LGA vice-president critical of late-stage government planning amendments as Lords debate bill

“The planning system must balance the urgent need for homes and infrastructure, with, as we have heard, the rights of local communities and the principles of democratic scrutiny.

“Bypassing consultation, local accountability and indeed proper deliberation in your lordships’ house, the government risk undermining the very trust and co-operation they will need to deliver their own housing ambitions.

“The minister knows that throughout the passage of the Bill, I have sought to offer the government constructive support, but it becomes ever harder to do so when their approach borders on chaos: saying one thing and doing another; briefing the press with grand claims while sidelining parliament and scrutiny.”

In response, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, the parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, said Lady Scott “cannot have it both ways” on the government amendments.

She said: “She has accused me in this chamber of not listening. Well, we did listen in committee, and some of the amendments are in response to issues that were raised then.

“A number of those amendments relate to the devolved administrations, and we rightfully had consultations with those administrations between committee and report.

“There are some truly pro-growth measures that we feel are rightly pressing and need to be done to improve the delivery of infrastructure, and there are a number of technical, minor amendments.”

In response to the government amendments, the LGA said: “Councils are central to addressing the housebuilding crisis across the country and are ready to play their part, already approving nine out of ten planning applications which come before them.

“Councils know their communities best and should remain at the heart of the planning process. The democratic role of councillors in decision-making is the backbone of the English planning system, and this should not be diminished.”

The bill, introduced in March, is now going through its report stage in the House of Lords, with amendments set to be debated this week.

Proposed changes include requiring councils making planning decisions to have special regard for the need for housing for children and families who are homeless or in temporary accommodation, and for all homes to meet accessibility standards when built as part of spatial development strategies.

Other amendments would, if agreed, see councils having to prioritise all brownfield sites ahead of greenfield ones for housing developments in their local plans and for all new homes in flood risk areas to require flood resilience measures.