The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is aware that 71% of parishes are rural by the former DEFRA definition.  It has policy positions based on rural housing deprivation and making sure that parishes are full statutory consultees on all aspects of the planning system.  In order to inform its rural oriented policy work and related workstreams, NALC is very interested in the sector’s views on, experience with, and interest in community-led housing and on giving parishes more powers to buy land and then to allocate housing built on that land to local residents based on housing need.  However, this survey will also be of interest to urban parishes. 

Accordingly NALC would be hugely grateful if the sector could please answer the below questions based on community led housing to inform its work in this area moving forward and help it to lobby the Government across Departments to ensure that parishes get the best deal from the new Government on community led housing. This is following the announcement by the Government, in the Spring Budget 2016, that £60 million will be provided to enable community-led housing developments, including Community Land Trusts (CLTs), in rural and coastal communities where the impact of second homes is felt to be particularly acute. Results will be shared with relevant parliamentarians, INLOGOV and the National Community Land Trust Network. 

Therefore, NALC and its Policy Committee (which at source is responsible for the Parishes 2025 Task and Finish Group within the NALC governance structure) would be very grateful if you could please answer the below 15 short questions by latest 17:00 on 30 September, 2016.  NALC will then feedback responses to the NALC Policy Committee and its Research and Lobbying Task and Finish Group (TFG).

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