The District Councils’ Network has responded to the Deputy Prime Minister’s statement on house building and planning reform.
Cllr Bridget Smith, Vice Chair of the District Councils’ Network, said: “District councils are on the front line in responding to the housing and homelessness crisis. We know how urgently our residents need new housing. District councils play a pivotal role in providing not only immediate support to families and individuals affected but in helping to meet long-term housing needs.
“We share the Deputy Prime Minister’s commitment to ‘Get Britain Building’ and welcome the level of ambition which clearly runs through her proposals. We want to help the Government deliver the 1.5 million homes that our residents so desperately need.”
On housing targets
Cllr Smith said: “Housing targets may have a part to play but they are unlikely to be a silver bullet by themselves. We must build the types of homes that meet local needs – the right size for families, with the right adaptations for residents who are elderly or disabled, with enough provision for single people and be genuinely affordable to local people.
“These new homes mustn’t reflect what sells for the highest price – they need to reflect local circumstances and the needs of people on our housing waiting lists. They also need to be built to the highest standards of energy efficiency – the last thing we want to do is have to carry out expensive retrofit work within a few years.
“We support the measures to do more to improve the affordability of homes and we warmly welcome the Government’s commitment to address protracted conversations over viability raised by developers by offering fair but not excessive compensation’.”
On planning reform
Cllr Smith said: “The planning process is just one part of the picture. As a country, we need to build homes, not just give planning permission. We can’t have planning permission for 1.5 million homes approved and then have these sites sit empty, stalled, and not built out by developers.
“However, we continue to call on Government to give councils new levers to ensure that developers build out the many homes that already have planning permission much more quickly.”
On planning fees
Cllr Smith said: “We strongly support the proposals to allow local authorities to set their own fees to reflect the actual costs and reduce the huge financial pressures on district councils. We have long called for this reform to ensure that cash-strapped councils aren’t subsidising developers.”
On Right to Buy and the council homes revolution
Cllr Smith said: ”We are delighted that the Government has listened to our long-standing representations and announced greater flexibilities on the use of Right to Buy receipts and will hold a consultation on wider Right to Buy reform.
“We will continue to call for the Government to give councils the powers to set local discount rates that reflect market conditions and temporarily pause Right to Buy if they face extreme local housing pressures.
“We wholeheartedly support the Government’s pledge to bring about a council housing revolution but if we are to genuinely turn the tide and start restoring the supply of homes that our communities so desperately need, radical reforms together with dedicated funding are essential.”
On green belt:
Cllr Smith said: “We support a brownfield-first approach to development and welcome the assurance that strict rules will apply to release of any green belt land.
“We are clear that any decisions on where to release land must remain locally led. Local people and local authorities are in the best position to judge what land within current green belt boundaries will be most suitable for development.”
