Politicians urged to fund "high quality" planning service

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has called on political parties to ensure local planning authorities receive the necessary funding to deliver high-quality planning services that meet the needs of their communities.

This is just one of the commitments the institute would like political parties to make outlined in its Planifesto 2024, launched on 22 September.

This comes ahead of this year's party conferences and next year's General Election.

Planifesto sets out how the UK Government should collaborate with planners to create communities that can flourish and thrive. It also identifies key areas where political parties should commit to action.

As well as funding high-quality planning services, this includes:

• requiring a professionally qualified chief planner in every council to help improve the quality of planning services, and significantly improve their capacity to deliver the support that councillors and the public expect and need;
• explaining where manifesto promises will be delivered, and providing significant spatial guidance on where infrastructure should be built and connected;
• empowering communities through local plans to give communities a greater say in the development of their areas;
• promoting sustainability by planning for net-zero emissions and supporting renewable energy and sustainable technology;
• connect and coordinate local leaders' and government agencies' actions across housing and labour markets, transport and energy networks and ecosystems.

The institute argues that while these actions are ambitious, they are necessary to improve the cost of living, create better pathways to home ownership, and drive the economic and environmental transformations that parties across the political spectrum have promised.

Victoria Hills, chief executive of the RTPI, said: "We’re urging parties to engage with the planning profession early in their General Election preparations to ensure that every community has access to the homes, infrastructure, and support they need to prosper".

"With a public vote potentially around the corner, we see this as a pivotal time to articulate the purpose and value of proactive planning. We'll continue to engage with political parties and candidates to ensure a sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive future for the UK, where planning plays a central role".

For more information on this subject, see:

• RTPI Planifesto 2024.