Written questions by Snowden.

Communities and Local Government, what criteria she plans to use to allocate National Housing Delivery Fund funding to SME housebuilders in Fylde.

With regard to support for small and medium-sized housebuilders, I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 June 2025 (HCWS673).With regard to the National Housing Delivery Fund, the government will set out further details at the Spending Review.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the reforms announced in her Department's press release entitled Government backs SME builders to get Britain building, published on 28 May 2025, what steps she is taking to support SME housebuilders in Fylde.

With regard to support for small and medium-sized housebuilders, I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 June 2025 (HCWS673).With regard to the National Housing Delivery Fund, the government will set out further details at the Spending Review.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to ensure adequate (a) transparency and (b) accountability in the (i) allocation and (ii) use of National Housing Delivery Fund funding.

With regard to support for small and medium-sized housebuilders, I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 June 2025 (HCWS673).With regard to the National Housing Delivery Fund, the government will set out further details at the Spending Review.

Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to increase community involvement in the planning process in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 46945 on 30 April 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to ensure that SMEs in Fylde can access (a) the National Housing Delivery Fund and (b) other financial support mechanisms.

With regard to support for small and medium-sized housebuilders, I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 June 2025 (HCWS673).With regard to the National Housing Delivery Fund, the government will set out further details at the Spending Review.

Communities and Local Government, what progress her Department has made on implementing Investment Zones in the North West.

Investment Zones in England reflect the unique strengths and opportunities in each place and day-to-day delivery is led by accountable Mayoral Combine Authorities (MCAs). There are two Investment Zones in the North West, both of which entered delivery in April 2024. Good progress has been made by the accountable MCAs to mobilise the programmes, with a range of projects approved and launched over 2024/25.In Greater Manchester, growth of the region’s advanced materials manufacturing clusters is being accelerated through the use of grant funding support for research and innovation, to grow the knowledge economy and to unlock laboratory and manufacturing space.In the Liverpool City Region, growth of the region’s life sciences clusters is being accelerated through the use of both tax reliefs and grant funding to lever private investment and develop new world-class research, innovation and manufacturing facilities and capabilities.

Communities and Local Government, what funding she has made available to support community-led housing schemes.

Community-led housing schemes can apply for government funding through a range of existing programmes, including the Brownfield Land Release Fund and the Affordable Homes Programme. On 25 March, we announced a £20 million support package for community-led housebuilding groups, including housing co-operatives and community land trusts. This investment, managed by Resonance Ltd, will support the construction of over 2,500 new homes in the next decade, addressing local needs.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure adequate (a) infrastructure is and (b) public services are in place before the approval of large-scale housing developments in (i) Fylde constituency and (ii) Lancashire.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 26106 on 5 February 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of short-term holiday lets on local housing availability in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

Whilst second homes and short-term lets can benefit local economies, the government appreciate that excessive concentrations in some areas of the country can impact the availability and affordability of homes, both to rent and buy.We remain committed to introducing a registration scheme for short-term lets and removing the furnished holiday lets rules to ensure all income from property will be treated the same for tax purposes.We also recognise that more needs to be done and are considering what additional powers we might give local authorities to enable them to respond to the pressures created by short term lets.

Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to include local people in discussions on development in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

The government acknowledges the importance of engaging local communities in the planning process. National planning policy and planning practice guidance is clear that when developing their local plan, local planning authorities should consult their local communities and ensure views are taken into account. The guidance also makes clear that local planning authorities must publicise planning applications for a minimum of 21 days and must take any material matters raised into consideration when making a decision on the application. As set out in the government’s response to plan-making reforms: consultation on implementation, which can be found on gov.uk here, we are committed to improving community engagement in plan-making. This will result in a more democratic plan-led system with planning decisions and local plans being informed by a larger and more diverse range of community views.

Communities and Local Government, how many affordable homes she plans to provide in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire this Parliament.

My Department published an update on targets in the 2021-26 Programme on 30 July 2024 which can be found on gov.uk here.At Spring statement, the government announced an immediate injection of £2 billion to support delivery of the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and contribute to our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 25 March 2025 (HCWS549).The investment made at Spring statement follows the £800 million in new in-year funding which has been made available for the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme and that will support the delivery of up to 7,800 new homes, with more than half of them being Social Rent homes.Exact funding to different places and the locations of homes that will be built will depend on the bids received from local authorities and housing associations. The government encourages social housing providers in all areas to come forward with bids for new ambitious projects, including those ready to commence quickly.We will set out set details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to support housebuilding in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

The government’s Plan for Change includes a hugely ambitious milestone of building 1.5 million new homes in England in this Parliament. We have already taken decisive steps to increase housing supply including publishing a revised National Planning Policy Framework and introducing a Planning and Infrastructure Bill that will streamline the delivery of new homes. Our New Homes Accelerator will unblock and accelerate the delivery of housing developments that have for various reasons become delayed, or which are not progressing as quickly as they could be. At Spring statement, the government announced an immediate injection of £2 billion to support delivery of the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and contribute to our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 25 March 2025 (HCWS549). The investment made at Spring statement follows the £800 million in new in-year funding which has been made available for the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme and that will support the delivery of up to 7,800 new homes, with more than half of them being Social Rent homes. We will set out set details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent. We also confirmed a range of new flexibilities for councils and housing associations, both within the Affordable Homes Programme and in relation to how councils can use their Right to Buy receipts. Having reduced Right to Buy discounts to their pre-2012 regional levels, we have allowed councils to retain 100% of the receipts generated by Right to Buy sales. The government recognise that Registered Providers need support to build their capacity and make a greater contribution to affordable housing supply. Between 30 October 2024 and 23 December 2024, the government consulted on a new 5-year social housing rent settlement, to give Registered Providers the certainty they need to invest in new social and affordable housing. In Lancashire and Fylde, and across the country, we are engaging closely with industry, including developers, housing associations and local authorities to build more houses. Blackpool has received £90 million of capital funding from Homes England for the first phase of housing regeneration in the city. This investment will create high quality homes and regenerate the town centre.

Communities and Local Government, what her plans are for projects that received funding through the Levelling Up Fund in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

The Levelling Up Fund is fully committed, with £4.8 billion going to 271 projects across the UK. In Lancashire this includes 10 projects worth £260 million. We are supporting Local Authorities to help deliver the benefits of this investment to communities across the UK.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to protect the green belt in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

The government is committed to preserving Green Belts which have served England's towns and cities well over many decades, not least in terms of checking the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas and preventing neighbouring towns merging into one another. The government’s new approach to the Green Belt, including prioritising the release of lower quality grey belt land and introducing ‘golden rules’ to ensure development benefits communities and nature, is set out in the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published on 12 December. On 27 February, Planning Practice Guidance was published to assist local authorities and other decision-makers, and to support a consistent approach to determining whether land is grey belt. It can be found on gov.uk here. This new guidance will support authorities in producing Local Plans, while also making sure that planning applications and development on suitable grey belt land can proceed in the short-term in areas without an up-to-date plan. The government has also provided 133 local planning authorities with £70,000 of pump priming funding each to contribute towards the costs of carrying out Green Belt reviews in their areas.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support first time buyers in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

The affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers mean that too many people are now locked out of homeownership. This government is determined to change that, ensuring that young families and hardworking renters can buy a home of their own. Boosting the supply of homes of all tenures must be at the heart of any strategy to improve housing affordability which is why the government’s Plan for Change includes a hugely ambitious milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in England in this Parliament. In addition to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures, we are committed to introducing a permanent, comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme, to support first-time buyers, including those in Fylde and Lancashire, who struggle to save for a large deposit, with lower mortgage costs.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of the potential impact of urban (a) trees and (b) woodland on (i) mental and (ii) physical health.

Woodlands and green spaces are an essential part of our local and social infrastructure. Research shows that regular visits to woodlands and green spaces have significant health benefits. This Government is committed to improving the quality of, and access to urban green spaces. We are updating our flagship Green Flag Award standard for parks and green spaces to make it fit for modern parks. Furthermore, Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework sets out the Urban Tree Canopy Standard, providing important guidance on the long-term maintenance of tree canopy and urban greening to support urban cooling. We are also committed to increasing access to nature more widely, and have already set out several ambitious manifesto commitments to expand opportunities for the public to enjoy the outdoors, including the creation of nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England.

Communities and Local Government, if she will arrange local referenda before proceeding with local government reorganisation in Lancashire.

There are no plans to require local referendums on proposed local government reorganisations. Proposals for local government must meet local needs and be informed by local views. It is for councils to decide how best to engage locally in a meaningful and constructive way and this engagement activity should be evidenced in a proposal.Once a proposal has been submitted it will be for the Government to decide on taking a proposal forward and to consult as required by statute.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of removing the role of elected councillors from certain planning processes under the new National Planning Policy Framework on trust in local democratic services.

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out the government’s planning policies for England and how these should be applied. It makes no reference whatsoever to the role of elected councillors.In the King’s Speech, we set out our intention to use the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill to improve local planning decision making by modernising planning committees.The government believes that planning committees have an integral role in providing local democratic oversight of planning decisions. However, in exercising that democratic oversight, it is vital that planning committees operate aseffectively as possible, focusing on those applications which require member input and not revisiting the same decisions.Our recently published planning reform working paper on planning committees, which can be found on gov.uk here, invites views on models for a national scheme of delegation, the creation of smaller targeted planning committees specifically for strategic development, and the introduction of a mandatory requirement for training for planning committee members.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure the reforms set out in the National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, safeguard the beauty and character of (a) Fylde constituency and (b) other rural areas.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December retains strong safeguards in relation to the beauty and character of all parts of the countryside.

Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government will take with respect to councils who do not meet the targets set out in the National Policy Planning Framework, announced on 12 December 2024.

The government expects local planning authorities to explore and exhaust all options to deliver the homes their communities need.An authority’s ability to meet their housing need through plan-making will be tested at a public examination, which will assess whether there are any justified reasons for not being able to meet a target in full.There are two tests of whether authorities are meeting housing need: the Housing Delivery Test, which measures authorities’ delivery record over the previous three years, and the ‘five-year housing land supply’ policy, which tests whether authorities have allocated sufficient land to provide a housing pipeline.Where authorities fail against these tests, ‘the presumption’ in favour of sustainable development kicks in. The government are clear that ‘the presumption’ cannot be a gateway to poor quality housing, and through the revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December we have added new safeguards to ensure this is the case.