Tim Farron challenges Rachel Reeves on house planning

Tim Farron MP in the House of Commons <i>(Image: Parliament TV)</i>
Tim Farron MP in the House of Commons (Image: Parliament TV)
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Tim Farron MP challenged the Chancellor over affordable housing in Westmorland and planning laws in Parliament.

During a parliamentary debate on planning reform held on September 9, Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale said: “There is planning permission in this country for 900,000 properties that are as yet unbuilt, so maybe the issue is not that the planning laws are too restrictive but that they are not prescriptive enough.”

He continued: “In my constituency, the average income needed to buy the average house is £71,000 a year—11 times the average income in my communities.

“Is it not right to ensure that, if the Chancellor changes planning law, we have to build more genuinely affordable homes in communities like ours, rather than giving developers carte blanche?”

This was said in response to the Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill. If passed, this would streamline the planning process, making it easier for developers to build housing and other infrastructure.

Rachel Reeves, MP for Leeds West and Pudsey and Chancellor of the Exchequer, said: “That cannot be an excuse, though, for blocking developments and blocking people who own land from building more homes on that land.”

She continued: “In the end, the simple law of supply and demand means that if we are not building homes, prices will continue to be unaffordable for the honourable gentleman’s constituents.”

The Chancellor went on to say that were not giving builders “carte blanche” and that Mr Farron “absolutely knows that”.

She affirmed the Government’s commitment to affordable housing.

She said: “It is important that the homes being built are affordable for families in his constituency and in mine”.

Ms Reeves finished by saying: “ We must not just always block things, whether they be airports, housing or other infrastructure; we have got to back the builders.”

Tim Farron has represented the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency since 2005.

He also served as President of the Liberal Democrats between 2011 and 2015 and as the Leader of the Liberal Democrats between 2015 and 2017.

 

 

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