How many planners are needed in Wales to meet the Welsh Government's priorities and ensure the running of an effective planning system, and are current numbers sufficient?
Planning services are finding it hard to meet expectations due to significant financial and staffing pressures. I have recently commissioned the Royal Town Planning Institute to undertake a piece of work on ‘workforce planning’ which will be published in the summer. It will provide a detailed picture of the capacity, resource and skills situation across public sector planning services. To increase the pipeline of new entrants entering the planning profession, I have recently provided funding through the Pathways to Planning project to support local planning authority staff obtain a planning qualification.