New rules ‘will force councils to get more homes built’

NEW planning rules will force councils to set higher targets for home-building, a Cabinet minister said yesterday.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said town halls were not being ‘honest’ about the demand for housing and that council leaders in areas where prices are high need to take a ‘long, hard’ look at building more homes for the future.

The new rules relate to ‘local plans’ that councils draw up to decide what sort of housing development they will allow in the future and sets out the factors they take into account when deciding on planning applications.

Mr Javid said the Government was determined to build homes ‘in places people want to live’ in spite of local opposition to many new developments. His remarks will be seen as an attack on Conservative councils for not building enough houses.

Mr Javid said local authority leaders needed to have a ‘frank, open discussion with local residents and communities’ about how much housing is needed.

Conservative MPs are lobbying ministers to ensure housing is a major priority for the coming years. They argue that young voters – who flocked to Labour at last month’s general election – who are unable to get on the housing ladder because prices are so high, are unlikely to vote Tory. But the moves will raise concerns among grassroots Conservatives that they risk alienating voters who are opposed to new housing developments.

But Mr Javid criticised councils which have not compiled a local plan and complained that others were out of date.

In some areas councils have ‘failed to be honest about the level of housing they need in their area,’ he argued. ‘It’s not good enough. The era of tolerating such poor, patchy performance is over.’

Mr Javid added: ‘Where housing is particularly unaffordable, local leaders need to take a long, hard, honest look to see if they are planning for the right number of homes. And it’s not enough that plans start honest. They need to stay that way.’

The housing issue has been given a boost by the appointment of former housing minister Gavin Barwell as the Prime Minister’s new chief of staff.