The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has issued draft guidance on how plan-making must transition during Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), warning two-tier authorities that upcoming restructuring is not a valid reason to delay plan-making.

This follows guidance published by the government in March regarding the rollout of the new local plan-making system. That directive requested that authorities develop their local plans as soon as possible to support the delivery of homes and regional growth. The Ministry has now clarified that even if an authority will not be able to adopt a plan before a new unitary council takes over, it must continue progressing. Furthermore, any council that received Local Plan Implementation Funding remains strictly required to hit their committed milestone dates.

The newly updated guidance informs authorities that MHCLG is actively working to support the transition from two-tier systems to single-tier unitaries, ensuring that plan-making can continue uninterrupted throughout the transitional period. Crucially, the guidance notes that councils are legally barred from preparing a plan based on a new unitary boundary until that new authority is officially operational.

Specifically, the Ministry’s ongoing work will address key issues raised by local authorities, including:

• How emerging plans can progress post-unitarisation;
• Complexities that arise when an emerging plan does not fit neatly into a single unitary area;
• The legal ability for more than one local plan to have effect in an area simultaneously.

This guidance update arrives just as councils in Worcestershire announced they are setting aside £20 million to support their own local transition. These local funds will help cover setup costs while the region waits to find out whether it will be reorganised into a single unitary authority or split into two.

Find Polimapper at the Local Government Association conference between 7th-9th July in Bournemouth. Drop by stand P82.