Unions and environmental groups have urged the government to boost funding for key environmental regulators in the Budget, warning that chronic under-resourcing, not nature protections, is driving delays in the planning system.
In a letter to chancellor Rachel Reeves, seen by CSW's sister publication PoliticsHome, organisations including civil service unions Prospect and PCS, as well as GMB, BFAWU, the TUC, Green Alliance, E3G, Friends of the Earth and the Better Planning Coalition said that regulators are “builders not blockers” and called for major investment to restore capacity across the sector ahead of next week's Autumn Budget.
The Labour government has pledged to build 1.5m homes this Parliament and introduced a package of planning and nature regulation reforms to support that goal, including the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, an updated National Planning Policy Framework and plans for three new towns.
As part of this push, Labour figures have contrasted themselves with "blockers" who frustrate the building of houses and other projects.
However, critics have warned that some of the Bill’s proposals risk weakening environmental protections. Campaigners have said that ministers’ claims that green rules are blocking development ignore the wider structural issues behind slow housing delivery.
The co-signatories of the letter argued that the defunding of regulators under the last Conservative government is one of the main reasons for delays in the planning process, citing figures that show that the majority of the increase in missed planning deadlines in recent years has been caused by understaffing and other resourcing issues.
“From climate change to sewage outflows; power outages to biosecurity, environmental regulators play a vital role in sustaining economic growth, not holding it back,” the letter said.
“We believe that contrary to the unhelpful rhetoric currently surrounding regulators, they are builders, not blockers. Through properly resourcing them in the Autumn Budget, the government can make a significant positive difference to the twin aims of economic growth and tackling the climate crisis.”
In 2024-25, Natural England was unable to meet target response times for 1,316 planning applications, mostly as a result of workload issues and staff absences. In 2024-25, the Environment Agency missed target response times for 847 planning applications, also largely due to workload and staffing issues.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency has long struggled with staffing and skills gaps resulting from funding cuts and civil service pay policies, and the Public Accounts Committee reported this month that “APHA struggles to recruit and retain sufficient vets”.
The organisations also pointed out that, when given the choice between properly resourcing environmental regulators and cutting back regulations, the public overwhelmingly prefers the former approach. Recent YouGov polling found 60% support for the resourcing proposal, compared to just 13 per cent support for cutting regulations.
Sue Ferns, senior deputy general secretary of Prospect, told PoliticsHome: “For too long, regulators have been demonised as getting in the way of growth when, in actual fact, good regulation is the heart of sustainable economic development.
“This is not a binary choice between the environment and growth. Current delays in planning approvals are frequently the result of insufficient resources caused by spending cuts, and nothing to do with regulation."
She added: “If the chancellor really wants to make this a pro-growth Budget that improves the country for the next generation, they should take the opportunity to properly fund regulators so they can work with businesses to quickly approve developments while protecting our natural environment.”
The letter follows the Environmental Audit Committee's conclusion last week that nature protections are not a significant barrier to housebuilding.
"Using nature as a scapegoat means that the government will be less effective at tackling some of the genuine challenges facing the planning system," the report said.
A government spokesperson told PoliticsHome: “Regulators like the Environment Agency and Natural England are central to this government’s mission of restoring nature and delivering growth to help raise living standards for working people across the country.
“We are committed to ensuring that environmental regulation works for everyone and are already implementing major reforms to boost growth and protect nature, in response to the Corry Review.
“The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will also introduce landmark reforms, including the Nature Restoration Fund, that will create a win-win for the economy and the environment to help us build 1.5 million homes.”
This article was written by PoliticsHome political reporter Zoe Crowther, where it first appeared