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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department analyses up-to-date population projections when formulating future housing plans.

Formulating future housing plans are the responsibility of local planning authorities through Local Plans, not my Department. We would always advocate using the latest information available to ensure they are evidence based.

In September 2017 we launched a consultation on a new standardised approach to the assessment of local housing need, which takes projections of future household growth in each area as the starting point.

These should be based on the latest Office for National Statistics population projections. Further information is available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/planning-for-the-right-homes-in-the-right-places-consultation-proposals.