Digital Planning Improvement Fund 2025/2026

Welcome to the Digital Planning Improvement Fund 2025/2026. This page provides essential guidance for Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) interested in applying for funding.   

About the fund 

The Digital Planning Improvement Fund provides LPAs with the funding and support to adopt modern planning practices within planning data, digital capabilities and development management software.   

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will fund LPAs to:

  • understand digital planning maturity in your organisation to baseline a starting point  
  • co-create an action plan to help improve your organisation’s digital planning maturity  
  • access training and improvement opportunities  
  • identify, clean and publish datasets to the Planning Data Platform  
  • join the Open Digital Planning (ODP) community 

We’ll be accepting applications continuously and formally reviewing them in batches. You can submit your application by midday on 29 July 2025 to be considered for our first cohort, with onboarding starting in September 2025.

If you submit an application after the July deadline, we will automatically consider it for the next cohort and contact you with further details later in the year.

This approach allows us to provide high-quality support, by onboarding councils in coordinated groups.

While this is not a competitive funding process, we will ask questions to assess your readiness to receive the funding and begin the work.

Success stories  

You can see links below to detailed case studies and quotes from other local planning authorities, to learn how previous recipients of the funding are successfully transforming their planning services and the specific benefits they’ve achieved. 

Questions and support 

For more information visit Open Digital Planning. 

A Q&A session was recently held. If you missed this and have any questions about the fund or application process please email us at [email protected] 

Summary 

Purpose: The Digital Planning Improvement Fund provides Local Planning Authorities with the funding and support to adopt modern planning practices within planning data, digital capabilities and development management software. 

Type of fund: We’re inviting LPAs to apply for this funding. While this is not a competitive funding process, we will ask questions to assess your readiness to receive the funding and begin the work. 

Eligibility: Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) in England.

Funding available: £50,000 per LPA.

Application form: Use this application form.

Dates: You are encouraged to submit your application as soon as possible. While applications are accepted continuously they will be formally reviewed in batches. The first will be accepted until midday on 29 July 2025, with onboarding beginning in September 2025.