Senior members of the North West Leicestershire Conservatives have blasted Labour councillors for failing to stand up for local communities and protecting the countryside, accusing them of hypocrisy and weakness in housing decisions.
At the General Election in July, Labour promised to build 300,000 homes a year. But at last week’s Local Plan Committee meeting, Labour councillors voted against increasing the district’s housing target from 686 to 727 homes a year a move recommended by council officers to meet future demand driven by Labour’s own national policies. Without an approved Local Plan, developers are free to build wherever they please, putting the district’s countryside and green spaces at risk.
The Conservatives also highlighted worrying plans from Labour’s national leadership to centralise planning decisions. A Government working paper proposes removing powers from local planning committees and replacing them with a national scheme or smaller, unelected committees focused on “strategic development.”
Councillor Keith Merrie, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, said:
“This Council has a responsibility to put a Local Plan in place to protect our countryside from unchecked development. Without one, it’s a developer free-for-all. It’s disgraceful that Labour councillors ignored the advice of professional officers and voted against what future requirements will demand. Their actions risk handing control of where housing goes to developers, not local people.”
Parliamentary spokesman Craig Smith didn’t hold back, accusing Labour of betrayal:
“Labour talks big about building 300,000 homes a year, but their local councillors are blocking the very measures needed to manage that responsibly. Angela Rayner wants to abolish planning committees, taking decisions away from communities, while Labour councillors here vote against plans their policies created. Labour is playing dangerous games, putting our countryside at risk and letting developers call the shots. They simply cannot be trusted.”
The Conservatives are calling on Labour to prioritise local communities over political games and take responsibility for the mess their national policies are causing.
