital technology that aims to reduce the administrative burdens on local planning authorities. More than £3.25 million from the Proptech Engagement Fund is due to be spent on 28 projects across England, supporting digital tools intended to make the planning system more accessible. 

Minister for Housing and Planning Rachel Maclean said: “Planning plays such an important role in shaping our neighbourhoods, making sure we have the right housing and infrastructure to level up the nation. It is essential that our planning authorities have the skills and resources they need and today’s funding will make sure the sector is better equipped to deliver a quality service for local communities.”

Pooja Agrawal, CEO of Public Practice, said: “Planning and placemaking is one of local government’s most important functions as it shapes the places we all live in, work and visit.

“However, it is clear that local authorities have substantial skills gaps which hinders the ability of developers and councils to deliver good quality new and refurbished homes, sustainable public spaces or accessible town centres and high streets.

“We are grateful to the Department of Levelling Up for this funding. We have a proud track record of bringing private sector planning and placemaking talent into local authorities and helping them to forge long-term careers in the public sector.

“Now is not the time to rest on our laurels but to re-double our efforts. We have a mission to help every council in England to find the skilled planners and place professionals they need to make communities and neighbourhoods better across our nation.”

Rob Perrins, Chief Executive of Berkeley Group, said: “The planning system is the gateway to investment in local communities and has a huge and lasting impact on people’s health, wellbeing and life chances.

“However we are deeply concerned about the capacity and skills challenges faced by local authorities. We need to make the planning system much more efficient, especially on brownfield regeneration sites. That’s why we’re delighted Public Practice continues to grow and support the high-quality planning and placemaking services our town and cities need.”

RIBA President Simon Allford said: “RIBA has long stated that the Government must invest in building up the capacity of local authority planning departments, particularly with qualified design expertise - and that includes many of the skills provided by architects. 

“This new fund is a step in the right direction, but more funding and resources must be allocated to local authorities to build the high-quality, sustainable homes and public places that we need. We look forward to responding to the DLUHC consultation on planning fees in due course.”