Speeches by Pennycook.

“We need to understand this issue better, because answers were not forthcoming in the consultation carried out under the previous Government regarding the rationale for the commission. I assure the hon. Gentleman that in the very near future we will go out to consult and to find more evidence, so that we can take the ac…”

“As part of the proposals we set out in a build out working paper last year, we are looking at some of the powers in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 that allow local planning authorities to refuse planning permissions to developers who consistently do not build out. On the issue of highways, I will happily re…”

“We have provided significant support for local planning authorities to help them with capacity and capability pressures. My hon. Friend will know that through the provisions in the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, we are allowing local authorities to set their own fees at a local level to ensure that their costs c…”

“If a local planning authority has an up-to-date local plan in place, it will be up to date and in place until it needs to be replaced. At that point, we expect the targets that flow from the new standard method to be adhered to.”

“I have met Northern Housing Consortium on a number of occasions. My hon. Friend will know that funding from the social and affordable homes programme can be used to support the regeneration of existing social housing estates. If he wants to write to me with further details about some of the recommendations he has sugge…”

“Not just because I have accepted a large number of meetings, I think a far better way for the hon. Gentleman to submit his views would be through the appropriate consultation on freehold estates, where he can bring that case and the issues it raises to life for us.”

“Local plans that are up to date provide protection from speculative development. Local authorities have to ensure that they are meeting housing delivery targets; that is an essential part of the system. Again, I will happily respond if the hon. Gentleman writes to me with further detail.”

“I do not accept the hon. Gentleman’s characterisation of development that can come forward and be funded through our new social and affordable homes programme. We are ensuring that that programme has the necessary flexibility to fund provision across the country, whether it is community-led housing or rural housing. Ou…”

“indicated dissent.”

“We issued guidance earlier this week in respect of some of the provisions that are in the Act, but I will ensure that the Minister for Local Government and Homelessness has heard my hon. Friend’s call for more support and guidance in that area, alongside the implementation of other elements of the Act. The Government a…”

“It is a pleasure, as always, to serve with you in the Chair, Ms Lewell. I congratulate the hon. Member for Birmingham Perry Barr (Ayoub Khan) on securing this important debate, and thank him for his clear and comprehensive account of the challenges of poorly managed, and in particular non-commissioned, exempt accommoda…”

“Mel may want to add, but the fundamental point I would make is that we have, in some ways, done the precise opposite. The new social and affordable housing programme allows for more flexibility in grant rates per unit to ensure that we are getting the right homes in the right places, in terms of social rented housing a…”

“The new towns programme is not the only thing the Department is focusing on, and we want large-scale development to come forward outside of it. We are seeing a lot of activity, not least on the part of mayors looking to take forward mayoral development corporations outside the programme, for example. The locations that…”

“I cannot speak to the site in question, but the question I would ask about it is, why, if the local authority wanted a mix of tenures, it did not seek to achieve that through its section 106 negotiations? In general terms, we want affordable housing targets to be in place in local plans, with as much uncertainty as pos…”

“It goes back to my answer to an earlier question: we see it as the responsibility of local authorities to set out which tenures are required, so we are not setting those from a national point of view. The 1.5 million target has a very simple single metric, used by many Governments over many decades, in terms of net add…”

“Indeed, but as I have said to the Committee before, I could have picked a very unambitious target and hit it easily.”

“Towards the end of the Parliament. We have been really clear that meeting that 1.5 million target involves very high rates of house building in the final years.”

“I cannot give you a timescale today, I am afraid. As with all the many reforms we are driving forward, it will be as early as is humanly possible, given the capacity that is available to me.”

“If you will forgive me, I am not going to pre-empt the decisions that we are going to make.”

“I will bring Mel as well, but essentially we are still in the process of analysing a considerable amount of useful feedback. We intend to set out a road map—a plan—for how we will take forward those reforms. We do intend to press ahead with reforms to the process. We think that that will lead to very many benefits for …”