Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Accepted
Lack of data on collected vs. agreed developer contributions hinders understanding.
Recommendation
In its written evidence, the National Housing Federation explained that there is very little up-to-date information on the difference between the value of developer contributions that are agreed up front, and how much is subsequently collected. This makes it hard to understand the extent to which developers can negotiate down their contributions.10
Government Response Summary
The government agreed to explore proportionate and efficient ways of collecting and analysing data from infrastructure funding statements, alongside other relevant sources of evidence, to improve understanding of how the developer contributions system is working by Autumn 2026.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
1.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2026 1.2 The statutory requirement for local authorities to publish infrastructure funding statements (IFSs) helps local communities and developers see how contributions from development have been spent and understand what future funds will be spent on. While the primary responsibility for these documents sits with local authorities and their primary purpose is to enhance local transparency and accountability, the government recognises that data from IFSs could be used to improve understanding of how the developer contributions system is working. This would sit alongside existing and accredited official statistics, such as those on affordable housing supply in England. The department will therefore explore proportionate and efficient ways of collecting and analysing data from IFSs, alongside other relevant sources of evidence. 1.3 Any authority that receives contributions is legally required to publish an IFS annually on their website. Guidance on producing an IFS is already available on the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) website – an organisation that is funded and supported by the government. Earlier this year, the Chief Planner also wrote to all local planning authorities (LPAs) to remind them of their statutory duty, and a reminder has been included in the Chief Planner’s Newsletter, with an additional invitation to LPAs to share their IFS directly with the department.