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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his policy is housing formulas and 5-year housing supply; and if he will make a statement.

The Government is actively reviewing the approach to housing formulas and 5-year housing supply. As the Secretary of State set out at the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee on 21 November, there is an ongoing debate on how housing need is assessed and we want to make sure we deliver the right approach, including making sure that a greater proportion of housing is delivered in urban areas and on brownfield sites.

On 5-year housing supply, the Government announced in May that it is our intention to abolish the requirement for authorities to have a rolling five-year land supply, where their plan is up to date. We want a system where, if a local authority has a plan in place and keeps it up to date, the local area can feel confident that they will not see unwanted development based on ‘speculative development’ and ‘planning by appeal.’

We will publish a consultation shortly on the future direction of national planning policy, including on the approach to housing formulas and 5-year housing supply.