Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which Local Authorities have yet to reach an agreement on a housing Local Development Plan with his Department.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that local plans should provide a framework for addressing housing needs, as well as other economic, social and environmental priorities.

Having an effective, up to date plan in place is essential to planning for and meeting housing requirements; in ways that make good use of land and result in well-designed and attractive places to live. The Government expects local authorities to work together to plan for and deliver the housing and infrastructure our communities and businesses need.

On 19 January 2021, a Written Ministerial Statement was made in the House of Commons which set out the importance of maintaining progress to get up-to-date local plans in place by the Government's deadline of December 2023.

Authorities that fail to ensure an up-to-date plan is in place are failing their communities by not recognising the homes and other facilities that local people need. Without an up-to-date plan, homes can end up being built on a speculative basis, with no co-ordination and limited buy-in from local people.

As of 31 December 2021, 22 local planning authorities (7%) do not have an adopted local plan (under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004). Most are at an advanced stage of preparing plans: 12 have submitted their plan for examination in public; and 1 has had the plan found sound following examination and is expected to vote on adopting it shortly. The authorities that have no plan in place are:

Amber Valley

Ashfield

Basildon

Brentwood

Bury

Calderdale

Castle Point

Eastleigh

Epping Forest

Liverpool

Medway

North Hertfordshire

Northumberland

Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation

Salford

St Albans

Tameside

Uttlesford

Welwyn Hatfield

Windsor and Maidenhead

Wirral

York