Housebuilding

Debate between Lord Evans of Rainow and Lord Snape

Thursday 21st September 2023 Lords Chamber

[Lord Snape]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that local authorities in England have sufficient resources to meet planned house building targets.

[Lord Evans of Rainow (Con)]

My Lords, the Government are committed to our ambition of delivering 300,000 homes a year. To ensure that local authorities have sufficient resources, we have laid regulations to increase planning fees by 35% for major applications and 25% for other applications. Subject to parliamentary approval, this fee increase will come into force before the end of the year. We have also developed a planning capacity and capability programme to support local authorities to address specific resourcing challenges.

[Lord Snape (Lab)]

I thank the Minister for that reply and welcome him to the Dispatch Box on what I understand is his first occasion answering Questions. Does he accept that statistics gathered jointly this month by Close Brothers Property Finance, the Home Builders Federation and Travis Perkins show that over 90% of respondents stated that delays in securing local planning permission and lack of resources in LA planning departments are the major barriers to building and development? Will he reconsider plans to ring-fence funds for planning improvement, as well as reinstating new housing targets, which are surely both essential to house our growing population and to help more people on to the housing ladder?

[Lord Evans of Rainow (Con)]

My Lords, I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the noble Lord for his public service over many years as a councillor in Bredbury, a Member of Parliament in the West Midlands and, indeed, chair of Stockport County Football Club back in the day. I accept that it is vital that local planning authorities have the resources they need to provide an effective planning service. We did consult on a proposal to ring-fence the fee increase, and I recognise that it is strongly supported. However, we are not taking ring-fencing forward as it would overly restrict the local authorities. In relation to housing targets, the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement published on 6 December 2022 confirmed that the standard method of assessing local housing need will be retained. National planning policy continues to expect local authorities to follow the standard method to make sufficient provision for housing and identify the sites that will deliver much-needed homes to meet the needs of our communities across the United Kingdom.