Staff Shortages Threaten System As Planners Age

"According to the survey, local authorities will struggle 'to employ enough staff to run its services', with almost a third of council employees set to retire over the next decade."

"The report, 'Leading Lights: Recruiting the Next Generation in Local Government', blames the crisis on a combination of 'baby-boomers' pensioning themselves off and a lack of interest from graduates."

"A spokesman for the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) said: 'There is definitely an ageing population in planning expertise and a problem with attracting new staff... If you start losing a certain amount of this 'brain trust' it doesn't just affect the timescales, it also impacts on the decisions being made.'"