Cutting through the jargon
Growth should pay for growth. It’s the worst of local government platitudes, an insidious - but increasingly common - statement without meaning.
First, what is meant by ‘growth’? Population growth? Housing growth? Economic growth? Last time I looked, there weren’t any babies offering to pay their own way.
Essentially, what councils mean is ‘we can’t afford infrastructure’. That is, they mean that in growing areas, more houses are needed to house the population (a sensible goal: we do want to house everyone), that building these houses requires titled sections (mostly true), that these titled sections need infrastructure (very true), and that councils don’t want to provide this infrastructure (because it’s expensive).
Our local authorities are borderless. Local politicians can’t promise, let alone build, a wall to keep people out.
If people want to come here - because of good jobs, good amenities, a nice place to live they will. And that’s a good thing.
In fact, the benefits of population growth, housing growth, and economic growth are broadly spread. More people in a city or district means more customers for businesses - from coffee shops to hairdressers to lawyers. It means more people to share in the amenities - like parks and cycleways.
It means more culture, more innovation, a more certain future. Growth is good.
But we can’t make growth pay for growth. That’s a bit like saying that a house should pay its own mortgage, or that a cow should milk itself.
What councils mean is not just ‘we can’t afford infrastructure’ but really ‘developers should pay for infrastructure’. This makes perfect political sense. Developers are an easy target for populist politicians.
But what it means is that titled sections don’t get created, and houses don’t get built.
What it means is that those buying new houses pay more than they should, driving up all house prices and destroying affordability. What it means is a housing crisis, young people leaving the country, a region held back from its full potential.
Growth shouldn’t - can’t pay for growth. The statement is meaningless. We all should pay for growth - economic growth, housing growth, and population growth. We should all want growth, because we all benefit from it, and it’s our investment in our future. Thomas Gibbons, Hamilton