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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) Northumberland County Council and (b) Newcastle City Council on (i) housing targets and (ii) local planning development.

Officials from my Department met with officers from Newcastle City Council on 11 June 2025 to discuss bringing forward a new local development plan under the new plan-making system.

The Chief Planner also met senior planners from Newcastle City Council and Northumberland County Council at a meeting convened by North East Combined Authority on 31 July 2025. They discussed strategic planning; planning capacity and capability; digital planning; and the National Planning Policy Framework.