Clive Jones MP on planning overhaul: planning in Wokingham should be community-led, not dictated from Whitehall

Wokingham has exceeded targets for new development over the past years, with the previous Conservative administration delivering 2,000 more houses than required, and the borough’s new local plan will deliver more new housing in a sustainable way. 

The Government’s belief that the planning system needs to bypass elected local councillors in Wokingham is wrong. Wokingham neither needs nor wants a universal solution which removes democratic control. 

The lack of affordable housing in Wokingham will not be solved simply by targets. We know from 20 years of building that house prices in Wokingham, close to London and other expensive places to live, are not reduced by market led development, which prioritises profitability over delivery. 

Clive Jones, the MP for Wokingham, said: 
“Wokingham needs more genuinely affordable development, which is only achievable if it is community led and not dictated from Whitehall. Local politicians are democratically elected to make decisions on housing and local services. To support this, the Government needs to properly fund local services like GPs, schools and sustainable transport alongside new homes. The Conservative government failed to provide for GPs, dentists or pharmacies in major developments and their mismanagement of privatised utilities and public services continues to wreck our precious natural environment. Labour cannot ignore these issues alongside dealing with the nationwide housing shortage. 

“The most effective way to deliver homes at the pace we need is to have local communities on board. That way, we can build homes to help solve the care crisis, aid vulnerable families who are living in temporary accommodation, and better support younger generations. 

“It is clear that Britain is in a housing crisis, but this announcement does not address the root problems facing communities such as Wokingham - a desperate lack of social housing. The Government must recognise that communities are best placed to deliver the homes and services we need.”