Sir Gavin Williamson demands clarity over housing plans
Sir Gavin Williamson has slammed the Government over a "lack of clarity" on elements of its housebuilding reforms.
The South Staffordshire MP and former minister has demanded the scrapping of the 'duty to cooperate' – which places a legal duty on neighbouring local authorities to help each other meet housing targets.
Nearly 9,000 homes are planned for green sites in South Staffordshire over the next 16 years, including 4,000 for councils in Birmingham and the Black Country.
The Government announced earlier this year it plans to abolish the duty to cooperate in its Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, but Mr Williamson said it has provided "little information" about what will replace it.
Sir Gavin told the Star: "At the moment there is a real lack of clarity in the Government’s approach to the duty to cooperate.
"That puts enormous pressure on many local authorities, especially ones that neighbour large urban, metropolitan areas.
"We are having thousands of houses imposed on the green belt in South Staffordshire by Black Country authorities and by Birmingham because of the duty to cooperate.
"Authorities cannot properly proceed until the Government clarify what the replacement for the duty to cooperate will look like and they must do so urgently."
His intervention comes after the collapse of the Black Country Plan, which earmarked more than 76,000 homes across Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton over the next two decades.
Dudley has now pulled out – a move council leader Patrick Harley said was necessary in order to protect the green belt.
The other three authorities have since announced an intention to "go it alone" by drawing up their own local plans.
Meanwhile Levelling Up Secretary Simon Clarke MP said in an interview with the Express & Star that local plans could be "reworked" under the Government's new housing strategy.
Mr Clarke is set to announce the plans in a speech in the coming weeks.
