You can see why the PM Rishi Sunac has decided to buy off Theresa Villiers MP 50+ rebels. The price to pay is binning the manifesto promise to build 300,000 new homes each year. He made this bargain despite the offer by Sir Keir Starmer , Labour leader this week to offer ‘Labour votes’ to block the the amendments to the housing and levelling up bill which are intended to abolish local council mandatory housing targets. Promises in return to protect the character of local communities, stop developers land banking and give (local) people a greater say in decisions are, to adapt an old phase, paper tigers.
To understand the emotions of the rebel MP’s which drive the PM’s mind-set, if you like faced with friends like them, read the piece by Henry Hill in yesterday’s edition of ConservativeHome. But read not just the article which sensibly seeks a balanced analysis between conflicting Tory views but also read the comments attached to his analysis. Here plain and unvarnished are the forceful opinions of the grass roots who know, based on decades of experience it is their quality of life which is on the front line. Whatever the outcome it is a big deal for them. The responses are perhaps best summed up as no new taxes, and not to many new homes. No surprises here, but informative all the same.
What is new is the plain evidence that left to this government the Conservatives and Labour will not work together to solve an inter-generational long term spatial housing supply problem. My professional advice to land owners, developers, and local residents of a myopic inclination is to reassure them. There is no market shifting threat of a consensus based, solid and sustainable cross-political solution on the horizon to threaten their decades long refusal to face reality. Keep on saying no for a bit longer if you feel happy with the outcome. Shame if you have children or grandchildren and are not rich enough to expand the lending and grant-making programme of the Bank of Mum and Dad. Shame too if you are signed up to local conservation objectives intended to avoid the next generation of windfall, unplanned and haphazardly located new homes.
Or, if you are not sure, do something. And then decide. You can take a drive along the A3 between Esher and Guildford, alongside the RHS headquarters at Wisley, in the heart of rural Surrey (at the M25, junc. 10) to see the how current broken spatial planning system works in a policy vacuum. Because simply saying no does not make the problem go away. Besides ensuring a flow of future mistakes, what it does is brush the problem under the carpet until the next election. After all, why not? This is tried, tested and effective way to avoid hard decisions. Five leaders in quick succession, David Cameron, followed by Theresa May, followed by Boris Johnson, followed by Liz Truss, followed by Rishi Sunac is not enough to deliver credible policies able to maximise protection of the natural environment, provide sufficient affordable homes for our children, or stop the needless proliferation of private cars. The new PM, despite decades of historic evidence showing the sad results of always saying no, seems to put short term party priorities above these long term national needs. His decision on Wednesday to reject Starmer is more than a disappointment, it reveals long term policy failure at a high level.
Ian Campbell
15 December 2022
