Ministers Signal CIL Relief, Announce Farming Road Map to 2050

High-Level Summary

Westminster Hall held two debates. Members examined the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and its impact on private homeowners, citing complex processes, unexpected household liabilities and inconsistent local administration. The responsible Minister announced a Government consultation to amend the CIL regulations, which he anticipates publishing before the summer recess. A separate 30‑minute debate on agriculture focused on input cost pressures, scheme delivery and barriers for new entrants; the Minister set out current support, new grants, and a farming road map to 2050.

Detailed Summary

Community Infrastructure Levy: Impact on Private Homeowners

Jeremy Hunt argued CIL was intended to make developers contribute to infrastructure, not to tax householders: “It was never intended as an extra tax on people doing home extensions”. He proposed changes including removing householders from scope—“homeowners should be excluded from the potential ambit of CIL altogether”—and highlighted complexity, penalties and lack of redress, as well as unspent balances: “An estimated £9 billion is sitting in council accounts… of which an estimated £2.2 billion is unspent CIL”. Gregory Stafford contrasted local approaches and pressed for reform, guidance and redress, noting “once development has commenced, there is effectively no right to appeal”. Gideon Amos cited severe homeowner liabilities and limits on discretion, saying the High Court held that “once a valid CIL charge has fallen due, councils cannot lawfully cancel it”, and called for statutory fixes, including “a statutory right of appeal”. Gareth Bacon contended CIL is inconsistently enforced and recalled previous ministerial statements that households had been “very badly hit” and the rules were “not intended to operate in this way”.

Responding, the Minister, Matthew Pennycook, acknowledged that for some “those financial consequences have been extremely severe”, set out the procedural causes (including issues with retrospective permissions under section 73A), and announced that “the Government intend to consult on proposals to amend the CIL regulations”. He added he anticipates publication “before the summer recess” and, on existing cases, that it is “certainly not the case that… we intend to do nothing”. The motion was agreed to: “That this House has considered the impact of the Community Infrastructure Levy on private homeowners”. Next steps: consultation on CIL exemptions and processes and, subsequently, “debating the amending regulations before they are made”.

Agriculture: Government Support

In a 30‑minute debate, Richard Foord said, “Food security is fundamental to our national resilience”, citing fertiliser dependency—“We are only 40% self-sufficient in fertiliser requirements”—and increased costs, including red diesel prices that “have doubled” in recent months. He urged an emergency cut to red diesel duty—“We Liberal Democrats are calling for an emergency fuel duty cut”—progress on an EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement, fixes to the Sustainable Farming Incentive after its “overnight closure”, and action on planning delays for on‑farm improvements. Members also raised mental health, rural crime, common land participation and attracting young entrants.

Minister Angela Eagle recognised pressures and outlined measures. On fertiliser, she noted a “40% increase in prices” and said DEFRA and AHDB had improved monitoring, with “price data weekly”. She cited a nutrient management tool “supporting farmers… [and] over 500 farms have used this” and work to modernise fertiliser regulations. On fuel, she confirmed red diesel’s 80% duty discount, “saving farmers almost £300 million a year,” alongside a temporary 5p cut “from March until September”. Funding commitments included “a record £11.8 billion” this Parliament and rising investment in environmental land management “towards £2 billion by 2028-29”. She announced capital grants “open to apply for from July, with £225 million available” and £120 million this year for innovation and equipment. Acting on the Batters review, a Farming and Food Partnership Board will make horticulture the first sector with a growth plan, and a farming road map will be “published later this year… up to 2050”. On uplands and common land, she is exploring alternatives to SFI and higher-level schemes, and announced tripled mental health support, “worth £1.5 million over three years”. The question was agreed to. Next steps: grant applications from July, the 2050 road map later this year, and ongoing work on fertiliser regulation and upland support options.