Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the use of financial assistance provided to Colchester Borough Council to develop proposals for garden settlements.

Funding to Colchester Borough Council to develop proposals for garden settlements is being paid out by the Homes and Communities Agency under Section 19 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008, which enables both the monitoring of expenditure and claw-back of grant.