Tag: Housing and Communities

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 10 July 2025.

English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill delivers on manifesto commitment to de-centralise power and ignite regional growth with powers for mayors.

Ambition for all regions to take the reins in driving growth receives its biggest boost as the landmark English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill is introduced to Parliament today [Thursday 10th July].

Local people will take back control of their regions, from bolstered rights to save cherished community assets, to a bigger voice in neighbourhood governance and increased powers to their directly elected leaders and mayors so they can unlock housing, transport and jobs in their regions through Local Growth Plans.

The Bill will deliver on the government’s manifesto commitment to unlock a generational shift in power from Westminster to those with skin in the game, and rebalance prosperity, deliver economic growth and a decade of national renewal across the nation as part of the Plan for Change.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said:

We were elected on a promise of change, not just for a few areas cherry-picked by a Whitehall spreadsheet, but for the entire country. It was never going to be easy to deliver the growth our country desperately needed with the inheritance we were dumped with.

But that’s why we are opting to devolve not dictate and delivering a Bill that will rebalance decade old divides and empower communities. We’re ushering in a new dawn of regional power and bringing decision making to a local level so that no single street or household is left behind and every community thrives from our Plan for Change.”

Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE MP said:

For too long power and opportunity has been concentrated in Westminster and Whitehall while the local councils millions rely on have been frustrated and diminished. This failed approach has held back growth across our country for far too long. Local people see this in the job market, on the high street and in their own household security and prosperity.

Devolution begins the work of fixing that, with this Bill delivering freedom to local leaders to make decisions for their local areas in partnership with local communities, unleashing more growth and more opportunities for people as part of our Plan for Change.”

England has fallen behind from the rest of the globe in modernising how decisions are made, but devolution prioritises people and partnership over paperwork and politics. This Bill will deliver changes including

• Making more local ownership of pubs, shops and social hubs  easier through a new Community Right to Buy meaning communities will have the first opportunity to purchase local assets when they are put up for sale, and be given an extended 12-month period to raise funding. And more local sports grounds will be saved by introducing a new ‘Sporting’ category protection of local assets preserving local character, boosting tourism and keeping community spirit alive.
• Banning Upward Only Rent Reviews (UORR) clauses in commercial leases, which pit landlords against businesses and can make rents unaffordable and cause shops to shut. This will help keep small businesses running, boost local economies and job opportunities and help end the blight of vacant high streets and the unacceptable anti-social behaviour that comes with them.
• A stronger voice for communities with a new requirement for local authorities to put in place effective neighbourhood governance to give residents more of a say in shaping their local areas.
• Quicker action on the changes local people want to see with more rights for Mayors, elected by their communities, to take back control of delivering for their voters’, from new licensing powers for rental e-bikes to new planning powers to set the direction of growth across their areas.
• Boosting economic growth with mayors working across the country to turbocharge the national missions by developing tailor made Local Growth Plans to kickstart local economies and ultimately getting more money in people’s pockets.
• Streamlined powers for Mayors across England to speed up the development of new homes and infrastructure in their areas. This will include a new power to institute Mayoral Development Orders, as well as a streamlined process to establish Mayoral Development Corporations, so that we can replicate the success of projects such as the Olympic Park legacy and attract inward investment right across the country.
• Fixing the cracks in local government through rebuilding the sector from the ground up to be more efficient, local people will get the daily services they deserve and rely on from their Council, like bin collection, whilst also enabling areas to work together over larger areas to deliver the big changes, like integrated transport networks. This will be done through the creation of new ‘Strategic Authorities’ that will boost connectivity and collaboration between Councils.
• Restoring taxpayers’ trust in councils’ spending through fixing the local audit system with the establishment of the Local Audit Office, which will increase transparency, simplify and streamline the system.

Deepening devolution across the country is what delivers the change to the day-to-day services and opportunities on every region’s doorstep. From the new Anglia Ruskin University in Peterborough, to ticket caps for commuters on the Bee Network in Manchester and budding film and TV creatives flocking to Liverpool’s Littlewoods over Hollywood – devolution is what will bring this regeneration to all regions.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 10 July 2025.

New changes to remove a local connection requirement for young care leavers and domestic abuse survivors comes into effect today.

More young people leaving care and domestic abuse survivors can now have greater access to social housing, thanks to new changes removing a local connection requirement coming into effect today.

Last month the Deputy Prime Minister confirmed the government is rewriting the rules for vulnerable groups who have faced barriers to social housing when they do not have a connection to the local area, meaning they can no longer be unfairly penalised. The move has been largely welcomed by charities across the sector including Become and Centrepoint.

Many domestic abuse survivors and care leavers under the age of 25 face unique challenges, such as fleeing an unsafe home to seek safety or adjusting to life outside of the care system, so may be forced to move from area to area without having a local connection.

Government guidance for councils across England, nearly 90% of which currently use local connection tests, sets out their obligations to prioritise vulnerable people applying for social housing. This has now been updated to confirm young care leavers and domestic abuse survivors must be exempt from any local connection tests.

It comes as the government recently published its five-point plan to deliver a decade of renewal for social and affordable housing and pave the way for the biggest boost in a generation. This includes the new £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme to build around 300,000 new homes over the next decade, with at least 60% for social rent.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner said:

“I’m immensely proud this government is delivering real change for some of our most vulnerable in society, making sure more young people and families can have a safe and secure roof over their head.

“It’s only right we remove local connection tests for these groups and from today they will no longer face such barriers – it’s a promise we made and a promise we’ve kept.

“This builds on our Plan for Change to deliver the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation, turning the tide on the crisis we’ve inherited and building hundreds of thousands of new homes to bring down housing waiting lists for good.”

Today’s changes follow the rules overhauled last year to remove local connection tests for all former UK Regular Armed Forces Veterans, regardless of when they last served, as pledged by the Prime Minister.

The government remains fully committed to supporting more vulnerable groups and veterans into social housing but also recognises the challenges faced by councils dealing with unprecedented pressures on housing supply as well as depleted housing stocks.

That’s why the government has now set out ambitions to ramp up housing delivery for this Parliament and beyond, equipping councils and providers with greater tools to invest in existing and new social homes. This includes:

• Bringing forward long-overdue reforms to Right to Buy, including a 35-year exemption for newly built social homes, to protect and reverse the decline in much-needed council housing.
• Extending the flexibilities on spending Right to Buy receipts introduced last year, as well as allowing councils to retain 100% of Right to Buy receipts and from next year combine receipts with grant funding for affordable housing, which will further accelerate the delivery of new homes to replace those sold.
• Introducing a new long-term 10-year settlement for social housing rents to provide the sector with the certainty they need to reinvest in new housing stock.

New funding for a £12 million Council Housebuilding Skills & Capacity Programme has also been announced, which will upskill and expand council workforces to get more spades in the ground for a new era of council housebuilding.

Centrepoint’s Director of Policy and Prevention, Balbir Kaur Chatrik said:

“It wasn’t right that young care leavers were subjected to local connection tests – particularly at a point in their lives where they should be able to move on and thrive.

“Removing this barrier is a huge step in protecting some of the country’s most vulnerable young people and should help in reducing youth homelessness more broadly.”

A care-experienced young person, Tia Shillito-Radicic said:

“The passing of this new legislation is nothing short of life-changing for many care-experienced young people and especially for me.

“This legislation gives me the opportunity to live somewhere safer, closer to my support network, and within reach of my career in the Civil Service. It’s not just about having a roof over my head – it’s about having a foundation to build a future. It’s about independence, security, and dignity.

“Too often, young people in care are uprooted from their communities and placed far from home due to foster care shortages or safeguarding concerns. When we age out of care, we’re then expected to return to the original council that placed us – sometimes hundreds of miles from where we’ve built our lives. That system leaves many of us isolated, detached from the people and places we trust most.

“This legislation changes that. And with it, comes hope. Hope that young people won’t have to start over, again and again. Hope that we can remain close to the support systems we’ve fought to create. And hope that we’ll finally be seen not just as care leavers, but as individuals with dreams, careers, and futures.

“To everyone who worked tirelessly to make this happen: thank you. You haven’t just changed a policy – you’ve helped us hold onto something many of us lose far too often: a sense of home, of belonging, and of hope.”

Further information

Last month the government published a written ministerial statement confirming new changes for young care leavers and domestic abuse survivors. The regulations were laid on 19 June and come into force today.

While the changes remove a specific barrier for these vulnerable groups, the allocation of social housing is still at the discretion of the local housing authority.

On 24 September, the Prime Minister set out his ambition to improve access to social housing for former UK Armed Forces Veterans, young care leavers and domestic abuse survivors.

The government recently set out its long-term plan – Delivering a decade of renewal for social and affordable housing – which includes a commitment to support more vulnerable groups and veterans having access to social housing.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 4 July 2025.

Leaseholders to be better protected and more able to challenge excessive service charges to address cost of living concerns.

Millions of leaseholders will receive stronger rights, powers and protections to better challenge extortionate service charges thanks to major reforms to the feudal leasehold system.

Leaseholders are required to pay a service charge to cover the upkeep of shared areas in their building, however in too many cases they are left facing very unclear and unaffordable fees.

By switching on measures in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, almost five million leaseholders in England and Wales will receive the transparency they need to hold their landlords to account and easily challenge these costs.

Leaseholders will receive standardised service charge documentation, which will spell out clear and detailed information about how their service charges are calculated and spent.

This will make it easier for them to challenge unreasonable bills and potentially save money where expenses are unjustified, with further reforms to stop them having to automatically pay for landlords’ litigation costs even where they have won their case.

Housing and Planning Minister, Matthew Pennycook said:

“The cost of living remains a pressing concern for leaseholders and many are struggling financially as a result of high and rising service charges, and other opaque and excessive leasehold costs.

“This bold package of reforms will arm leaseholders with greater rights and protections and empower them to challenge poor practice and unreasonable charges and fees – driving up leaseholder living standards as we work to bring the feudal leasehold system to an end as part of our Plan for Change.”

RICS Chief Executive, Justin Young, said:

“Today’s announcement is an important step forward in raising standards and improving transparency in the leasehold sector. Accountability and professionalism in property management is essential to give leaseholders confidence.

“Mandatory qualifications for managing agents will help to achieve this.

“We fully support the Government’s ambition to deliver meaningful, proportionate reform that has lasting benefit for consumers. The consultation recognises that professional bodies play a critical role in delivering trust and confidence. RICS’ work seeks to ensure the highest level of professionalism across our membership – and around 30% of leasehold properties are managed by an RICS Regulated Firm.

“Qualifications alone, however, are only part of the solution. RICS looks forward to working with MHCLG to achieve their vision, drawing on our deep regulatory experience and existing infrastructure.”

The Property Institute Chief Executive, Andrew Bulmer, said:

“We welcome this wide-reaching consultation which seeks to improve the lives of residents in shared buildings.

“Measures to improve the transparency of service charges will empower residents with useful information on costs, while mandatory qualifications for property managers are vital to improve standards and ensure residents get the level of service they deserve.

“The Property Institute looks forward to playing our part in this essential mission towards a fairer, better and more transparent residential property sector.”

Demands for service charges are currently only required by law to include a limited amount of details, which can leave leaseholders in the dark over what services or works make up their bill.

This can leave leaseholders at risk of being overcharged for poor quality work, or out of pocket for work that has not been carried out in some of the worst cases, on top of existing cost of living pressures.

The government is today (Friday) pushing ahead to implement these reforms and is consulting over the best way forward to ensure they are robust, workable and protect leaseholders effectively.

Queries about service charges accounted for one in three of all enquiries to the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) last year, showing the need for the government to act and drive-up transparency.

Further reforms – in addition to measures in the Act – will see the Section 20 ‘major works’ process improved to ensure leaseholders are not hit by one-off, unexpected and very large bills with little or no notice as is the case currently. LEASE will shortly be publishing an insight report into the challenges currently experienced by leaseholders going through this process.

Other measures will give leaseholders the power to demand a switch or veto a landlord’s choice of managing agent and introduce mandatory qualifications for the role to stamp out bad practice in line with Lord Best’s 2019 recommendations. This reform will ensure all managing agents have the knowledge and skills they need to do their jobs effectively, and put an end to leaseholders and residential freeholders suffering abuse and poor service.

These reforms will help drive up living standards in our Plan for Change and complement work to bring the feudal leasehold system to an end and make commonhold the default for new flats, ahead of publication of a draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill later this year.

Key points being consulted on:

• Better service charge transparency, including new standardised service charge demand forms, annual reports, service charge accounts and administration charges
• Improving buildings insurance transparency, including what information should be provided to leaseholders, so they have assurance they are getting fair value and are better able to challenge any unreasonable insurance charges
• Rebalancing the litigation costs regime and removing barriers for leaseholders to challenge their landlord
• Reforming the section 20 ‘major works’ procedure that leaseholders must go through when they face large bills for such works
• Considering the case for greater protections for leaseholders paying fixed service charges, protections for client money, or improvements to the process for appointing a manager in cases of serious management failure
• Opportunities to encourage the provision of information and services digitally to be more accessible and reduce costs, but also ensuring safeguards so that all leaseholders receive the information they need
• Introducing mandatory qualifications for managing agents to ensure that all agents have the knowledge and skills they need to provide a good service for leaseholders.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 2 July 2025.

Government sets out ambitions for a social rent revolution through the new £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme.

Hundreds of thousands of social and affordable homes, including 60 per cent for social rent, will be built and standards will be driven up under plans by the Deputy Prime Minister to usher in a decade of housing renewal across the country.

This significant package of renewal will help deliver on our Plan for Change, unlock new jobs and turn the tide of the entrenched housing crisis, which has seen families and over 165,000 children stuck in temporary accommodation without the safe, secure and stable home they deserve.

That’s why the government is today setting an ambition to deliver around 300,000 new social and affordable homes, through the unprecedented £39 billion new Social and Affordable Homes Programme announced at the Spending Review. Through this, we are setting an ambitious target that at least 60% of homes will be for social rent which is linked to local incomes – achieving this would mean delivering around 180,000 homes for social rent. That is six times more than the decade up to 2024.

Alongside this, a long-term plan – Delivering a Decade of Renewal for Social and Affordable Housing – is being published today (Wednesday) to set out how the government will deliver the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation, alongside driving up the safety and quality of homes.

Living standards for millions of social housing tenants will also be driven up under new plans to update and modernise the Decent Homes Standard, which will be extended to privately rented homes for the first time, and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards will be implemented for the first time in the social housing sector.

Further measures set out in the plan includes transformative changes to Right to Buy and other measures to protect vital council housing stock, unlocking investment in new and existing social housing, and increasing overall standards alongside a rallying call for the sector to step up and deliver.

This significant package is the latest action the government is taking to deliver on the Plan for Change to build 1.5 million homes and drive-up living standards, which includes reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, the landmark Planning and Infrastructure Bill and the recent announcement of a new publicly-owned National Housing Bank. This will further help to turn the tide on the housing crisis which has left over 165,000 children in temporary accommodation and locked a generation out of a secure home.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said:

“We are seizing this golden opportunity with both hands to transform this country by building the social and affordable homes we need, so we create a brighter future where families aren’t trapped in temporary accommodation and young people are no longer locked out of a secure home.

“With investment and reform, this government is delivering the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation, unleashing a social rent revolution, and embarking on a decade of renewal for social and affordable housing in this country.

“That’s why I am urging everyone in the social housing sector to step forward with us now to make this vision a reality, to work together to turn the tide on the housing crisis together and deliver the homes and living standards people deserve through our Plan for Change.”

Since coming into office, the government has listened carefully to social housing providers and tenants. The new plan, published by the government today, reflects this engagement and builds on the investment strategy laid out at the Spending Review.

The five steps form the government’s plan to deliver the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation, alongside a lasting change in the safety and quality of homes.

Each step builds on work already undertaken to bring stability to the sector, but the Plan also publicly signals to developers, councils, investors and to the public the government’s serious intent and ambition for social and affordable housing. It also gives providers the stability and certainty they need to be able to borrow and invest in both new and existing homes knowing the government has a comprehensive plan for the sector.

The five steps are to:

1. Deliver the biggest boost to grant funding in a generation
2. Rebuild the sector’s capacity to borrow and invest in new and existing supply
3. Establish an effective and stable regulatory regime
4. Reinvigorate council housebuilding
5. Forge a renewed partnership with the sector to build at scale

To deliver the housing the country needs, the government confirmed at the Spending Review a new 10-year £39 billion programme to kickstart building at scale.

Homes England – the government’s housing and regeneration agency – will be responsible for delivering the majority of the funding, with up to 30% of funding  – up to £11.7bn over the 10 years – being used to support housing delivery from the Greater London Authority in the capital.

The long-term nature of the Social and Affordable Homes Programme will also offer more certainty for developers to invest and effectively plan housebuilding for the future, compared to the previous five-year £12.3bn 2021-2026 Affordable Homes Programme.

The last five year 2021-26 programme averaged £2.3 billion per year – this means the government will be spending almost double this on affordable housing investment by the end of this Parliament (£4bn in 2029/30).

To achieve the ambition of delivering more social and affordable housing, the government is issuing a ‘call to arms’ to everyone with a role in social and affordable housing to prove they can deliver at scale and at pace. And as part of this effort, we will work with the sector in the coming months to agree a joint overall target on how many social and affordable homes can be delivered overall.

A new long-term 10-year settlement for social housing rents will be introduced from April 2026 to provide the social housing sector with the certainty they need to reinvest in existing and new housing stock.

The government is also publishing a consultation on how to implement a convergence measure, with options for this being capped at £1 or £2 per week– with a final decision to follow at this year’s Autumn Budget.

Further views will be sought on a new Decent Homes Standard which will modernise the standard, with proposals that hold tenant safety at their core but remain proportionate and affordable for providers to deliver. Views will also be sought on updating standards to make sure homes are warm and efficient through a Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard for the social rented sector. This is all alongside our work to implement Awaab’s Law – this government is prioritising safety as a first step.

The government has also set out a package of wider reforms to the Right to Buy scheme to protect vital housing stock and to enable councils to ramp up delivery of new homes. This follows the reduction in maximum cash discounts that was implemented in November 2024.

This package complements work already taking place to get Britain building including through the updated National Planning Policy Framework, the landmark Planning and Infrastructure Bill and a new National Housing Bank to get more spades in the ground.

Minister for Energy Consumers Miatta Fahnbulleh said:

“Everyone deserves to live in a warm, secure and affordable home, which is why we are setting out bold plans today to transform housing over the next decade.

“This includes proposals to introduce an energy efficiency standard for social housing for the first time ever, helping tenants benefit from cheaper energy bills and more efficient homes.”

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 25 June 2025.

More planning appeals will be processed via a faster, simplified procedure under new regulations.

Simplified planning appeal procedures will be rolled out to the majority of planning appeals decided via written representations following a Ministerial decision to change regulation.

Expected to begin by the end of 2025, the reform is about streamlining processes to ensure planning appeal decisions can be made more quickly, benefiting developers, local authorities and communities alike.

Under the new process the majority of written representation appeals will accept only the evidence put before the local planning authority during application. This will not only speed up appeals but will also importantly, encourage a full body of evidence to be provided at application stage, giving local planning authorities the information they need to make decisions – aligning with universal planning principles of keeping decisions local.

Paul Morrison, Planning Inspectorate CEO, explains:

Every delayed planning decision represents potential delays to development and uncertainty for local communities. This change is a common-sense approach to planning that benefits us all by removing unnecessary administrative burdens and focusing on what matters: well-informed, timely decisions based on high-quality applications from the start.

The simplified appeals process will deliver:

• A faster, more efficient planning appeals process that benefits everyone
• Keeping planning decisions local and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy
• Submit once, submit right – providing the complete picture at application stage

Initial estimates anticipate changes to regulation being made by the end of the year. From this date, applications to local planning authorities become eligible for the simplified appeals process.

More detail on the changes is available via dedicated guidance. We will update our procedural guide once we receive a final draft of the changed regulations.

The Planning Inspectorate remains committed to maintaining a fair planning system where all appeals are carefully considered against local and national planning policies.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 19 June 2025.

New changes to remove local connection rules for young care leavers and victims of domestic abuse to access social housing.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 28 May 2025.

Thousands of homes will be built faster on smaller sites across the country as complex planning rules are streamlined, onerous regulatory burdens eased, and financial firepower is provided to SME builders.

The current system makes it far too difficult for smaller builders to get spades in the ground – with a small site of 10 homes jumping through the same planning hurdles as one with 100 or more.

Smaller firms, which provide local jobs and train eight out of 10 construction apprentices, have seen their market share shrink since the 1980s, when SME builders delivered 40% of the country’s homes.

Today’s changes will help turn this around, driving up competition across the sector and helping deliver the Plan for Change milestone of 1.5 million homes, so more working families and young people can achieve the dream of homeownership.

Today’s proposals include:

• Faster decisions for small sites: Minor developments of up to nine homes will benefit from streamlined planning and eased Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements, with faster decisions being taken by expert planning officers, not planning committees;
• A new ‘medium site’ category: Sites between ten to 49 homes will face simpler rules and fewer costs – including a proposed exemption from the Building Safety Levy and simplified BNG rules, making it easier to deliver biodiverse habitats on these sites, delivering a win-win for nature and development;
• More land and financing options for SMEs: Homes England will release more of its land exclusively to SMEs, and a new National Housing Delivery Fund to be confirmed at the spending review will support long-term finance options, such as revolving credit facilities and lending alliances.
• A new pilot to unlock small sites for SMEs: the Small Sites Aggregator pilot in Bristol, Sheffield and the London Borough of Lewisham will unlock sites that would otherwise not have been developed, while attracting private investment to build new social rent homes. Building on a model developed by Lloyds Banking Group’s Social Housing Initiative, the Small Sites Aggregator will help tackle the housing shortage, address unviable small plots of land, and create local jobs supporting the government’s Plan for Change.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner said:

“Smaller housebuilders must be the bedrock of our Plan for Change to build 1.5 million homes and fix the housing crisis we’ve inherited – and get working people on the housing ladder.

“For decades the status quo has failed them and it’s time to level the playing field.

“Today we’re taking urgent action to make the system simpler, fairer and more cost effective, so smaller housebuilders can play a crucial role in our journey to get Britain building.”

Full details are being set out today for the modernising of planning committees – ensuring elected councillors focus on the most significant proposals and larger developments rather than small-scale projects or niche technical details, while more faster decisions are made by expert trained planners.

Under these plans, once a development has been agreed in principle technical details won’t keep going back and forth to committees – accelerating housebuilding and saving council planning departments time and money.

Further support announced today for local builders includes:

• £100 million in SME Accelerator Loans to help smaller firms to grow and invest using part of the £700 million extension to the Home Building Fund announced in December.
• £10 million for councils to fund more specialists to speed up environmental assessments, getting spades in the ground faster.
• A £1.2 million PropTech Innovation Fund to support innovation in small site delivery, for example through use of new data tools.

It comes as the government unveiled its plans to train up to 120,000 new apprentices, including within construction – ensuring the industry has what it needs to get building.

The wide-ranging package for SMEs today builds on the government’s planning overhaul so far, with the new National Planning Policy Framework alone expected to drive housebuilding to its highest level in over 40 years and add £6.8 billion to the economy by 2030.

CEO of Lloyds Banking Group, Charlie Nunn said:

“We strongly welcome the government’s announcement today that it will pilot the Small Sites Aggregator in Bristol, Sheffield and Lewisham.

“Through the Social Housing Initiative, we’re proud to have helped ignite this innovation in housing development and finance – unlocking the small, brownfield sites in our communities which are lying empty yet have immense potential to provide good quality homes in our towns and cities.

“This exciting partnership between the public and private sectors will increase investment at pace into the new, genuinely affordable homes that are needed across the UK.”

Further information:

The government has published a new working paper on planning thresholds for small and medium housing sites.

The government has also launched a consultation reviewing Biodiversity Net Gain for minor, medium and brownfield development. This will be open for 8 weeks.

As part of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, the government is also launching a new consultation on reforming planning committees and their role in the planning process. This consultation includes detailed proposals for a national scheme of delegation which would direct the majority of minor and technical applications to planning officers, freeing up committees to consider the most complex and controversial by categorising applications into Tier A or B. Tier A applications will go to officers, while Tier B applications have the ability to be considered by committees if necessary. It will be open for 8 weeks.

The Home Building Fund is administered by Homes England and is designed for SME housebuilders in England that are struggling to access loans from traditional lenders. Last year the government announced a £700 million extension to the Fund.

The new National Housing Delivery Fund will provide a range of funding tools to support SMEs, including support for revolving credit facilities. Further details will be announced at the Spending Review.

This government has also launched a £1.2m PropTech Innovation fund to inject innovation into small site delivery. Examples of potential solutions include the use of data and tools to provide certainty on future infrastructure capacity for SME housebuilders, meaning they can make the case for investment easier.

The government is making available a further £10m this financial year to help local planning authorities implement BNG, on top of £35m provided in previous years.

The government is also announcing today that it will consult on how we apply BNG for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) to provide consistent regulations for developers – many of them who are already delivering biodiversity gains at scale.  Measures will be in place from May 2026.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 25 May 2025.

Thousands of new homes promised to communities will be delivered faster, thanks to major changes to make sure developers deliver on their commitments and do not leave sites half-finished for years.

For the first time, under new government proposals announced today, housebuilders will have to commit to delivery timeframes before they get planning permission, making sure they play their part to accelerate housebuilding and tackle the housing crisis head on to deliver security for working people.

Under new rules, housebuilders will also have to submit annual reports showing their progress to councils to keep them on track. While most developers want to get on and build, those who consistently fail to build out consented sites and those who secure planning permissions simply to trade land speculatively could also face a ‘Delayed Homes Penalty’ worth thousands per unbuilt home, paid directly to local planning authorities.

Those deliberately sitting on vital land, without building the homes promised, could see their sites acquired by councils where there is a case in the public interest and stripped of future planning permissions, showing the government’s Plan for Change means business to deliver 1.5 million new homes.

Large housing sites, producing over 2,000 homes, can take at least 14 years to build, meaning working families and young people spend years deprived of homeownership or the ability to rent an affordable home.

But where more than 40% of homes are affordable, build-out is twice as fast. The government is therefore also testing a new requirement for large sites to be mixed tenure by default – helping to build more homes, including more affordable homes, faster.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner said:

“This government has taken radical steps to overhaul the planning system to get Britain building again after years of inaction. In the name of delivering security for working people, we are backing the builders not the blockers. Now it’s time for developers to roll up their sleeves and play their part.

“We’re going even further to get the homes we need. No more sites with planning permission gathering dust for decades while a generation struggle to get on the housing ladder. Through our Plan for Change, we will deliver 1.5 million homes, fix the housing crisis and make the dream of home ownership a reality for working people.”

These decisive changes will support housebuilders to adapt to build more, and faster, by incentivising a model that works for developers and communities.

When major reforms to streamline the planning system were introduced last summer, the industry pledged to work with the government to build out as quickly as possible.

They now need to make good on that promise. The government continues to back the industry with the tools and support it needs—but in return, the Deputy Prime Minister’s message to housebuilders is they need to get on and build.

These reforms play a key part of the government’s Plan for Change to build 1.5 million homes this Parliament and deliver the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.

Work is already underway through the new pro-growth National Planning Policy Framework, including mandatory housing targets for councils, which will drive UK housebuilding to its highest level in over 40 years and add £6.8 billion to the UK economy by 2029/30.

This is on top of seismic planning reforms through the landmark Planning and Infrastructure Bill to make it quicker and easier to build 1.5 million homes and boost the economy by up to £7.5 billion over the next decade.

Housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association, Cllr Adam Hug said:

“We are pleased the Government has acted on the LGA’s call for it to be easier for councils to penalise developers and acquire stalled housing sites or sites which have not been built out to timescales contractually agreed, ideally with the recovery being made at pre-planning gain prices.

“Local government shares ambitions to boost housebuilding and work hard with communities and developers to deliver new sites. Too often they are frustrated when developers do not build the homes they have approved. While intervention of this sort is a last resort, this move is crucial to help ensure meaningful build out of sites.

“The ability to apply a ’Delayed Homes Penalty’ is a power that councils have been asking for and means that local taxpayers are not missing out on lost income due to slow developers, but it must be set at a level that incentivises build out.

“Private developers have a key role in solving our chronic housing shortage but they cannot build the homes needed each year on their own. Ahead of the Spending Review, we have also set out the measures needed to empower councils to also be able to build more affordable, good quality homes quickly and at scale.”

Further information

The government is publishing a Planning Reform Working Paper entitled ‘Speeding Up Build Out’. This is alongside publishing a technical consultation on requiring transparency and accountability measures for build out rates on housing sites.

The technical consultation sets out proposals to require developers of 50 or more homes utilising powers introduced in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 to provide:

• a build out statement with their planning application;
• a commencement notice when they commence their development; and
• an annual progress report tracking build out progress,

The Working Paper on ‘Speeding Up Build Out’ makes proposals for discussion with the sector. This includes:

• An overall strategy to speed up build out, drawing on the best available evidence of the causes of slow build out.
• A new proposal on a Delayed Homes Penalty, which would be a last resort measure available for local authorities where a developer has agreed a build out schedule in their planning permission but falls materially (10% or more) behind it, without a good reason. This will require primary legislation and only apply to future planning permissions.
• Confirmation the government will implement a new power introduced by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 relating to the compulsory purchase of land which will remove risks to the use of compulsory purchase orders on stalled sites.
• Confirmation the government will implement the reforms to completion notices in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 which local planning authorities can issue if development is unlikely to be completed within a reasonable period.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 15 May 2025.

Changes will mean more money in the pockets of hard-working people when they reach retirement, delivering on government’s Plan for Change.

Street cleaners, school cooks and other dedicated public servants are set to benefit from a package of reforms to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) that will end discrimination and lead to more money in people’s pockets.

Today’s measures build on the government’s wider Make Work Pay agenda that will back millions of workers by banning exploitative zero-hours contracts and ending ‘Fire and Rehire’ and ‘Fire and Replace’ practices.

Under measures announced today, the Local Government Pension Scheme for England and Wales will become the first public service pension scheme – of which three quarters are women – to make all maternity, shared parental and adoption leave automatically pensionable.

And issues with current regulations that saw survivors of members receiving smaller pensions on the basis of their relationship type will be fixed – ending historic inequalities.

These steps will directly benefit people working on the front line, serving school lunches, cleaning buildings, managing libraries and cleaning streets.

Loopholes that allow those guilty of serious offences to continue benefitting from the pension scheme will also be closed, as part of a crackdown to ensure public servants’ money does not go to those who do not deserve it.

Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner said:

“These historic changes will give hard working street cleaners, librarians, school cooks and other public servants the security that they deserve.

“This is a critical step in ending years of discrimination, backing our dedicated public servants and helping to Make Work Pay.”

Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE MP, said:

“Having worked in local government for years, I know first-hand how much those who help keep the lights on across the country rely on the Local Government Pension Scheme.

“Through these reforms, we will make sure they are properly rewarded and able to enjoy their hard-earned retirement.”

Minister for Pensions Torsten Bell MP said:

“Today’s changes will ensure more public servants get the benefits and security they deserve.

“Our reforms to the Local Government Pension Scheme are bringing fairness and equality to workers, while boosting the potential of schemes to drive opportunity and growth in local communities.”

Latest estimates show 74 per cent of the scheme’s seven million members are women, and one of the most significant gaps in a woman’s pensionable service is often maternity leave.

Making the final 13 weeks’ leave automatically pensionable will be a significant improvement and help close the gender pensions gap women face.

Another issue the reforms aim to address is a disparity in survivor benefits – which are paid to the scheme’s members’ partners upon their death.

Due to issues with the existing regulations, there have been instances where those in same-sex marriages and civil partnerships receive a more generous pension entitlement than those in opposite-sex marriages and partnerships. But under proposed reforms, all discrimination on the basis of the sex of those affected will be removed.

In addition, an age cap currently in place that requires an LGPS member to have died before the age of 75 for their survivor to receive a lump sum payment will also be abolished.

The government is also taking steps to keep people in the scheme by enhancing data collection on why people opt out, in a bid to ensure as many people as possible benefit.

A consultation on the proposed reforms to LGPS members’ benefits is now open for 12 weeks, and those affected are encouraged to register their views.

Other measures the government is taking to make work pay include:

• Banning exploitative zero-hours contracts
• Ending ‘Fire and Rehire’ and ‘Fire and Replace’ practices
• Strengthening statutory sick pay

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 6 May 2025.

New analysis shows economy could be boosted by up to £7.5 billion over the next decade thanks to the pro-growth Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Planning reforms to accelerate the delivery of new homes, roads and railways, and clean energy projects will boost the UK economy by billions of pounds, according to new analysis.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill’s Impact Assessment, published today (Tuesday, May 6) has shown the government’s pro-growth changes to get Britain building could benefit the economy by up to £7.5 billion over the next 10 years.

A growing economy is at the heart of our Plan for Change to improve the lives of hard working people and by making it quicker and easier to build 1.5 million new homes, the reforms will turn the tide of the housing crisis and ensure critical infrastructure – including public transport links and clean energy projects that will protect billpayers – is sped up.

Lower costs for businesses, fewer delays and more certainty as a result of the Bill’s measures could lead to further investment and provide an additional boost to the economy.

Even this assessment is expected to be an underestimate of the true economic value the reforms will have in boosting development. The current assessment also does not account for recent amendments to the Bill to overhaul the pre-application stage for critical infrastructure, which government analysis suggests will add another £1 billion over this Parliament.

This huge boost to the economy is on top of the measures already implemented in the new pro-growth National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The Office for Budget Responsibility recently said the changes to NPPF alone will drive housebuilding to its highest level in over 40 years, and deliver an additional £6.8 billion by 2029/2030.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner said:

“Getting Britain building will not only boost economic growth but ensure we deliver the homes and infrastructure working people deserve.

“This landmark pro-growth Bill will get spades in the ground and the foundations laid for a new generation of homes, as we deliver on our Plan for Change.”

The analysis has also been given a ‘green rating’ by the Regulatory Policy Committee, which means the assessment is considered robust and fit for purpose by the independent scrutiny body that considers them.

The Bill will help deliver on the Plan for Change by streamlining the building of 1.5 million homes and crucial infrastructure needed to make Britain a clean energy superpower and protect billpayers and reduce future energy shocks.

This will help put money back into the pockets of working people and support the government’s push to make at least 150 decisions on major infrastructure projects this Parliament, with 17 decided so far.

Further reforms tabled at Committee Stage, and not included in the impact assessment, will streamline the pre-application process for windfarms, new roads and other major infrastructure projects.

For more information:

• The government has now published its impact assessment for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which has now received a green rating from the Regulatory Policy Committee. This can be read in full here.
• The analysis includes higher, central and lower estimates for how much money the Bill could add to the economy over 10 years. The highest estimate was up to £7.5 billion, the central estimate was £3.2 billion and the lower estimate was £1.3 billion.
• This assessment does not include the amendments tabled at the Committee Stage, which the government predicts will further boost the economy by £1 billion over the course of this Parliament.
• It is expected to be an underestimate of the true impact as there will be ‘wider, un-monetised benefits such as the benefit to society from quicker delivery of housing and infrastructure, and the macroeconomic contribution of increased development supported by the Bill”.
• The Bill will deliver a range of measures to speed up the delivery of critical infrastructure and 1.5 million homes.
• The OBR analysis of the National Planning Policy Framework forecast 0.2% to be added to GDP by 2029/30– worth around £6.8bn in today’s prices.