Staff shortages in council planning departments risk derailing Andy Burnham’s housing goals, experts have warned.
Britain is facing a shortfall of 2,660 planning officials, according to a report from the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and Paragon Bank, up from 2,200 last year.
This will serve as a stark warning to the Prime Minister, who has promised to usher in the biggest council housebuilding boom in decades.
Experts warned that staff shortages were making it harder for councils to process applications.
Neil Jefferson, the chief executive of the HBF, said: “Planning reform will only succeed if local planning authorities have the staff and resources to deliver it.”
Only around 20pc of major planning applications are currently determined within a 13-week targeted timeframe, according to the report.
Neal Moy, the managing director at Paragon Development Finance, said many of the bank’s customers were still suffering “prolonged delays and inconsistent decision-making” because of understaffed planning teams.
“This has ramifications across the market and impacts the delivery of much-needed new homes,” he said.
“In some cases, we see applications from capable developers rejected, only to win consent on appeal months later, creating additional cost and delays.”
Angela Rayner, the Housing Secretary, has updated England’s planning policies in recent weeks to speed up housebuilding, as Labour lags behind its manifesto pledge to build 1.5 million homes during this parliament.
Ms Rayner’s changes include a default “yes” for homes within walking distance of well-connected railway stations and tougher land supply targets, alongside stricter rules on design quality.
However, planning officials are still required to rubber-stamp approval.
