Legacy System Plan Funding
Funding for legacy system plans to ensure that local authorities progressing a local plan in the legacy plan-making system, and who intend to submit the plan for examination at the latest by 31 December 2026 are supported to meet that submission deadline.
The government has announced a minimum of £14 million of funding to support local authorities with local plan-making. This funding is in addition to the £29 million of funding awarded in January and March 2025.
This new funding will be available to eligible authorities producing plans in both the legacy and new plan making systems.
The following funds are available:
Legacy System Plan Funding – funding for legacy system plans. The legacy system covers those plans to be prepared and adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (excluding the amendments made by the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023) and the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning)(England) Regulations 2012.
New System Plan Funding – funding for local authorities committed to bringing a plan forward early in the new plan-making system.
Legacy System Plan Funding
The purpose of the funding is to ensure that local authorities progressing a local plan in the legacy plan-making system and who intend to submit the plan for examination at the latest by 31 December 2026 are supported to meet that submission deadline.
Local authorities must meet all of the criteria set out below to be awarded a share of this funding.
Eligibility criteria
Local authorities will be eligible for this funding if they:
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are preparing a local plan in the legacy plan-making system which includes the identification of land for development
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have already commenced or completed final regulation 18 consultation or will commence final regulation 18 consultation by the end of February 2026 based on their up-to-date Local Development Scheme
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have not completed final regulation 19 consultation or submitted their plan to examination by the expression of interest deadline of 28 January; and
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have submitted an up-to-date Local Development Scheme to MHCLG by 7 January 2026 which indicates the local authority will submit the plan for examination by no later than 31 December 2026
Based on data held by the department, if MHCLG considers you eligible an email will have been sent to your chief executive inviting your authority to submit an expression of interest form by 5pm on 28 January 2026.
If you have not been contacted and consider your local authority may be eligible, you can also complete the expression of interest form. You will be required to provide details as to why you consider your authority to be eligible.
View and complete the expression of interest form.
Legacy System Plan Funding will be provided via Section 31 Local Government Act powers.
MHCLG expects funded councils to have proposals in place by the end of the financial year 2025/26 for how they will commit the grant funding.
Successful local authorities will be notified that they will receive funding by 6 March 2026 and payments will be made by 28 March 2026. Funding will be equally divided across eligible local authorities with an expected award of around £35,000 each. However, subject to the number of applicants, the funding awarded could be more or less than this amount.
Monitoring and evaluation
The fund will be monitored through existing arrangements. This will include ongoing engagement between MHCLG and local authorities, alongside monitoring of progress against local plan milestones set out in Local Development Schemes.
Local authorities that are awarded funding may be invited to share feedback to help MHCLG better understand whether the funding was able to achieve its stated aims and inform the design of future funding.
Contact us
Should you have any questions about this funding, please email: localplanfunding@communities.gov.uk