Nine in 10 local authority planning departments across England and Wales are understaffed, delaying planning decisions and threatening the government’s target of 1.5 million new homes, according to new research from the Home Builders Federation and Paragon Bank. The ‘Planning on Empty’ report is based on a Freedom of Information survey of councils across England and Wales examining staffing levels, vacancies, staff turnover and the use of agency workers during the 2025/26 financial year.
The research finds that 90% of local planning authorities are operating below full staffing capacity, with planning departments working at an average of just 80% of the staffing levels they say they need. On average, councils employ fewer than 36 planning staff despite requiring around 44 to operate at full capacity.
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The government has committed to recruiting 1,400 additional planners during this parliament, alongside almost £100million of investment in planning capacity since 2024, but the report suggests that these measures do not go far enough to address the shortfall in planners needed, particularly after the requirements introduced in the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The number of planners needed has continued to widen over the past year. Councils now require an estimated 2,660 additional planners to reach full staffing levels, a 20% increase on last year’s estimate of 2,200.
Despite the strong demand for these roles, the report says that recruitment and retention continue to be major challenges. Planning officers and senior planners account for almost half of all vacancies across planning departments, while average staff turnover stands at 11%. This has led to more than half of councils relying on agency workers to fill gaps in their teams, adding increased costs to council budgets.
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These staffing shortages are contributing directly to delays throughout the planning process. Only around 20% of major planning applications are determined within the statutory 13-week target, while recent HBF research found that Section 106 agreements take an average of 515 days to complete. Planning departments are also facing increased capacity constraints as they face an even more complex regulatory and compliance environment, with new regulations like Biodiversity Net Gain further limiting their ability to process funding.
Additionally, councils have consistently identified a lack of staff and resources as one of the main reasons they are unable to monitor, allocate and spend Section 106 funds efficiently, impacting their ability to provide communities with essential infrastructure.
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The HBF says that, while it welcomes the new NPPF and its ambition to accelerate housing delivery, its additional requirements risk further stretching already under-resourced local planning teams. Higher housing targets, faster decision-making and a stronger presumption in favour of development around transport hubs, alongside new strategic planning and viability requirements, will increase demands on officer time and expertise while reducing councils’ flexibility to respond to local priorities.
The HBF is encouraging the government to recognise the funding pressures facing local authorities and provide sustained, long-term funding to support councils in recruiting and retaining permanent planning staff. It is also urging ministers to ensure that new planning reforms are backed by additional resources, so that they can be implemented, and to publish annual data on the planning department’s capacity and performance.” Neil Jefferson, Chief Executive at Home Builders Federation, said: “Planning reform will only succeed if local planning authorities have the staff and resources to deliver it. Our research shows planning departments are operating with significant staffing shortages, making it harder for councils to process applications efficiently.” “At the same time, planning teams are being asked to manage an increasing number of responsibilities, placing even greater pressure on already stretched departments and slowing the delivery of new homes.”