To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what additional financial support he plans to provide to the district councils in Buckinghamshire to enable them to fulfil the requirement to support town and parish councils in the production of neighbourhood plans during the period of preparation for a new single unitary district council.
Answered on
20 November 2018
The Government’s New Burdens doctrine ensures local planning authorities receive the relevant resources to meet their statutory obligations under neighbourhood planning. This Government has paid out over £23 million since 2012 to help local planning authorities meet their neighbourhood planning responsibilities. Local authorities can apply for funding of £20,000 for every neighbourhood plan that has passed its independent examination and reached referendum stage. Further details are available in the Chief Planners letter of May 2018 (full link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717060/180605_Chief_Planner_Letter_NPG_18-19_-_revised.pdf).