Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Housing Targets: New Towns Taskforce

Monday 3 March 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government will deliver over and above the targets produced by the standard method for housing.
  • The Minister confirmed that recommendations from the older people's housing taskforce are being considered.
  • Local authorities are advised to take into account types of tenure and homes needed in their local areas.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Blake Stephenson Con Mid Bedfordshire
Housing
Context

Communities in Mid Bedfordshire have faced continuous pressure to build new houses, impacting the countryside and historical character of towns and villages. The local area has always contributed to taking on new housing.

Question

Whether the number of houses recommended by the new towns taskforce will be in addition to the housing targets set in the national policy planning framework. Communities in Mid Bedfordshire have always done their bit to take new housing, but continued pressure to build is chipping away at our beautiful countryside and the historical character of our towns and villages. Will the Minister assure communities such as mine that the new towns taskforce cannot hit us with a double whammy of house building?

Answer from The Minister for Housing and Planning (Matthew Pennycook)

Not least because we will only begin construction of the next generation of new towns towards the end of this Parliament, the Government have been clear that they will deliver over and above the targets produced by the standard method. We will keep under review how the taskforce’s forthcoming recommendations on new towns interact with housing targets across England. The independent expert taskforce chaired by Sir Michael Lyons will submit its final report in the summer, and we do not yet know which locations it will recommend for Ministers' decision. Our ambition is that new towns will contribute over and above the standard method targets, but we want to ensure that incentives are in place to support proactive local authorities like his.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific assurance on avoiding double pressure on areas like Mid Bedfordshire

How: Under Review

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Q2 Neil Duncan-Jordan Lab Poole
Housing
Context

Future generations of older people are unlikely to have generous pensions or even homeownership during their working lives, creating a growing need for age-appropriate accommodation.

Question

We know that future generations of older people are unlikely to have had generous pensions or even to have been homeowners during their working lives. Will the Minister therefore confirm whether housing targets will include specific reference to older people’s housing and the growing need for age-appropriate accommodation?

Answer from The Minister for Housing and Planning (Matthew Pennycook)

Two things: first, we are weighing up recommendations from the older people’s housing taskforce that recently reported. We have also made clear through the national planning policy framework that local authorities should take into account types of tenure and homes needed in their local areas, as local plans bring forward different types of housing for demographic needs.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific reference to older people’s housing targets

How: Weighing Up Recommendations

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