Stafford councillors fear plans to speed up process of building new homes could lead to 'democratic deficit'
Stafford councillors fear Government proposals to speed up the process of building new homes could lead to a “democratic deficit”.
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A new Planning and Infrastructure Bill has recently been put forward – but Stafford Borough Council member Frances Beatty is concerned the national measures would “stifle” the ability of locally-elected councillors to make decisions on developments affecting their areas, as well as denying communities a chance to have their say.
At this month’s full Stafford Borough Council meeting she called on council leader Aidan Godfrey to write to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner “to request that the democratic role of local councillors is upheld, mandatory housing targets are made non-binding objectives based on actual determined local need and that the voice of our communities in Stafford Borough is not marginalised over decisions which have a profound impact on their lives.”
She added: “We believe that this legislation will cause a mass of unrestrained speculative development, especially in the rural areas of our borough, denying the authorities and neighbourhoods the care and attention to allow settlements to grow in a balanced and planned way, and critically without the appropriate infrastructure to meet these needs.”
The council’s deputy leader Rob Kenney put forward an amendment with a different wording. He said: “We ask that the Leader writes to the Deputy Prime Minister on behalf of Council asking her to consider replacing mandatory housing targets with numbers based on determined local need, and that through development of a Local Plan, and the input of locally elected members, the residents of Stafford Borough enjoy a greater influence over important decisions that will have a profound impact on their lives.”
Neither motion was carried however, following a debate which lasted around an hour. The amendment was carried by just one vote – the casting vote of Mayor Frank James – and when it became the substantive motion it failed to gain enough votes to go ahead.
In recent months the borough council’s current administration – a mix of Labour, Green Party and Stafford Borough Independents – has come under fire from the Conservative group which is now in opposition for delays in bringing forward the latest Local Plan. The delays led to fears it would become “open season” for developers looking to build in the borough.
The council’s target for new house building in the borough has been more than doubled, from 358 to 826 new homes a year, since the Labour Government came into power. Last month the authority’s cabinet agreed to stop work on the Local Plan it had been preparing in recent years to begin a new document, which will cover the years between 2025 and 2045.
Councillor Ant Reid, cabinet member for economic development and planning, speaking last month, said: “Beyond the control of the local people are a number of very big changes in Government policy around Local Plans and the planning process. These have led us to the point where we wish to restart our Local Plan.”
