“Tough on developers, big on building council housing”

Chris Hinchliff, Labour MP for NE Hertfordshire, contests the government’s strategy on planning. He says that its “Time for a left alternative on planning: tough on developers, big on building council housing.” In an article written for PoliticsHome he says that the government is mis-diagnosing the roots of the housing crisis

“The misdiagnosis on supply leads to the flawed conclusion that the solution to the housing crisis is cutting so-called red tape. In this case, red tape seems to mean democratic engagement in the planning process, meaningful community consultation and essential environmental protections.

The problem with the government’s open ear to HSBC, BlackRock and Phoenix on housing policy is that private finance will always prioritise profits over meeting housing needs. Our planning system has faced relentless attacks from developers, well-funded lobbyists and their political mouthpieces precisely because it puts people before profit.”

He says that the government’s narrow focus on increasing supply is misplaced.

“Deregulation of the planning system will result in serious political risks for Labour. My constituents do not want to lose control over shaping their communities. Disempowerment erodes trust and breeds resentment.

And what will we have to show for it? The government still won’t be building the homes we need, as developers will continue maximising profits by drip-feeding developments into the system, keeping prices high and prioritising buy-to-rents, build-to-rents, luxury apartments and large executive homes over the affordable and council housing our communities desperately need. Meanwhile, our wider economic model, including a monetary system in which credit creation by private banks causes massive asset-price inflation, will continue to push house prices further out of reach of ordinary people.”

He is working on amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to create an alternative which does not shy away from taking on the developer lobby. It is pro-building, pro-worker, pro-public health and pro-environment.

“For instance, we must end the ‘call for sites’ approach to Local Plan making. Instead, councils should be empowered to proactively identify the best locations for meeting housing need in line with strict criteria for sustainable development and assemble this land as necessary, free from ‘hope value’ through expanded compulsory purchase powers. Let’s put an end to local authorities having to choose where development can go from sub-optimal sites offered by wealthy landowners and developers, while also securing land value uplifts to fund desperately needed council housing alongside the parks, infrastructure and public services so often missing from new build estates.”