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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will encourage local authorities to set aside land for (a) community land trusts and (b) housing cooperatives.

The government recognises that the community-led housing sector – which includes community land trusts and housing cooperatives – delivers a wide range of benefits including strengthening community participation in local decision-making, engendering community cohesion, achieving high quality design and strengthening the co-operative economy.

In March, we announced a £20 million 10-year social finance investment to provide capital finance for community-led housing, which is expected to directly support the construction of more than 2,500 new homes over the next decade. These housebuilding projects will be led by communities to specifically address local needs in their area.

Through the recent revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework, we have strengthened support for community-led housing, including through changes to the size limit on community-led exception sites and a broadening of the definition of organisations able to deliver community-led housing.

We are also undertaking a significant research project to inform future interventions to support the sector, with a particular focus on sustainable finance.

Looking ahead, as we develop our Long Term Housing Strategy, the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme and the National Housing Delivery Fund, we will consider how the government may further support the growth of the community-led housing sector, helping to deliver the additional homes the country needs.