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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to encourage local authorities to deliver the required number of new homes; whether the Housing Delivery Test will continue; and if so, what are the penalties for under-performing authorities.

We introduced the Housing Delivery Test in order to encourage local authorities to play a more active role in delivering the homes this country needs. This will continue, and the next results will be published in due course. The consequences where under-delivery occurs are set out in the National Planning Policy Framework, and range from the need to prepare an action plan to the application of the presumption in favour of sustainable development, which will allow housing to come forward in areas where it is needed.