Public Practice receives Government funding boost

The Housing Minister has announced new grant funding for Public Practice to help more local authorities recruit skilled built environment professionals. The not-for-profit will become one of the government’s key delivery partners to help solve the planning skills shortage.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has awarded Public Practice £500,000 to help boost local authority planning capacity. This grant will support the government’s target of hiring 300 new planning and placemaking professionals into the public sector. The additional funding will enable Public Practice to broaden the scope of its Associate Programme and make its unique support more accessible to authorities across England through a salary support programme.

The critical skills shortage in local government has been widely reported, and teams nationwide are seriously under-resourced. With the government’s ambition to deliver 1.5m new homes, new skills and greater capacity in planning departments is urgently needed across England.

For the last three years, Public Practice’s Recruitment and Skills survey has highlighted that the number one recruitment challenge officers face is the difficulty of attracting qualified and skilled candidates to fill capacity gaps in their teams. Over 70% of teams reported this in 2024.

The survey showed that this lack of capacity is acutely felt on the ground, with more than half of planning and placemaking professionals saying their team lacked the capacity to meet strategic goals beyond their minimum statutory responsibilities.

The government’s manifesto stated that it will support local authorities by appointing 300 new planning officers to help clear the backlog of planning applications and deliver on the government’s target of 1.5 million new homes. Public Practice will support the government by attracting planners, along with other built environment professionals with expertise in housing delivery, landscape and the natural environment, and urban design.

Public Practice is a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to improve the quality, equality, and sustainability of places. The not-for-profit does this through its leading job placement scheme, The Associate Programme. During the past eight years, the organisation has attracted over 3,000 built environment professionals to apply to its Associate Programme, with nine out of ten (92%) candidates applying from outside the public sector. Of these 3,000, it has placed over 360 Associates with diverse placemaking skills in almost 100 public sector organisations.

This initiative works with local authorities to place talented, mid‐career built-environment professionals into public sector roles, for a minimum of one year, while supporting their transition by offering guidance and a professional network. With 74% of Associates remaining in place two years after their 12-month contract ended, the programme has shown a positive legacy and been a success at building the capacity and capability of planning teams.

Public Practice will use this funding boost to increase local authorities’ capacity by continuing to attract and recruit highly motivated, impact-driven placemaking professionals from outside the public sector, supporting them in their transition and bringing their skills to local government at this critical time. The funding will also include salary support for local authorities following a carefully targeted approach based on a number of eligibility factors.

This grant marks a significant step in enabling Public Practice to continue championing the role of multidisciplinary skills in planning and placemaking and supporting more local authorities in building the capacity they need to shape fairer, more sustainable places.

Pooja Agrawal, CEO at Public Practice, said:

“We are thankful to MHCLG for their continued support of Public Practice’s mission. We are proud of our role in bringing highly motivated and talented individuals with diverse placemaking skills into the public sector to support local authorities in achieving their ambitions.

Our aim has always been to help improve the quality of places for the benefit of everyone, and local government can only do this if it is well-resourced and supported with the right skills in place. This funding will allow us to continue the expansion and awareness of the Associate Programme across England at a time when planning and placemaking skills are so desperately needed.”

Dr Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, said:

“Local authorities are on the frontline of tackling the housing crisis, and this investment will equip them with the skilled professionals needed to meet the government’s ambitious housing targets.

“This funding marks an important step toward recruiting the 300 new planners promised by the government. By beginning to address the critical resource shortage, it empowers councils with more expertise to create sustainable, inclusive, and thriving places. We urge councils to work quickly with Public Practice to help restore capacity, to not only help with the existing urgent need, but to prepare for the implementation of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.”

Samuel Stafford MRTPI, Managing Director at Land, Planning and Development Federation (LPDF), said:

“LPDF is very pleased to see that the work of Public Practice will be supported by this further award of grant funding. The need to bolster skills and capacity within local planning authorities has never been more acute, but it would be more acute without the work of Public Practice and this represents a welcome endorsement of their efforts.”

Melissa Lockett, Senior Investment Manager – Public Investments at L&G said:

“At L&G, we are proud to support Public Practice in its mission to strengthen local government capacity and champion placemaking expertise within the public sector. We’re pleased to see continued recognition from central government, and we welcome MHCLG’s grant award as a vital endorsement of the important work Public Practice is doing to deliver better places for communities across England.”

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

All media requests, including requests for comment/interview from/with Pooja Agrawal (CEO), should be sent to felicity.gransden@publicpractice.org.uk

MEDIA PACK

For supporting imagery, please see our media pack. Photography should be credited to Fiona Finchett.

ABOUT PUBLIC PRACTICE

Public Practice was founded as a social enterprise in 2017 to build the public sector’s capability to improve the quality, equality, and sustainability of places. It believes that the role of local government is crucial in creating and managing everyday places that work for everyone and that to achieve this, it must be well-resourced with diverse placemaking skills and the right support to lead the way. The organisation delivers services to help the public sector build capacity and develop its placemaking capabilities. This includes the recruitment of talented placemaking professionals into the sector through its Associate Programme, a jobs board for senior placemaking officers, the publication of its Recruitment and Skills Survey Report and public placemakers magazine Public Notice.

FUNDERS

Public Practice has support from the private, third and public sectors. Public Practice’s grant funders and supporters include MHCLG and the Greater London Authority. Partners include Legal and General, L&Q, Land Planning and Development Federation and the RTPI. More information here.