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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing private firms to construct and run physical infrastructure usually provided by public bodies in the proposed new garden cities, towns and villages.

We are determined that garden cities, towns and villages are underpinned by the right infrastructure at the right time. Garden Cities should be locally led and I stand ready to consider innovative proposals put forward by local areas.