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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local authorities will be (a) encouraged and (b) required to update neighbourhood plans following changes to the National Planning Policy Framework.

There is no requirement to update a neighbourhood plan. However, we recognise some communities may wish to update their plans in response to changes to the National Planning Policy Framework.

Groups continue to receive the financial and technical support they have been awarded for both the production and updating of neighbourhood plans.

We will make announcements in due course regarding the new support contract for 2025-26 and beyond, but intend to open for new applications from Summer 2025.