Planning vacancies are putting ministers’ housing target at risk

Monday 15 June 2026

One in ten council planning jobs in England are vacant, slowing decisions and putting the government’s flagship housebuilding target at risk, says UNISON today (Monday).

New research by the union finds widespread shortages across key planning roles, leaving councils struggling to process applications and keep pace with the government’s ambition to build 1.5m homes by 2029.

The report – Short of Planners, Short of Homes – reveals vacancies in more than 10% of planning posts, which UNISON warns is contributing to delays in decision-making over other infrastructure projects.

At many councils, planning applications are in a queue simply to be registered, with no clear timeframe for approval or rejection – despite government targets for deciding on projects. This is creating uncertainty for developers and slowing delivery, the union says.

UNISON says long-term planning is also being hampered. Just 55% of councils have an up-to-date local plan – which sets out future development in an area – limiting their ability to co-ordinate crucial housebuilding amid shortages, putting the green belt at risk and increasing the number of speculative applications, according to the report.

The findings build on the union’s 2025 research, which identified almost 900 planning vacancies across England and found just one in five (21%) councils had fully staffed planning departments.

UNISON says years of austerity-era cuts to council budgets have reduced capacity across the system at a crucial time for the Labour government, which sees housebuilding as key to economic growth.

Spending on planning and development services fell by 58% per person between 2010 and 2020, while housing spending decreased by 44% over the same period*, the union adds.

UNISON head of local government Mike Short said: “Councils are being asked to deliver 1.5 million new homes to boost growth, but they don’t have enough planners to process applications quickly and effectively.

“Delays are increasingly common, slowing down development and leaving communities waiting longer for the homes and infrastructure they need.

“Without proper investment in planning staff, the government’s bold housing ambitions will be almost impossible to deliver.”

Notes to editors:

– The Short of Planners, Short of Homes report can be found here. New data in the report is based on Freedom of Information requests sent to all planning authorities in England.

– *A 2024 report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies found spending on planning and development had fallen by 58% across England’s councils between 2010 and 2020, while spending on housing per person decreased by 44%.

– Findings from the report will be discussed at UNISON’s annual Local Government Conference at the Brighton Centre, Kings Road, Brighton BN1 2GR taking place on Sunday 14 and Monday 15 June.

– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:

Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: [email protected]
Dan Ashley M: 07789 518992 E: [email protected]