The TCPA is the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on New Towns, which has been set up to celebrate the contribution made by the UK’s New Towns and to highlight the challenges they face.
APPG on New Towns Purpose Statement
To celebrate the UK’s New Towns, identify common challenges and make the case for investment and sustainable growth. This APPG will examine how to best support the needs of the 2.8 million people already living in New Towns and consider the needs of the residents of the future. Learning the lessons from past new towns in championing and supporting the creation of more new towns.
Background on the APPG on New Towns
The APPG on New Towns was first established in 2017 by Lucy Allan, the former member for Telford, with the TCPA providing Secretariat. It was set up to celebrate the contribution made by the UK’s New Towns and to highlight the challenges they face, the foundational objectives of the APPG were to:
- Change attitudes to New Towns and gain increased recognition for them;
- Make the case for investment in the regeneration and renewal of New Town infrastructure and other issues that specifically apply to New Towns; and
- Positively help shape future government policy.
Click here to read Secretary of State for Housing Sajid Javid’s speech from the 2017 launch of the APPG on New Towns.
In 2023, the APPG on New Towns ran several events, including a New Towns conference in East Kilbride and a parliamentary roundtable that explored the issue of healthy place-making in New Towns and other new communities.
APPG on New Towns Members
Chairs and Officers of the APPG on New Towns are:
- Chair: Andrew Lewin, MP for Welwyn Hatfield
- Co-Chair: Lord Richard Best OBE DL
- Officer: The Rt Hon. Lord Michael Naseby PC
- Officer: Katrina Murray, MP for Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch
The TCPA’s role as Secretariat of the APPG on New Towns
As secretariat, the TCPA holds the following responsibilities:
- Administration and communications support for the APPG
- Expert advice on content and APPG programme
- Organisation of and administrative support for APPG events
- Managing other APPG outputs such as research and guidance
