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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he will take in the development of Investment Zones across an Upper Tier Local Authority to ensure that individual lower tier authorities are properly consulted.

This Government recognises that local consent is critical to the success of Investment Zones and will not be imposing a Zone on any area of the country.

Authorities submitting an Investment Zone proposal are required to demonstrate and provide evidence that the Local Planning Authority is supportive of the proposal, and that they have consulted local stakeholders. Any proposal that does not demonstrate consent from the lower tier authority will not be taken forward from the Expression of Interest process.