How the Autumn Budget can support the planning system in the year ahead

Aisling Byrne is a Senior Public Affairs Officer at the Royal Town Planning Institute

On Wednesday 26 November 2025, Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, will deliver the Autumn Budget. The RTPI submitted our written representation to HM Treasury last month. Our submission highlighted emerging findings from our State of the Profession 2025 survey and detailed where additional investment into the planning system can help support and effectively deliver the Government’s ambitions.

After a busy year of planning reform including the reintroduction of strategic planning, Government ambitions for universal local plan coverage and a change in funding for apprenticeships, we identified three key funding considerations for HM Treasury:

1. Support strategic authorities with the estimated £62.7million to £147.2 million cost of preparing Spatial Development Strategies (SDSs), as outlined in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill Impact Assessment.  
   
   
2. Reinstate local authority planning policy funding to 2010 levels with an additional  £136.7million funding into “other planning policy”, to speed up local plan preparation and thereby increase local plan coverage. 
   
   
3. Mitigate the anticipated reduction in planning capacity due to Level 7 apprenticeship funding changes through an alternative funding provision of £27,983,600 to fully fund part-time master’s bursaries with funded work placements for 400 planners, over the remainder of this Parliament. 

Our recently published State of the Profession 2025 report has provided a backdrop for the current capacity and resourcing context, demonstrating why significant investment into the planning system will be essential.

Investing in strategic planning

There have been efforts by Government to address capacity concerns within the planning sector, with a commitment to recruitment of an additional 300 planning officers by the end of 2026. However, our research shows 84.6% of Local Planning Authority respondents report their teams having vacancies, with nearly 17% identifying six or more vacancies within their team. The 300 additional officers’ figure is not nearly enough to address these existing capacity constraints, let alone emerging workforce demands. 

The Government’s growth agenda will not just require planners in local authorities, but capacity in the private sector, statutory consultees, the Planning Inspectorate and the rejuvenated ATLAS service. The development of Spatial Development Strategies alone could require 150 -200 planners, with production of SDSs potentially costing up to £147.2 million according to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill impact assessment. The Government should assert its commitment to strategic planning by ensuring that there is appropriate funding allocation for the preparation of SDSs.

The road to universal local plan coverage

The State of the Profession 2025 identifies that the planning system in England has experienced a 16.6% real terms disinvestment since 2010, with planning policy as a function being disproportionately affected by these cuts, experiencing a 28.8% real term reduction in expenditure. If the Government wants to set us on the course to achieving universal local plan coverage and provide the certainty and confidence for the sector to bring forward the growth agenda across the country, planning policy investment needs to be brought in line with 2010 levels of funding, at a minimum.

Building our future workforce

In England, over 20% of respondents to the RTPI’s State of the Profession 2025 survey stated that they intend to leave the profession in the next three years, either to retire or to move into a different career. We have also been repeatedly raising our concerns around the impact of changes in funding for Level 7 apprenticeships in England which could lead to a net loss of approximately 200 new planners a year, 70% of which typically work and train in local government. Nearly three quarters of Local Planning Authority respondents to the State of the Profession 2025 said they expect changes to Level 7 apprenticeships to have an impact on their services, with 61.6% anticipating a major or moderate impact.

To mitigate the anticipated reduction in planning capacity due to Level 7 apprenticeship funding changes, we have proposed to HM Treasury an alternative provision to support 400 new planners into the system over the remainder of this Parliament through fully funded part-time master’s bursaries with funded work placements.

Budget day

We’ll be tuning into the Autumn Budget speech on the 26 November and noting any announcements that could impact our members and the wider built environment. Keep an eye out for our post-Budget analysis of the announcements.