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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department requires each local area to have a local growth plan.

Local Growth Plans are a key pillar of our regional growth agenda and every Mayoral Strategic Authority in England should develop and publish a Local Growth Plan. We intend to make this a statutory requirement through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill.

Foundation Strategic Authorities and Local Authorities in non-devolution areas have an important role to play in driving local growth. They may wish to read the guidance on developing a Local Growth Plan when considering next steps for greater devolution and their own economic plans. We encourage all authorities to set out a vision for growth in their area that can help to attract investment and drive growth; however, the government does not require this.