Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had recent discussions with local authorities on expanding post-16 provision in areas experiencing population growth.

The department knows that the 16 to 19 population has been increasing in some parts of England and that extra capacity has been needed in post-16 places in some areas.

The post-16 Capacity Fund has already invested £282 million between 2021 and 2025 for additional capacity and we will be investing a further £375 million between 2026/27 and 2029/30 to provide additional places.

In due course, we will make announcements and provide further information about the delivery of the £375 million capital funding secured for the post-16 sector.

For institutions with a significant growth in students, we recognise that there are additional costs and we provide in year 16 to 19 funding to help with these costs. The department announced its plans to support providers in offering places to young people across the country on 27 August 2025.

In support of local authorities’ statutory duty to secure suitable provision in an area, we will consider their requests to fill a gap in provision. Information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-market-entry.