Pickles abolishes house building targets
Communities secretary Eric Pickles has laid an order before Parliament to scrap house building targets with immediate effect.
The move will do away with regional strategies put in place by the Labour government with the aim of seeing 3 million new homes built across England by 2020.
The Conservative-led government wants to put councils in charge of deciding how many homes are built in their area. It will introduce incentives to encourage local authorities to build, rather than using the target-driven approach favoured by Labour.
Mr Pickles said: ‘Regional strategies built nothing but resentment - we want to build houses. So instead we will introduce powerful new incentives for local people so they support the construction of new homes in the right places and receive direct rewards from the proceeds of growth to improve their local area.’
A Decentralisation and Localism Bill, expected in the autumn, will set out more details of the government’s plans. But ministers have said incentives will include matching the income councils receive from new homes through council tax for six years after they are built, with the reward increased to 125 per cent of council tax for affordable homes.
Decentralisation minister Greg Clark said: ‘By allowing communities to shape their neighbourhoods and to share in the benefits, we are beginning to restore the idea that development can be a force for good, rather than something to be resisted at all costs.’
The abolition of regional strategies also means local authorities will be in charge of deciding how many sites they should make available for Gypsies and Travellers. A letter from the chief planning officer suggests they should base this on ‘local need and historic demand’.
Have your say
You must sign in to make a comment
Readers' comments (10)
Sidney Webb | 06/07/2010 5:09 pm
No targets no failure - what a wonderful way to achieve by suceeding at doing nothing.
Homelessness and extreme housing shortages are now localised and therefore nobody's fault but our own.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Anonymous | 07/07/2010 8:09 am
Or you could just set your own targets based on local need and solve the problem yourself?
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Harry Lime | 07/07/2010 8:42 am
Anonymous 8:09
Writing from Conservative HQ? "Localism" is laughable, your suggestion is exactly the excuse the govt will use, the fact there is no money being made centrally for providing sufficient housing means it's impossible to "solve" The alternative is ignoring all Housing Market Assessments and the like and setting yourself a target of, say 10 affordable completions a year? "well done boys we've smashed it, let's go to the pub......"
Of course purely coincidentally this will relieve the requirement to build social housing in much of the tory heartlands, I wonder how much affordable will be built in Grant Schapps constituency in the next few years - any guesses??
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
No win no fee | 07/07/2010 9:51 am
Exactly right, Progressive etc. All local authorities will be able to breathe a sigh of relief, sleep easily at night etc in the knowledge that failure has been averted. Why would anyone want to set themselves a target that no-one cares (or seems to care) about. In the current environment of austerity, why employ someone to monitor a non-target? The Nimbies have won the day!
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Sidney Webb | 07/07/2010 10:01 am
When the residents of Welwyn visit their MP's surgery to ask why their children can not be housed through social rent, can't afford a private rent nor mortgage, all because the 'garden city' is short of homes, will Shapps smile and say thanks for the recognition of another promise delivered?
He declared himself against the development of new home and has delivered. See, turkeys do vote for Christmas.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Anonymous | 07/07/2010 11:43 am
The Nimbies have won the day! Yeap, you are right! Building new houses does not affect the affluent who already own their own home. It is unlikely they will give their support for any new local development. We can all set local targets for new housing but with no support or no local planning laws their will be little new development for affordable housing.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Only One | 07/07/2010 12:14 pm
No Targets Set - No Targets Missed!! Easy.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Sidney Webb | 07/07/2010 1:03 pm
....and....
nobody housed - no builders employed - no white goods sold - no factory workers required - no sales staff required - no financing required - no bankers needed
the butterfly effect with a localism twist!
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Anonymous | 07/07/2010 4:39 pm
What happened to fortitude in adversity!! Isnt this what you all voted for so its no use moaning now. Its the chickens coming home to roost - the sector has long lost its way and now its getting its just rewards. We have seen the last of a genuine social housing sector - just what you always wanted!!
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Only One | 08/07/2010 3:55 pm
I din't want it - I like it!!
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment