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

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to put additional support in place to assist the continued development of Neighbourhood Plans in unparished areas and designated high growth or complex areas to compensate for the grant funding withdrawn for the current year.

In March 2018 Government announced a new four year, £23 million programme to help communities develop neighbourhood plans. Neighbourhood planning groups can access a range of free help, including financial support and planning expertise from trained professionals to guide them through the neighbourhood planning process.

The maximum grant available to communities has been increased since the previous programme by £2,000 to £17,000, with eligibility criteria for further professional support now more focussed on the complexity of the proposed plan being developed, rather than the composition of the group. Under the 2018-2022 support programme, specialist support is available to unparished groups to help local people build up knowledge and achieve designation as a Neighbourhood Forum. All groups can also be considered for specific ‘facilitation’ support to overcome some of the unique challenges they face as they progress their plan.

Over 2,400 communities across England have started the process of neighbourhood planning, with over 600 plans approved in local referendums. No impact assessment was prepared for the 2018-2022 neighbourhood planning support programme, however achieving best value for money was a key consideration in designing the programme and the eligibility criteria.