b"Local Government Lawyer 5the one-size-fits-all approach underminingof construction workers, and a lack of privateViability is such a challenge and the local needs, with one person describing theinvestmentare the main barriers to buildingmarket is such a challenge, he says.method as a straitjacket which ignores andout the 1.5 million homes.The war in Ukraine has caused the price is unrelated to local constraints. Three-quarters of respondents labelled aof energy, fuel, gas, and electricity to surge, lack of private investment as the main barrier. alongside the price of concrete and steel. Resources or regulations? A lack of public funds was the second mostIn addition, growing modern-day demands One area where respondents agree is thatlisted issue, while respondents also said aon the power grid are also presenting reforming the NPPF alone is not enough.shortage of skilled construction workers andchallenges, Feild says. When asked directly if altering the NPPFlocal politics are problematic. The states are envisaging theyre going to would impact housebuilding, just over halfDr. Paul Feild, Principal Standards &need something like 50% increase in power (51%) said it would increase the number ofGovernance Lawyer at Barking and Dagenhamprovision by 2030, similar demands for power homes built. Council, says global events are also takingcan be expected in the UK as well.However, respondents suggest that moretheir toll, inflating the prices of materials andAI is a massive consumer of energy and practical variableslike funding, availabilityenergy. power and data centres are desperate to In terms of your legal department's support to planning officers (e.g. in terms of s106 agreements)build more.In terms of your legal departments support to planning officers (e.g. in terms of s106 agreements) do you think that a shortage of legal officers is: People problemsdo you think that a shortage of legal officers is:Another serious problem is poorly resourced and staffed planning departments. Adversely affecting service delivery all of the time 19% Four in five respondents (83%) said a shortage of planning officers is adversely Adversely affecting planning service delivery most affecting service delivery either some of the of the time 30% time (28%), most of the time (34%) or all of the time (21%).Adversely affecting service delivery some of the 33% In acknowledgement of this, the time Government announced funding for 300 new planning officers last year, but this equates to Not affecting service delivery department is19% less than one new officer per local planning sufficiently resourced. authority.John Gregory meanwhile described the 300 Do you agree with the introduction of the newnew planning officers as a drop in the ocean, Do you agree with the introduction of the new standard method for calculating housing need? adding that more thinking needs to be done in standard method for calculating housing need? terms of retaining planning officers once they are recruited.The same goes for planning lawyers, he adds, who face a choice between working in private practice or pursuing a lower-paid 50% 50% career in local government.Local government lawyers have often spent five or six years training and are being asked to take on a significant amount of responsibility for key decisions, but the salaries being offered often dont reflect that In terms of the processing of applications inand are usually significantly lower than those Yes Nobeing offered in the private sector, he says. general, do you think that a shortage ofIn days gone by, you could sort of play In terms of the processing of applications in general, do you think that a shortage of planning officers is: that off against work-life balance, flexible planning officers is: working, and remote working. But the thing is, the private sector has caught up on that, Adversely affecting service delivery all of the 21% and demands on local government lawyers are time only increasing, so that advantage is kind of Adversely affecting planning service delivery 34% disappearing.most of the time For Gregory, the solution lies in Adversely affecting service delivery some of the Whitehall providing more resourcing for time 28% local government, which mirrors the survey Not affecting service deliverydepartment isresponses. sufficiently resourced. 17% Responding to a question on whether a shortage of legal officers is affecting the legal departments support to planning officers, 81% of respondents said the shortage was"