An increase in planning fees could relieve hard-pressed local planning authorities but may be too late for others
The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), the largest professional body for town planners in the UK and Europe, say that proposed planning fee increases could help local planning services address capacity, recruitment, and performance issues.
The RTPI represents around 27,000 members across 80 countries. The organisation has informed planning policy and raised professional standards for over 100 years. The RTPI is the only body in the UK able to grant Chartered status to planners.
Fee increases will not stop staffing cuts
According to the RTPI, these challenges are threatening the government’s goals to boost home ownership and level up. However, the organisation is concerned that these increases may not come soon enough for councils with upcoming staffing cuts.
Heads of planning services within the RTPI’s consultation response have called for the fee increases to be brought forward as some councils have already scheduled staffing cuts for the 2023-24 financial year.
RTPI research has found that a 35% fee increase for major applications and a 25% increase for all other applications would lead to an above-inflation rise. The increase was proposed by the Department for Housing, Communities & Levelling Up. Members of the RTPI believe that these increases can help local planning services fight their capacity, recruitment, and performance challenges.
“Due to the council’s financial position, which is mirrored across the country, redundancies are the only realistic option unless resources can be ploughed into the service,” said Derek McKenzie, chief planner at Sefton MBC, who contributed to the consultation.
“In this respect, we had hoped that the ring-fenced increase proposal had been at a more advanced stage to enable us to maintain and improve on existing service provision without putting jobs at risk. As a chief officer, I am desperate for some clarity on this,” added McKenzie.
Fee increases need to align with inflation
The RTPI has urged the government to safeguard potential increases by annually adjusting fees in line with inflation. This would allow local planning councils to ring-fence any additional income for planning service provision.
“Our members have previously warned that capacity, recruitment, and performance are threats to the government’s ambitions to strengthen our plan-led system, boost home ownership and level up. We believe that increased planning fees will provide crucial assistance to local planning authorities in urgent need of support,” said Richard Blyth, head of policy practice and research at the RTPI.
