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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the legal status of a neighbourhood plan that has reached referendum stage but the vote has not taken place due to covid-19 social distancing rules; and if he will make a statement.

The delay to referendums will be frustrating for communities that have dedicated significant time and effort to the neighbourhood planning process and naturally want their plans to come into force as soon as possible. With this in mind, Government planning guidance ( https://www.gov.uk/guidance/neighbourhood-planning--2#covid-19 ) was updated in May to set out that neighbourhood plans awaiting referendums can be given significant weight in decision-making.