The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has called on the government to take “immediate action” to increase public sector planners’ salaries, describing them as “stifling” and “stagnant”.
Responding to the Resourcing of Local Planning Authorities report published by the government last week , the RTPI said: “The matter of planners’ salaries cannot be simply part of a more general programme. Action is needed now, as a matter of urgency.”
The response continued: “The research findings on planners’ salaries confirm what the Institute – and many across the profession – already suspect. Salaries for council planners are low – low compared with salaries elsewhere in local government, low compared with salaries in the private sector, and too low to make planning an attractive career option for new graduates.
“In many authorities, restructuring has only contributed to the stifling of planners’ salaries at every employment level.”
The report, drawn up by Arup Economics & Planning and Bailey Consultancy, stated: “Planners have not been able to convince society of their worth and have themselves become demoralised by heavy workloads. Planning needs to be seen as a mainstream local authority function, given more respect and commensurate salaries so as to attract and keep quality staff”.
EGi News 27/02/02
