The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a letter from the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook, to the Chair of the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE), Martin Boyd. The letter outlines the government's expectations and priorities for LEASE for the remainder of 2025, focusing on their role in advising leaseholders. LEASE is tasked with improving and modernising its core advice service, improving its data collection and analysis capabilities, and take a leading role in coordinating the redress landscape. Pennycook also highlights the need for new key performance indicators (KPIs) to reflect LEASE’s evolved remit, including metrics to improve customer experience through better quality and website functionality. LEASE will be held accountable through quarterly performance reporting against these objectives and KPIs. Its Board is also expected to conduct a Board Effectiveness Review by the end of March 2025.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a letter to the Chief Executive of the Planning Inspectorate, setting out the government's position on how Local Plan examinations should be conducted in terms of ‘pragmatism’. In 2015, the government published a letter outlining an expectation that Inspectors should operate ‘pragmatically’ during examinations. However, Matthew Pennycook MP, has now replaced that instruction, stating that ‘pragmatism’ should only be used where it is likely that a plan is capable of being found sound.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a letter from the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook MP, to the Chief Executive of the Planning Inspectorate (PINS), Paul Morrison. The letter outlines the government's expectations for exercising flexibility in the examination of local plans submitted under the current plan-making system. Inspectors are instructed to apply an appropriate degree of flexibility during these examinations. Pennycook further notes that the level of evidence required to determine whether the legal and soundness tests have been met—including compliance with the Duty to Co-operate—should be proportionate to the context in which plans under the existing system are being prepared. The letter also revokes a March 2014 letter from former Minister Nick Boles, thereby allowing PINS to recommend Green Belt reviews during examinations where necessary to identify additional development sites. MHCLG has confirmed that new regulations and guidance for the reformed local plan development model—intended to enable shorter plans to be produced more quickly—will be published later in 2025.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a letter from the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook MP, to the Interim Chief Executive of the Planning Inspectorate (PINS), Graham Stallwood. The letter, which follows earlier correspondence of 8 October and 27 November 2025 on examination flexibilities, directs PINS to adopt a pragmatic and proportionate approach to deliverability and viability when examining local plans, citing the December 2026 submission deadline for legacy system local plans and prevailing economic volatility. Allocations should be assessed against prospects of delivery over the plan period as a whole rather than solely against current market conditions, and Inspectors may have regard to the wider consequences for communities of delaying adoption of an otherwise sound plan. The letter further states that viability assessment does not require individual site testing, with plan makers permitted to use site typologies. Pennycook explicitly states that the letter does not alter statutory local plan preparation or examination requirements.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a letter from the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook MP, to the Chief Executive of the Planning Inspectorate (PINS), Graham Stallwood. The letter highlights key policies in the new National Planning Policy Framework intended to boost housing supply and economic growth. The revised presumption in favour of sustainable development supports development within settlements by default, subject to specified exemptions, and introduces clearer rules for development outside settlements, including where a local planning authority cannot demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing sites. For proposals within settlements and those outside settlements supported in principle, permission should be granted unless adverse effects substantially outweigh the benefits, assessed against the framework’s decision-making policies and safeguards. The letter also emphasises that substantial weight should be given to homes meeting evidenced community needs and the economic benefits of commercial development. Pennycook asks Stallwood to share the letter with inspectors conducting planning appeals and assessing applications, while recognising PINS’ independent role in reaching conclusions on the evidence before it.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a letter from the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, addressed to all local authority leaders and metro mayors in England. The letter details the next steps in MHCLG's planning reform programme, including the recent introduction of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to Parliament and a consultation on proposed reforms to the statutory consultee system. Rayner highlights five main reforms in the Bill: streamlining certain consenting processes for critical infrastructure; adopting a more strategic approach to nature recovery; improving certainty and decision-making in the planning system, unlocking land and securing public value for large scale investments; and introducing new mechanisms for cross-boundary strategic planning. She also discusses proposed changes to the statutory consultee system, such as limiting their scope to where advice is strictly necessary and establishing a new performance framework with increased ministerial oversight of statutory consultees' actions, among other aspects.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published letters from the Deputy Director for Local Government Reorganisation, Ruth Miller, addressed to local authority leaders and chief executives in East Sussex, Brighton & Hove, and West Sussex, which provide further detail on the next steps in the local government reorganisation process. Miller confirms that no final decision has yet been taken and sets out plans for an additional consultation on potential modifications to existing proposals.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published letters from the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, to housing industry stakeholders, dated 13 December 2024, and to local authority leaders, mayors, and chief executives of local authorities, dated 12 December 2024. These letters outline key reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), including a new standard method for assessing housing needs, increasing the national target to 370,000 homes annually, and modernising the green belt policy, among other reforms. The letters also address the increase in planning fees to enhance local planning authority (LPA) resources. In addition, the MHCLG has published a letter from the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook, to the President of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), Lindsey Richards, dated 12 December 2024. This letter highlights the critical role of professional planners in addressing the housing crisis and details funding commitments to support the capacity and capability of LPAs, including £14.8m in immediate grant funding and £49m for planning reform implementation in 2025/26.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published two letters from the Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE MP, dated 19 December 2024. The first letter was addressed to the Leader of Liverpool City Council, Cllr Liam Robinson, and the second to Mike Cunningham CBE QPM, responding to a progress report received in October 2024. The letters acknowledge the progress made by Liverpool City Council in its recovery and reform journey, particularly after the end of the Commissioners' appointments and the establishment of the Liverpool Improvement and Assurance Board.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a written ministerial statement by the Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness, Alison McGovern, updating Parliament on the steps being taken to support four councils, Nottingham City Council, the London Borough of Croydon, Warrington Borough Council and Woking Borough Council to recover and reform in line with the best value duty.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a suite of neighbourhood planning guidance to support communities in preparing neighbourhood plans. The guidance comprises practical toolkits and templates covering the establishment of neighbourhood forums, consultation with statutory environmental bodies, the designation of Local Green Spaces and the use of neighbourhood plans to support regeneration. It also notes that the guidance is being updated to reflect recent changes to planning policy, but remains available as background reference.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published new building control guidance on reversions. The guidance covers several frequently asked questions, including the role of building control, circumstances when local authorities may become involved in projects, and responsibilities in cases of reversion to a local authority, among other topics. It also clarifies the implications of the liquidation of PWC Building Control Services Ltd, including their cancellation of initial notices due to their inability to perform building control functions, and addresses whether a new Registered Building Control Approver can be appointed in such instances.