A webinar hosted by Wiltshire Council about the government's proposed housing targets has ended in a dispute on social media.
The online event was proposed for residents to find out more about the government’s National Planning Policy Framework and how to respond to the consultation.
Labour’s new approach has been designed to tackle the housing crisis and meet its commitment to 1.5 million homes.
Cllr Ian Thorn, Wiltshire’s Lib Dem leader, later accused the council of using the webinar as a “political platform for the Conservative Party”.
The webinar was held on the evening of Wednesday, August 14, and Cllr Richard Clewer, the leader of Wiltshire Council, shared his views on the new government’s proposed overhaul of the targets.
As expected Ian has forgotten that the housing targets Labour just adopted are slightly smaller than the housing targets that are Liberal Democrat policy. Double standards? Liberal Democrats? Surely not!
— Richard Clewer (@RichardClewer) August 14, 2024
Councils have been given mandatory housing targets and must boost housebuilding in areas most in need.
Although Cllr Clewer acknowledged that “many” of the proposed changes were beneficial, he claimed that reverting back to a 5-year land supply model would damage “our ability to build communities and not just have cookie cutter estates imposed upon us.”
During the public webinar, he said: “The new targets – they’re not based on Wiltshire’s housing need, in my view, at all.
“They’re based on an assessment of national housing need that says our cities have failed to deliver housing in the past so they should get their housing targets reduced.
“And instead that we should apply housing targets primarily on the basis of where it’s easy to build houses.”
Cllr Clewer added that the targets were also based on the idea that building more houses would reduce their value, a principle that he finds “absolutely absurd”.
He described it as the same “GCSE understanding of economics that was shown by the Truss minibudget.”
Taking to X, Cllr Ian Thorn commented: “As expected the [Wiltshire Council] webinar on housing is being used as a party political platform for the Conservative Party.
“Such a shame there can’t be (apparently) a cross-party, no party response including our MPs.”
Cllr Clewer responded: “As expected Ian has forgotten that the housing targets Labour just adopted are slightly smaller than the housing targets that are Liberal Democrat policy.
“Double standards? Liberal Democrats? Surely not!”
Cllr Thorn wrote: “What I haven’t forgotten, and nor will Wiltshire residents, is the needless and costly planning appeals that have been lost due to the disastrous lack of a five-year supply thanks to your administration.”
Cllr Clewer countered: “You mean the lack of 5 year land supply engineered by developers that the Conservative administration of Wiltshire Council persuaded the last Conservative government to control through the new 4 year land supply and the rule that 5 year land supply didn’t apply with a local plan.”
Lib Dem Cllr, Gavin Grant also chimed in on the X conversation: “Are these the same developers that are major Conservative Party donors, and due to your Administration's failure on a 5-year housing land supply, have smashed Neighbourhood Plans introduced by the Lib Dems, created by Wiltshire's communities and voted for by local residents?”
Well! I seem to have hit a raw nerve! Blaming others for your mistakes is never a good look.
— Ian Thorn 🇺🇦 (@CllrIanThorn) August 14, 2024
Addressing Cllr Clewer’s criticism, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government said: “We need to build more homes and all areas of the country must play their part. Wiltshire’s target has been set objectively and is in line with local housing need.
“We cannot continue with the high rents and unaffordable house prices that we see across the country.
“Our mission to deliver 1.5 million homes is part of the first step to sustained economic growth and a fairer housing market for all.”
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