Written questions by Stephenson.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to clause 49(7)(b) of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, whether development would be considered on a first-come-first-served basis up to the maximum amount specified.

The government would expect Environmental Delivery Plans to operate on a first-come-first-served basis.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to clause 49(7)(b) of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, what would happen to projects not completed as part of the environmental delivery plan at the end of the specified period.

Where a developer has been granted permission relying on the payment of the Nature Restoration Levy, Natural England will be responsible for securing the necessary conservation measures to outweigh the negative effects of the development. This model does not require development benefiting from the Environmental Delivery Plan to be completed before the end date of the Environmental Delivery Plan.

Communities and Local Government, whether any measures within the Planning and Infrastructure Bill relate to (a) flooding and (b) sustainable drainage.

Hard copies of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill are available from the Vote Office and an electronic copy of Bill can be found online here.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to clause 49(7)(b) of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, what would happen to funds provided by developers towards environmental delivery plans that are unspent at the conclusion of the environmental delivery plan period.

The Nature Restoration Levy will be set to secure the conservation measures necessary to outweigh the negative effect of development covered by the Environmental Delivery Plan. In the event that there are unspent funds that are not required to secure the conservation measures under the Environmental Delivery Plan, these funds will be directed towards additional conservations measures and securing additional positive environmental outcomes. Should the Environmental Delivery Plan period elapse before this outcome is achieved, the funds will continue to be invested until the required environmental outcome is achieved.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 30736 on Local Government: Employers' Contributions and with reference to paragraph 5.48 of Bedford Borough Council Executive's report entitled General Fund Revenue Budget 2025/2026, dated 22 January 2025, and paragraph 1.5.3 of Central Bedfordshire Council's report entitled Budget Report 2025/26 to 2028/29, dated December 2024, for what reasons the additional funding for employer National Insurance contributions paid to (a) Bedford Borough Council is £500,000 less than the estimated total cost for directly employed employees and (b) Central Bedfordshire Council is £1.2m less than the estimated additional cost for Central Bedfordshire Council staff.

Additional funding for employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) has been determined based on a national assessment of the costs for directly employed staff. The grant distribution methodology has been published in an explanatory note on the government website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/updated-explanatory-note-on-the-employer-national-insurance-contribution-grant-2025-to-2026.We recognise the challenges that local authorities are facing as demand increases for critical services. That is why the government is providing an additional £2 billion of grant funding through the Settlement, which includes £502 million of additional grant funding to manage the impact of employer NICs changes on council budgets, and £13 million for combined authorities, totalling £515 million. The final Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to require developers to complete flood defences committed to at planning stage in areas at risk of flooding within a mandated time period.

Local planning authorities are responsible for ensuring compliance with planning permissions and conditions, including monitoring and taking enforcement action if necessary. National planning guidance makes clear that where flood risk management infrastructure such as flood defences form part of the strategy for addressing flood risk, strategic and site-specific flood risk assessments should identify how this infrastructure will be operated, funded and maintained.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Environment Agency's data entitled New national flood and coastal erosion risk information, updated on 28 January 2025.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Questions UIN 29949 on 19 February 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's guidance entitled, Plan for Neighbourhoods: prospectus, updated on 12 March 2025, whether there will be further rounds of funding available for towns not selected in this round.

The new £1.5 billion Plan for Neighbourhoods will deliver up to £20 million of funding and support over the next decade into 75 communities across the UK, a long-term commitment to building the foundations to kickstart local growth and drive-up living standards.Through the Plan for Neighbourhoods, the locations and associated funding will remain the same as under the Long-Term Plan for Towns. We are delivering on what places were promised by the previous government, during the last Parliament.There are no plans to expand the programme at this time, this would be a decision for the upcoming Spending Review. The Deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister have been clear that the Spending Review will need to support the delivery of the government’s plan for a decade of national renewal and raising living standards in every part of the United Kingdom.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2025 to Question 26862 on New Towns Taskforce, how the taskforce will work in partnership with local leaders and communities.

The Taskforce is reviewing responses to its December call for evidence and will be working with local partners to consider potential new town locations ahead of making its recommendations to ministers this summer.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions the New Towns Taskforce has had with relevant stakeholders on access to banking services in new towns.

The government recognises the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets across the UK and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority.As set out in its Terms of Reference, which can be found on gov.uk here, the New Towns Taskforce has been tasked with identifying the infrastructure, public and private services, and green space required to enable the creation of well-connected new towns in potential locations.The taskforce has developed draft principles which should provide the building blocks for every new town. These were published in the Building new towns for the future policy paper published on 12 February which can be found on gov.uk here.The Taskforce also plans to undertake a series of engagement events to understand what the public think the core components of new towns should be and to further test the design and placemaking principles published in the policy paper.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department’s Plan for Neighbourhoods: prospectus, updated on 13 March 2025, on what basis local authorities in Bedfordshire were excluded from selection.

The Plan for Neighbourhoods was launched on 4 March. The 75 places across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were chosen via a selection methodology that has been published in the Plan for Neighbourhoods prospectus. The metrics used for selection included indices of multiple deprivation, healthy life expectancy, skill level, and Gross Value Added per hour worked. As well as this, eligible places had to have a population size of between 20,000 and 100,000.All 75 towns across the UK that were originally selected to receive Long-Term Plan for Towns funding will receive the Plan for Neighbourhoods package. We are making good on those commitments, giving each of the 75 places the certainty that they will receive up to £20 million of funding and support over the next decade.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of reducing the voting age to 16 on electoral equality in local council elections.

Drawing electoral boundaries is the responsibility of the independent parliamentary and local boundary commissions.When they next conduct their reviews, they will update boundaries where necessary to reflect any changes in the electorate that have occurred since their last review.

Communities and Local Government, if she will have discussions with the Boundary Commission on the impact of reducing the voting age to 16 on electoral equality at the next general election.

Drawing electoral boundaries is the responsibility of the independent parliamentary and local boundary commissions.When they next conduct their reviews, they will update boundaries where necessary to reflect any changes in the electorate that have occurred since their last review.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of reducing the voting age to 16 on the electoral equality of parliamentary constituencies.

Drawing electoral boundaries is the responsibility of the independent parliamentary and local boundary commissions.When they next conduct their reviews, they will update boundaries where necessary to reflect any changes in the electorate that have occurred since their last review.

Communities and Local Government, whether changing the minimum voting age would necessitate a change in the minimum age for voter registration.

The government is committed to delivering on the manifesto commitment to give 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all elections during this Parliament, strengthening our democracy, empowering young people to participate and building an informed and empowered electorate. We want young people to find their voice and exercise their right to vote – registering to vote is a vital first step towards doing that.This will be a major change to the electoral franchise. We are working across government and with a wide range of stakeholders to design and implement the change effectively. We are considering what other measures may be required in the implementation of this change to ensure young people have the tools they need and feel empowered to both register to vote and to vote, including the minimum age for voter registration.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 182c of the National Planning Policy Framework, if she will publish guidance provided to local authorities on enforcement.

Local planning authorities already have a wide range of planning enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance.The government is clear that effective enforcement is important to tackle breaches of planning control, including enforcing SuDS maintenance arrangements which do not conform to the planning permission.Where the local planning authority thinks that a condition imposed on a planning permission has not been met, they can serve a breach of condition notice, which requires the recipient to remedy the breach within a specified time. There is no appeal against such a notice and failure to comply with it is an offence punishable by an unlimited fine.We have published guidance on the enforcement powers available to local planning authorities. I do not have plans to publish further guidance on enforcement at this time.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring (a) arboricultural reports and (b) impact assessments for major developments.

The report in question confirmed that the National Planning Policy Framework contains a high level of protection for ancient woodland.The Framework makes clear that development resulting in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats should be refused, unless there are wholly exceptional reasons, and a suitable compensation strategy exists. These protections are strengthened further by the Town and Country Planning (Consultation) (England) Direction 2024 which requires local planning authorities to consult the Secretary of State where they have resolved to grant planning permission for development affecting ancient woodland.Local planning authorities have the principal responsibility for applying these protections effectively, and we do not consider it necessary to standardise the assessment of ancient woodland impacts or mandate arboricultural reports. The Ancient Woodland Inventory, updated Planning Practice Guidance and the Standing Advice on ancient woodlands and ancient and veteran trees are in place to support local decision makers make informed decisions about planning applications near these habitats.With regard to statutory consultees, I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 10 March 2025 (HCWS510).We keep policy in this and other areas under review, working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 182c of the National Planning Policy Framework, how she defines the lifetime of the development.

Paragraph 182(c) of the revised National Planning Policy Framework sets out that all major development should have maintenance arrangements for sustainable drainage systems in place to ensure an acceptable standard of operation for the lifetime of the development. National planning guidance states that residential development can be assumed to have a lifetime of development of at least 100 years, unless there is specific justification for considering a different period. For non-residential development, the lifetime will depend on its characteristics, but 75 years is likely to form a starting point for assessment. Development such as some major infrastructure projects or new settlements may have a lifetime significantly beyond 100 years.

Communities and Local Government, what the average time was between completion of a development in areas at risk of flooding and installation of flood defences agreed at planning stage since 2019; and how many developments built since 2019 in areas at risk of flooding do not have flood defences required at planning stage completed.

The government does not monitor the status of individual planning conditions. Local planning authorities are responsible for ensuring compliance with planning permissions and conditions, including monitoring and taking enforcement action if necessary.National planning guidance makes clear that where flood risk management infrastructure such as flood defences form part of the strategy for addressing flood risk, strategic and site-specific flood risk assessments should identify how this infrastructure will be operated, funded and maintained.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to section 4.4 of the ADAS and Stephenson Halliday report entitled Review of the implementation of National Planning Policy Framework para 186c, issued on 27 August 2024, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a group of statutory consultees that planning officers should consult when considering planning applications that impact ancient woodlands.

The report in question confirmed that the National Planning Policy Framework contains a high level of protection for ancient woodland.The Framework makes clear that development resulting in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats should be refused, unless there are wholly exceptional reasons, and a suitable compensation strategy exists. These protections are strengthened further by the Town and Country Planning (Consultation) (England) Direction 2024 which requires local planning authorities to consult the Secretary of State where they have resolved to grant planning permission for development affecting ancient woodland.Local planning authorities have the principal responsibility for applying these protections effectively, and we do not consider it necessary to standardise the assessment of ancient woodland impacts or mandate arboricultural reports. The Ancient Woodland Inventory, updated Planning Practice Guidance and the Standing Advice on ancient woodlands and ancient and veteran trees are in place to support local decision makers make informed decisions about planning applications near these habitats.With regard to statutory consultees, I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 10 March 2025 (HCWS510).We keep policy in this and other areas under review, working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.