TerraQuest News
- Jul 2023
Gain funding to clear your authority's caseload backlog
The UK Government has recently announced the Planning Skills Delivery Fund, which will allocate £24 million over the next two years to Local Authorities. The fund aims to aid in clearing the backlog of planning applications and prepare for the implementation of proposed planning reform.
This initiative is part of their comprehensive capability and capacity programme to improve planning services. Local Planning Authorities have the opportunity to apply for funding up to £100,000 to hire more planning officers and specialised resources to assist in and support the processing of their applications.
A study by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) found that 82% of Local Authorities had difficulty hiring planners in the last 12 months. If your Local Authority are facing resource challenges, then our planning application services could be the answer. And better yet, the Planning Skills Delivery Fund can finance these services for your authority. Read on to find out how you can access this fund.
Our planning application services
TerraQuest, the leading specialist land and planning services company in the UK and owner of Planning Portal, offers planning application support services throughout the country. We offer two types of planning application services: Planning Case Evaluation Service (PACES) and Planning Validation Service (PAVS). Be sure to speak to us about your needs so we can recommend the best service structure to suit your requirements.
Applying for the Planning Skills Delivery Fund
The fund is designed to address two key areas: backlog funding and skills funding. Local Authorities can apply for one or both services.
Here are the eligibility criteria for each funding element:
- Backlog funding - this is only available to Local Planning Authorities in England who are decision-makers on planning applications. It is the responsibility of each authority to demonstrate the nature and scale of its planning applications backlog. You can use this fund to finance our PACES or PAVS services depending on your requirements.
- Skills funding - this is available for all Local Authorities in England involved in plan-making and decision-making, which includes upper-tier authorities such as county councils. We have partnered with several Local Authorities to tailor validation training. This is something we can discuss with you and provide support with your funding application.
Key dates:
- 24 July 2023: funding application process launches.
- 11 September 2023: application process closes.
- September 2023: applications assessed by DLUHC.
- October 2023: announcement of successful Local Authorities.
Submitting an application
You can submit your application using this form. Before you apply, ensure you have the following information:
- Evidence of need
- Outputs of the proposal
- Outcomes of the proposal
- Costs and value for money
- Deliverability
Priority will be given to awarding funding to Local Planning Authorities that meet the criteria for backlog funding. A maximum of 75% of the total fund will be available for backlog funding, with the remaining funding will be awarded to Local Authorities applying for skills funding. Visit the government website for more information.
Partnering with TerraQuest
Get in touch to arrange an initial discovery call. We want to understand your challenges and discuss options around the level of support you need. You may want to understand more about our services and have initial questions we can answer, this can all be discussed during a call.
Our focus is on getting you to where you want to be, be that short or long-term, and working with you to support your funding application. Our team are all highly experienced Planning Technicians and Planning Officers with a structure that ensures efficiency and quality whilst delivering impressive results.
Next steps
If this is of interest, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further with you and your colleagues.
Contact: Patricia Ratcliffe
Tel: 0121 234 1300
Email: patricia.ratcliffe@terraquest.co.uk
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