Tories should set out their own homes plan

ONE of the further complications in the planning saga in Rossendale is that the council has struggled to get a functioning local plan in place.

This needs to be resolved because the risk is that Government will impose a local plan on the area - and that surely has to be worse than one agreed locally.

For local Conservative councillors, this is a chance to show how they are ready to run the council.

Instead of opposing each area of proposed development on a ward-by-ward basis - a vote winner in each ward for sure but not sustainable if Tories locally have aspirations to run the council effectively - the new shadow cabinet would do well to devise its own Local Plan.

It would, of course, be controversial in places, but at the same time, it’s not as though the problem is going to go away.

It’s easy to bash local Labour councillors over the head for any planning application which isn’t popular locally.

It’s easy to pose for pictures opposing a development, especially for housing. There was vocal Conservative opposition to the creation of a traveller site in the Local Plan, but it’s a requirement from Government to provide one.

A government which is run by the Conservatives.

But a smarter solution would be for the Tories to devise their own Local Plan, which fully conforms with the many requirements from Government.

That, surely, is constructive opposition in action which would be appreciated by the public at large.