The planning profession is facing unprecedented challenges to its public image. Many political narratives on both left and the right frame it as a barrier to the solution of the unfolding housing crisis. This is leading to calls to “planning reform” on the national level, and the widespread abuse and mistreatment of planners at the local level, at the detriment of their mental health and working conditions. It's seen a quarter of planners leave the public sector between 2013 and 2020.
In addition to issues around retention, responding to a survey by the RTPI, 82% of local authority planners said their employer had difficulties hiring planners in the last 12 months and 68% saw competitive salaries as a key difficulty for local authorities.
We've launched this hub to highlight the findings from our Interim State of the Profession analysis, including the challenges around recruitment and retention, but also the opportunities around a sector with an increasingly diverse membership base.
Our analysis of the state of the planning profession is a precursor to a report we will publish later this year.
Are you a politician working in planning?
The RTPI’s Politicians in Planning network includes over 500 elected representatives involved in planning and planning decisions.
The cross-party network was established in 2021 to help bridge the gap between planning professionals and elected politicians and support our shared ambitions for vibrant, healthy and sustainable places for communities to live, work and interact.
The network helps local authority and parliamentary politicians across all UK and Ireland’s planning systems to share best practice, to access information and receive a regular newsletter on planning matters free of charge.
