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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the letter to him from the Local Government Association of 1 February, what plans he has to (a) adopt a place-based approach and (b) return to multi-year settlements.

The mission we have set out in the White Paper is that by 2030, everywhere in England that wants one will have a devolution deal with powers at or approaching the highest level of devolution with a simplified long-term funding settlement.

Our policy statement released in December, provided multi-year certainty to local authorities into 2024/25. This statement supports councils’ budget setting processes, allowing local authorities to plan over the rest of the Spending Review.