Housing U-turn makes Government look ‘strong’, says Michael Gove

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

The Government watered down local housebuilding targets to avoid the first major Commons rebellion of Rishi Sunak’s premiership. Labour accused the Prime Minister of being “weak”.

But the Housing Secretary told the BBC: “I think it makes the Government look strong because we are delivering on the planning reform that we promised a year ago.

“When I arrived I said we wanted to have a planning system that put beauty and local democracy at the heart of our planning system.

“That is what we have got now thanks to close engagement with MPs who really care about getting the right homes in the right places.”

In a letter to MPs on Monday, Mr Gove said the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill would be amended to abolish local mandatory building targets.

Mr Gove said he recognises “there is no truly objective way of calculating how many new homes are needed in an area”.

The changes would make a centrally determined target a “starting point”, with councils able to propose building fewer homes if they faced “genuine constraints” or would have to build at a density that would change an area’s character.

The U-turn is a victory for around 60 Tory backbenchers led by former Cabinet minister Theresa Villiers and MP Bob Seely.

They had signed an amendment which they said would protect the environment and ensure communities were not forced to take unwelcome development.

Mr Seely said “well over 100 Tory MPs” had supported the changes.

He added: “The new language we’ve agreed will work with communities… celebrating the beauty of good design. It understands the need for farmland, will significantly emphasise brownfield over greenfield development and deliver homes for young people.”

Downing Street said that a promise to build 300,000 homes every year by the mid-2020s remains a “goal”.

Labour’s Lisa Nandy said the U-turn was “unconscionable in the middle of a housing crisis”. The Shadow Communities Secretary said: “We offered Labour votes to defeat the rebels, but Rishi Sunak and Michael Gove seem to have chosen party before country.”

Source: Read Full Article