Oldham Liberal Democrats have condemned the Conservative Government for focusing on reforming the planning system instead of forcing developers to build at least 100,000 new homes a year in the UK for families to rent.

The Liberal Democrats believe the Conservatives’ proposals will fail those stuck on waiting lists and zoning proposals risk “leaving whole areas behind”. Instead, the Party is calling for “an urgent house building programme”, with proposals to build 100,000 social homes for rent every year. 

Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, said: “The Conservatives are once more failing the poorest residents of this Borough.  Their plans to reform the planning system will do nothing to alleviate the housing crisis in Oldham borough.  25,357 families are stuck on Oldham Council’s housing waiting list with no-where to go.  This is outrageous and it is completely unacceptable. 

“I despair that once again Conservative ministers are falsely blaming councils for failing to grant planning permission for new housing, but in fact it is the housing developers who are failing to deliver.  Councils grant planning permission for nine out of ten housing applications, and they only refuse to do so when there are good grounds under planning law.”

Data from the Local Government Association in March this year shows that planning permission was given for the construction of over one million new homes over the last decade which have yet to be built by developers. 

Councillor Sykes added: “Instead of trying to change councils, government ministers should force the hand of housebuilders to make them build the affordable homes we so desperately need.  There are literally thousands of housing applications which have been granted planning permission where not a brick has been laid.  Reforming planning laws does not help people languishing on waiting lists or struggling to afford a home in our borough or anywhere else.
 
“The Liberal Democrats want 100,000 new environmentally-friendly social homes built in the UK every year, and for all councils to be granted the power to suspend the right to buy, so that we can finally start tackling the housing crisis in our borough.  Not only will this provide new homes, but it will also provide new jobs in building them – jobs we need in an economy hit hard by the impact of Covid-19”.