Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with Hertsmere Borough Council on local planning decisions.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Officials from my Department have had recent discussions with Hertsmere Borough Council regarding the fact it did not meet the required performance threshold for decision-making quality during the assessment period from April 2022 to March 2024, including appeals decisions up to December 2024. Hertsmere Borough Council were informed of the risk of designation on 27 March 2025. However, after considering the authority’s exceptional circumstances, the Department confirmed on 6 June 2025 that it would not be designated.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with local authorities on the revised NPPF.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
MHCLG Ministers and officials engage regularly with local planning authorities to ensure the government’s priorities are understood.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with local authorities on consistency in local planning decisions.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
A key objective of our planning reforms is to improve certainty and decision making in the planning system.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill includes provisions to that end, including a national scheme of delegation and requiring planning committee members to undertake mandatory training before they can take planning decisions.
Planning law requires local planning authorities to publicise planning applications through various means, including site notices, advertisements in local newspapers, and publishing information on their website. We are exploring ways to enhance community engagement through the greater digitalisation of the planning system. This will help remove barriers to participation in the planning application process, including among those in representative community groups.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will formalise the role of representative community groups in local planning decisions.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
A key objective of our planning reforms is to improve certainty and decision making in the planning system.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill includes provisions to that end, including a national scheme of delegation and requiring planning committee members to undertake mandatory training before they can take planning decisions.
Planning law requires local planning authorities to publicise planning applications through various means, including site notices, advertisements in local newspapers, and publishing information on their website. We are exploring ways to enhance community engagement through the greater digitalisation of the planning system. This will help remove barriers to participation in the planning application process, including among those in representative community groups.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local plans will need to be updated following local government reorganisation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Where reorganisation occurs, new unitary authorities are expected to promptly prepare a local development plan covering the whole of their area. Until that new plan is adopted, existing constituent local plans remain in force as part of the development plan for their area. New unitary authorities have the discretion to progress any emerging constituent local plans.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
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 the written statement entitled Building the Homes We Need, of 30 July 2024, HCWS48, what steps she has taken to ensure local authorities are reviewing their green-belt boundaries where they cannot meet their identified housing need.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The revised National Planning Policy Framework was published on 12 December 2024, following extensive consultation, including with local planning authorities.
I otherwise refer the hon. Members to the answers given to questions UIN 26508 on 5 February 2025, UIN 29375 on 18 February 2025, UIN 40156 on 26 March 2025 and UIN 43157 on 7 April 2025.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with Hertsmere Borough Council on protecting the green belt.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The revised National Planning Policy Framework was published on 12 December 2024, following extensive consultation, including with local planning authorities.
I otherwise refer the hon. Members to the answers given to questions UIN 26508 on 5 February 2025, UIN 29375 on 18 February 2025, UIN 40156 on 26 March 2025 and UIN 43157 on 7 April 2025.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
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 the written statement entitled Building the Homes We Need, of 30 July 2024, HCWS48, what steps she has taken to ensure that development on the green belt will offer at least 50 per cent affordable homes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Through the consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system last year, the government sought views on implementing ‘Golden Rules’ to ensure development in the Green Belt is in the public interest.
As set out in the formal response to the consultation published on 12 December 2024, we noted concerns that setting a national 50% affordable housing target could lack flexibility and fail to account properly for regional variation. The government has adopted an approach which balances the need for an ambitious affordable housing target with the viability challenges that may occur in some cases.
Local planning authorities will be able to set their own ‘Golden Rules’ in relation to affordable housing through their new local plans. The affordable housing requirement should: a) be set at a higher level than that which would otherwise apply to land which is not within or proposed to be released from the Green Belt; and b) require at least 50% of the housing to be affordable, unless this would make the development of these sites unviable (when tested in accordance with national planning practice guidance on viability).
Prior to development plan policies for affordable housing being updated in accordance with the revised NPPF, the affordable housing contribution required to satisfy the ‘Golden Rules’ is 15 percentage points above the highest existing affordable housing requirement that would otherwise apply to the development, subject to a cap of 50%. The 50% cap does not apply to rural exception sites or community-led development exception sites, or if the local planning authority has a relevant existing policy which would apply to the development which is above 50%. We estimate that under this model, the median Green Belt local planning authority affordable housing requirement will be 50%.
The government intends to update planning practice guidance on viability as part of our commitment to strengthen the system of developer contributions. Prior to new viability guidance being published, site specific viability assessment should not be used on schemes where the ‘Golden Rules’ apply.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
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 the English Devolution White Paper, CP 1218, published on 16 December 2024, what plans she has to introduce legislative proposals for a ministerial directive to allow the creation of Strategic Authorities.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The English Devolution White Paper set out the government’s ambition for universal coverage of Strategic Authorities with access to devolution in England. We are committed to introducing the English Devolution Bill in this session, subject to parliamentary time. We will legislate for a ministerial power of direction, previously referred to as a ministerial directive, enabling government to create Strategic Authorities in any remaining places where local leaders have not been able to agree a route to devolution and ensure the effective running of public services. The government is fully committed to working in partnership with local authorities, and the Secretary of State will only use this power when other routes to devolution have been exhausted.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
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 the English Devolution White Paper, CP 1218, published on 16 December 2024, what guidance she has issued on deciding between alternative local government reorganisation proposals for one area.
Answered by Jim McMahon
I wrote to all councils in two-tier areas and to neighbouring small unitaries on 5th February to formally invite unitary proposals from all these councils. The invitation includes guidance on issues of local identity among other matters, all of which will be relevant to decisions between alternative local government reorganisation proposals for one area.