Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 11
46th Report - Improving local areas through developer funding
Published 17 Oct 2025
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Improving local areas through developer funding All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The number of local authorities with up-to-date local plans is declining. As at February 2025, only 86 LPAs–28% of the total of 308 in England– had adopted a local plan in the past five years, while 202–65% of the total–LPAs had plans that were more than five years old.14 This Committee previously reported that, as at December 2018, some 42% of authorities had an up-to-date plan.15 We asked the Department why the situation 8 C&AG’s Report, paras 2.5–2.6 9 Q 37 10 ILA0007 11 Q 38 12 C&AG’s Report, para 1.10 13 C&AG’s Report, para 1.11 14 C&AG’s Report, para 1.13 15 Committee of Public Accounts, Planning and the broken housing market, 103rd Report of Session 2017–19, HC 1744, June 2019, page 5 9 with regard to local plans had not improved over time. It replied that it had given local authorities nearly £30 million to speed up local plan production, ahead of new guidance on plan-making coming into operation in 2026.16
From: Public Accounts Committee, 46th Report - Improving local areas through developer funding (HC 886), 17 October 2025
Government response
Latest Treasury Minutes progress report to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Forty-sixth Report of Session 2024-26
The government responded to the whole report on 4 June 2026 (deadline 17 December 2025).
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Forty-sixth report from Session 2024-26
Published 19 January 2026.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government states that it agrees with each of the Committee's recommendations on developer contributions, with target implementation dates ranging from spring 2026 to autumn 2026 and some marked 'Recommendation implemented'.
- On infrastructure funding statements, the department "will therefore explore proportionate and efficient ways of collecting and analysing data from IFSs", with a target date of autumn 2026.
- On local plans, it says it is "committed to taking tough action" and has made clear its "willingness to make full use of available intervention powers", with intervention considered "on a case-by-case basis".
- On viability guidance, it "will be consulting on a revised National Planning Policy Framework before the end of this year" and "intends to publish" updated viability practice guidance alongside it, with a target date of summer 2026.
- On unsold Section 106 homes, it is progressing "a holistic policy package, to be confirmed shortly", with a target date of spring 2026.