Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of issuing guidance to local authorities to ensure mobile network operators are notified in advance of large-scale residential developments.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to supporting investment in high-quality, reliable digital connectivity so that communities can benefit from faster economic growth and greater social inclusion.
On 16 December, we launched a consultation on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework including proposals relating to telecommunications. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of mandating the maximum allowed period of time between a Gypsy Traveller Accommodation Assessment by a local authority.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local planning authorities should use a robust evidence base to establish the accommodation needs of travellers and plan to meet this need through their local plan. Local plans must be reviewed to assess whether they need updating at least once every five years, and should then be updated as necessary.
In the new plan-making system that will come into force early next year, local plans will be expected to be prepared and adopted within a 30-month timeframe and be more frequently prepared so that plans are kept up-to-date.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating the National Planning Policy Framework to include guidance on the importance of telecommunications infrastructure in any new developments.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 99031 on 05 January 2026.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has considered making planning enforcement a statutory obligation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Questions UIN 91162 on 21 November 2025.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has considered increasing funding for planning enforcement.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Questions UIN 91162 on 21 November 2025.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to speed up the planning and appeals process in local authorities.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Planning and Infrastructure Act will streamline planning processes, improve certainty for applicants, and unlock and accelerate more housing and infrastructure delivery.
Its provisions include powers that allow the Secretary of State to delegate planning fee-setting to local planning authorities, enabling them to recover costs and reinvest to provide a more efficient and responsive planning service, including in respect of making timelier decisions.
At the Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced a £46 million package of investment into the planning system as a one-year settlement for 2025-2026.
At the Budget on 26 November 2025, the Chancellor announced a further £48 million of investment over three years to support local planning authorities to attract, retain and develop skilled planners over a sustained period.
Of this, £28.8 million has been allocated to MHCLG’s Planning Capacity and Capability Programme, equating to £9.6 million additional per year for the next three years. This allocation will supplement existing budgets.
In total, the Programme now aims to deliver around 1,325 planners by the end of this Parliament, significantly exceeding our original manifesto commitment to deliver 300 new planning officers. Wider cross-government recruitment and investment in planning capacity and capability will increase this figure further to approximately 1,400 planners.
The new funding will support both graduate and mid-career entry routes into planning, including by means of expanding the Pathways to Planning Graduate Scheme and establishing a Planning Careers Hub.
In respect of planning appeals, the Planning Inspectorate's Strategic Plan commits to removing all casework backlogs and meeting all Ministerial targets, including those relating to planning appeals, by 2027.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
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 sections 103 and 104 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of creating a (a) duty to meet assessed needs and (b) failure to comply requirement on local authorities.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
National planning policy is already clear that local planning authorities should use a robust evidence base to establish the accommodation needs of travellers; set pitch targets for gypsies and travellers; and identify a supply of specific, deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years' worth of sites against these targets. This includes setting clear policy consequences for local planning authorities that cannot demonstrate an up to date five-year supply of sites.
The government is currently consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), including proposals relating to traveller sites. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that there is adequate infrastructure in place to support new housing developments.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 65505 on 14 July 2025.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Gatwick airport expansion on local house prices.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
MHCLG Ministers cannot comment on live planning applications due to their quasi-judicial role in the planning system.
All information provided to the Secretary of State for Transport by the applicant, the Examining Authority, and any parties who chose to make written representations in relation to the application in question is available on the Planning Inspectorate website.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of further regulation of funds by (a) developers and (b) building owners for leaseholders.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government intends to act quickly to provide homeowners with greater rights, powers, and protections over their homes by implementing the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.
This includes measures designed to drive up the transparency of service charges to make them more easily challengeable if leaseholders consider them to be unreasonable.
Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement published on Thursday 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).