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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 64 of the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, what assessment she has made of the impact of the (a) abolition of district councils with existing Local Plans, (b) requirement of new unitaries to develop new Local Plans and (c) development of Spatial Development Strategies on the viability of the delivery of the 1.5 million homes target in this Parliament.

Where an area is going through local government reorganisation, it is essential that individual local authorities continue to deliver services and statutory duties as these remain unchanged up until such time as the re-organisation process is complete.

The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended) requires all local planning authorities to identify strategic priorities for the development and use of land in the authority’s area and set out policies to address these in their development plan.

New unitary authorities agree to take on this responsibility when they reorganise, and the government expects to see them playing their part in delivering universal coverage of local development plans as soon as possible.

The production of Spatial Development Strategies will improve housing delivery by facilitating effective cross-boundary cooperation and enabling the most beneficial use to be made of sustainable development sites with the appropriate infrastructure either present or planned.