Recommendation 27

Just over half of local planning authorities in England charge a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) to fund local infrastructure for new developments.55 This levy can be used to increase the capacity of or to repair existing infrastructure, including transport, flood defences, schools, hospitals and 47 C&AG’s Report, paras 2.7-2.8 and Figure 9 48 Q 53 49 C&AG’s Report, para 2.8 50 Q 54 51 Q 53 52 Q 53 53 Q 53 54 Q 84 55 Written evidence submitted by Department for Transport 5 December 2024, ‘Local roads in England – Community Infrastructure Levy’ 15 other facilities, but the funds must be used for the purpose of supporting development rather than preserving the status quo.56 We asked the Department whether it had done any work understanding the level of unspent CIL funds across the country and whether this money could be spent on local roads.57 In its follow-up written submission, the Department acknowledged that some local authorities do have significant levels of unspent CIL funds; this may be because they have yet to allocate the money to a specific project, or because the local authority is building up funds for a major project. The Department undertook to engage closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and local authorities on how CIL funds could be used to support transport investment.58 Evaluation