Draft Community Infrastructure Levy (Amendment) (England) (No. 2) Regulations 2019

Jim Fitzpatrick Excerpts

Thursday 27th June 2019 General Committees

[Jim Fitzpatrick (Poplar and Limehouse) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Gapes. I have three brief questions for the Minister, and I apologise if they touch on questions raised by my hon. Friend the Member for City of Durham. First, the Minister mentioned that less than £1 billion was raised in infrastructure levy money, but an additional £500 million was raised in London for the infrastructure levy. He then said that £5 billion was raised in section 106 money, but I did not catch the London figures, so I assume that the London section 106 money is included in that £5 billion. Is there a separate figure for London?

Secondly, outline planning approvals can last for some considerable time. In east London, as the Minister knows only too well from his experience, developers bank the land while they watch property prices change. He said that he was removing restrictions on the ability to change the levy when plans were changed—what was originally submitted against what is finally submitted. Has an assessment been made of whether that will work out to the advantage of local authorities or of developers? Is it expected to be six of one and half a dozen of the other?

Finally, restrictions on the section 106 money and pooling are being eliminated. Do the new regulations on accountability and transparency mean that councils will be more likely to combine infrastructure levy money with section 106 money, provided that they are more transparent and accountable? If that is the case, following the point made by my hon. Friend about communities tracking the money paid to developers and making them accountable, communities will be confident that they are getting the benefit.