Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities that are facing (a) delays in the fulfillment of Section 106 obligations as a result of the shutdown of construction sites and (b) the risk that applicants use the covid-19 outbreak to avoid their legal obligations.

The Government is introducing a range of measures to make it easier to operate the planning system so that it is able to play its full part in the economic recovery to come. Contributions from developers play an important role in delivering the infrastructure that new homes, and local economies, require. We will continue to work closely with local authorities and the sector to understand the issues around the use of section 106 planning obligations and will respond in due course