Thirty-three leading organisations from across planning, housing, nature, and energy have signed a joint letter to Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook, calling for £6.8 million in urgent funding to support Planning Schools to continue to recruit and train apprentice planners.
The Department for Education (DfE) has announced that from January 2026, apprenticeship levy funding for Level 7 apprenticeships will be restricted to only individuals aged between 16 and 21. The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) warns this could result in 200 fewer planners entering the workforce each year.
The impact of DfE’s decision is already being felt. One RTPI-accredited planning school has announced it will withdraw its Level 7 apprenticeship programme from 2026, while another has paused recruitment to its undergraduate-entry apprenticeship.
With around 70% of planning apprentices working and training in local government, the restrictions will intensify pressures on an already overstretched system.
The decision has prompted concern among built and natural environment bodies, who recognise the need for a well-resourced planning system. Bodies like the RSPB, Energy UK, the National Trust, and the Home Builders Federation have joined the RTPI in highlighting the risks to the Government’s housing ambitions, net zero targets, economic growth, nature recovery, heritage, critical infrastructure, and local communities.
While ministers have pledged an additional 300 planning officers, recent research by unions and professional bodies suggests that between 600 and 3,000 more planners will be needed to meet the Government’s development ambitions. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s own 2023 survey found that nine in ten local authorities were struggling to recruit planners.
Dr Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, said: “We’re about to see measures taken by the Government that will choke off a vital pipeline of talent, just when local authorities need it most.
“Planning is at the heart of so many of the country’s biggest challenges, from building the homes we need and revitalising town centres, to protecting nature and meeting net zero. Without enough planners, these ambitions simply cannot be delivered.
“This is why urgent investment in skills and training is essential, to ensure every community has the planners it needs to thrive, now and in the future.”
Melanie Leech, Chief Executive, British Property Federation, said: “A well-functioning planning system is absolutely fundamental to delivering the homes, jobs and growth this country needs. Current delays and the lack of predictability add to risk and therefore costs, making development less viable. If the planning system isn’t functioning effectively, things won’t get built – it’s that simple. So we urge Government to properly resource it from the ground up.”
Carl Bunnage, the RSPB’s head of nature policy in England, said: “Years of budget cuts have left England’s planning system seriously creaking. With the UK Government fixed on growth and new infrastructure, now is the time to invest in a properly resourced system that will deliver high-quality, nature-friendly development and drive up economic, social and environmental standards. Supporting the next generation of planners through apprenticeships is a vital first step towards ensuring future development is delivered in a way that allows people and nature to thrive.”
Catherine Williams, Planning Director, Home Builders Federation: "Level 7 apprenticeships provide a crucial pathway into the planning profession for many. Removing the funding for those over 21 is entirely at odds with Government's ambition to build 1.5million homes in this Parliament. It will undermine both private and public sector resource. For the public sector in particular it will threaten the ability of local authorities to consider the vast numbers of planning applications that are anticipated and further prolong decision timescales."
Seán O'Reilly, Director, the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, said: “The IHBC is totally committed to supporting the wide-ranging - often unique - skills needed to effectively care for and enhance our existing buildings and places. This call reflects the need to build such skills from the earliest stages of any career, and especially where such skills have the most impact on outcomes, in our planning and plan-making processes.”
Paul Barnard, Chair of the Planning Working Group at the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport, said: “ADEPT represents the voice of senior public sector leadership in delivering quality placemaking. Our members are at the heart of delivering planning services across the country and we are very concerned about the impact that the changes to the L7 town planning apprenticeships will have on our members ability to recruit and retain the workforce that we so critically need.”
