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Written Question
Planning Inspectorate: Staff
Monday 12th May 2025

Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of Casework Officers employed in the Planning Inspectorate's Rights of Way and Common Land Decision Service in each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Planning Inspectorate does not hold historical information on case officers broken down by casework. However, the tracking of this information has commenced from the start of the financial year 2025/26.

Written Question
Planning Inspectorate: Standards
Monday 12th May 2025

Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the size of the backlog of cases in front of the Planning Inspectorate's Rights of Way and Common Land Decision Service in each month since 1 January 2020.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Based on the targets described below, the number of open cases over non-statutory targets each month is as follows:

Month (end of)

Number of open cases over non-statutory target

Rights of Way

Common Land

Jan-20

46

3

Feb-20

48

5

Mar-20

52

4

Apr-20

57

4

May-20

69

6

Jun-20

71

9

Jul-20

76

7

Aug-20

78

6

Sep-20

76

13

Oct-20

90

11

Nov-20

93

11

Dec-20

91

12

Jan-21

97

12

Feb-21

93

7

Mar-21

108

8

Apr-21

102

10

May-21

107

12

Jun-21

113

11

Jul-21

119

9

Aug-21

122

11

Sep-21

116

10

Oct-21

106

6

Nov-21

100

7

Dec-21

94

4

Jan-22

97

6

Feb-22

95

8

Mar-22

108

9

Apr-22

116

8

May-22

125

10

Jun-22

133

9

Jul-22

124

8

Aug-22

117

5

Sep-22

115

9

Oct-22

116

10

Nov-22

121

8

Dec-22

128

9

Jan-23

128

11

Feb-23

128

12

Mar-23

144

14

Apr-23

150

15

May-23

144

13

Jun-23

139

14

Jul-23

134

11

Aug-23

143

9

Sep-23

147

12

Oct-23

154

12

Nov-23

150

13

Dec-23

159

10

Jan-24

148

12

Feb-24

149

10

Mar-24

133

17

Apr-24

132

22

May-24

136

20

Jun-24

132

23

Jul-24

133

24

Aug-24

134

23

Sep-24

128

23

Oct-24

124

26

Nov-24

132

33

Dec-24

131

31

Jan-25

127

35

Feb-25

137

33

Mar-25

154

34

Apr-25

159

35

“Backlog” in this context is usually understood to refer to the number of cases which are over statutory deadlines. There are no statutory targets for Rights of Way and Common Land decisions.

However, non-statutory targets are as follows:

Non-statutory targets for Rights of Way decision

Procedure

Opposed orders

Schedule 14 appeals

Schedule 14 directions

Written representations

37 weeks

30 weeks

21 weeks

Hearings

39 weeks

39 weeks

N/A

Inquiries

45 weeks

45 weeks

N/A

Procedure

Non-statutory targets for Common Land decision

Written representations

In-house (no Inspector) no objections - 18 weeks In-house objections - 26 weeks Inspector cases - 40 weeks

Hearings

40 weeks

Inquiries

40 weeks

Due to limitations in the data storage, the inspector cases target (40 weeks) has been applied to all Common Land decisions by Written representation for the purposes of this answer.

Written Question
Sewers: Property Development
Tuesday 22nd April 2025

Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of requiring developers to use sustainable urban drainage systems in new developments.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is committed to securing the delivery of high-quality sustainable drainage systems to help manage flood risk and adapt to the effects of climate change.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework we published on 12 December 2024 amended an existing paragraph regarding incorporating sustainable drainage systems in new development to make clear that developments of all sizes are expected to make use of sustainable drainage techniques where the development could have drainage impacts. These systems should be appropriate to the nature and scale of the proposed development.

We will consider whether further changes are required to manage sustainable drainage systems provision through the planning system when we consult on further reform.

National Planning Guidance is clear that local authorities should be satisfied that all Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems have clear maintenance and adoption arrangements in place for the lifetime of a development.

Written Question
HM Land Registry
Wednesday 16th April 2025

Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many applications the Land Registry has received in each month since January 2020.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The table below outlines the number of applications HM Land Registry has received in each month since January 2020. These include register change applications that are a legal requirement and occur at the very end of a property transaction, after stamp duty land tax has been paid and the property has exchanged hands. The table also shows the number of guaranteed information service requests received each month. These take place before a property has exchanged hands and provide essential information and a state guarantee, offering protection to purchasers, lenders and their professional representatives, which enables the property market to function. HM Land Registry also provides a range of other services that inform the property market, and information about these has been included after the below table for wider context.

Month

Register Change Applications

Guaranteed Information Services

Total Applications

Jan-20

436,337

1,804,110

2,240,447

Feb-20

386,686

1,799,018

2,185,704

Mar-20

389,988

1,653,237

2,043,225

Apr-20

261,394

1,015,932

1,277,326

May-20

228,219

952,503

1,180,722

Jun-20

279,592

1,423,147

1,702,739

Jul-20

323,988

1,717,840

2,041,828

Aug-20

301,860

1,602,690

1,904,550

Sep-20

341,705

1,823,376

2,165,081

Oct-20

362,856

1,904,683

2,267,539

Nov-20

370,808

1,819,909

2,190,717

Dec-20

365,070

1,449,706

1,814,776

Jan-21

361,545

1,661,031

2,022,576

Feb-21

362,059

1,788,858

2,150,917

Mar-21

467,108

2,166,308

2,633,416

Apr-21

439,224

1,861,868

2,301,092

May-21

382,425

1,834,860

2,217,285

Jun-21

440,834

1,996,214

2,437,048

Jul-21

484,818

1,858,413

2,343,231

Aug-21

374,057

1,712,797

2,086,854

Sep-21

404,093

1,852,670

2,256,763

Oct-21

437,012

1,804,020

2,241,032

Nov-21

417,739

1,870,152

2,287,891

Dec-21

372,206

1,395,653

1,767,859

Jan-22

409,019

1,744,341

2,153,360

Feb-22

380,200

1,884,214

2,264,414

Mar-22

444,167

2,151,845

2,596,012

Apr-22

395,023

1,759,246

2,154,269

May-22

419,310

2,006,089

2,425,399

Jun-22

383,854

1,858,451

2,242,305

Jul-22

415,168

1,894,014

2,309,182

Aug-22

429,068

1,924,755

2,353,823

Sep-22

408,130

1,859,354

2,267,484

Oct-22

438,946

1,868,048

2,306,994

Nov-22

474,676

1,854,016

2,328,692

Dec-22

374,313

1,274,957

1,649,270

Jan-23

444,233

1,703,117

2,138,986

Feb-23

357,361

1,744,735

2,102,096

Mar-23

401,500

2,030,841

2,432,341

Apr-23

335,302

1,582,398

1,917,700

May-23

342,645

1,753,841

2,096,486

Jun-23

361,512

1,941,266

2,305,260

Jul-23

378,101

1,834,478

2,212,579

Aug-23

363,462

1,738,095

2,101,557

Sep-23

396,208

1,711,422

2,107,630

Oct-23

366,738

1,820,926

2,187,664

Nov-23

357,942

1,823,147

2,181,089

Dec-23

309,837

1,264,730

1,574,567

Jan-24

377,885

1,890,124

2,268,009

Feb-24

335,022

1,937,578

2,272,600

Mar-24

330,570

1,873,286

2,203,856

Apr-24

369,993

1,984,827

2,351,240

May-24

360,290

1,995,911

2,353,695

Jun-24

332,450

1,869,658

2,199,983

Jul-24

408,417

2,133,452

2,539,834

Aug-24

359,107

1,897,229

2,256,336

Sep-24

348,765

1,980,059

2,328,824

Oct-24

403,327

2,208,782

2,612,109

Nov-24

402,617

1,947,230

2,349,847

Dec-24

348,793

1,454,660

1,803,453

Jan-25

375,483

1,900,741

2,276,224

Feb-25

350,863

1,828,657

2,179,520

Mar-25

379,233

1,993,928

2,373,161

In addition, there has been increasing demand for other service types. The table below shows the additional service requests HM Land Registry receives annually as per HM Land Registry’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Other Service requests

FY 2019/20

FY2023/21

FY2021/22

FY2022/23

FY2023/24

Bulk Register updates

971,542

281,575

1,380,627

144,339

169,527

Enquiry Services

6,592,031

6,575,532

7,044,747

6,701,806

6,677,023

Correspondence

305,755

214,430

194,194

163,059

161,264

Telephone enquiries

989,047

571,448

851,812

714,140

209,037

MapSearch downloads

1,181,483

1,052,565

1,104,151

1,085,470

1,130,523

Search for land and property information

1,909,259

11,007,469

17,576,354

Title view

5,242,141

Total other service requests

10,039,858

8,695,550

12,484,790

19,816,944

31,165,869

Written Question
HM Land Registry
Wednesday 16th April 2025

Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to (a) recruit more Land Registry caseworkers and (b) reduce backlogs in the Land Registry application system.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

HM Land Registry (HMLR) has recruited over 3,300 new staff in the last five years. It has made significant progress in reducing waiting times for applicants. The age of outstanding post-completion applications is now under 12 months across all service lines, from a peak of 20 months in February 2023.

HMLR is committed to building on this progress by further expanding its capacity and capability. Through the automation of administrative processes, its staff will be freed to focus on more complex tasks that require their expertise. HMLR is also continually enhancing its digital customer services, with innovations like pre-submission application checks, designed to support customers and improve the quality of applications. Together, these initiatives will drive down delays, reduce the number of outstanding post-completion applications, and provide an overall better experience for customers.

HMLR acknowledges that some customers may not yet feel the full impact of these improvements. If a delay to an application may cause financial, legal, or personal problems or put a property sale at risk, it can be expedited free of charge. HMLR processes nearly 1,400 expedited applications every day, with more than 95% of these processed within 10 working days.

Written Question
Planning: Inspections
Tuesday 26th November 2024

Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps her Department has taken to reduce backlogs of cases before the Planning Inspectorate.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Planning Inspectorate has been performing well across a number of key areas such as local plan examinations, nationally significant infrastructure project applications, s62a applications and planning appeals proceeding by hearings and inquiries. It is, for example:

  • meeting all statutory timeframes for national infrastructure applications;
  • increasingly deciding planning appeals by hearing and inquiry in around 26 weeks (the ministerial measure), having already cleared a backlog of casework; and
  • beginning to decide enforcement appeals by hearing and inquiry in around 26 weeks (the ministerial measure) for the first time in many years, as it clears a long-standing backlog of casework.

The Inspectorate is implementing actions to maintain performance in these areas and to improve end-to-end times for other casework such as those cases decided after a written exchange of evidence. In the short term those actions are focused around increasing capacity by:

  • increasing the available capacity for inspectors/other decision makers by recruiting more. The Inspectorate has significantly increased the number of inspectors it employs over the past 18 months and is on track to recruit additional inspectors later this year;
  • using contract (non-salaried) inspectors to the full extent of their availability and expanding the range of casework they determine; and training inspectors to handle different casework to increase flexibility; and
  • moving more inspectors onto enforcement written representations casework in Spring 2025 once the work on improving hearings performance has progressed further.

In addition, the Inspectorate has designed and developed a new digital Appeals Service currently in Beta phase. This new service improves the process for submitting appeals, including reducing the number of invalid appeals submitted. In turn, this reduces the number of validation checks required and will speed up the time taken to validate appeals. The new service has been expanded to cover all local planning authority areas. Later this year the existing website will be closed so that all new appeals are submitted via the new service.