Helen Morgan demands reversal of Government ‘power grab’ on local planning decisions

Helen Morgan MP has condemned the Government’s latest planning reforms, warning that they represent a serious erosion of local democracy and sideline the voices of communities.

Under new rules, local councillors will no longer have the final say on major housing developments of 150 homes or more, a move described by Helen Morgan, MP for North Shropshire, as a “power grab” by the Government.

The MP has highlighted how planning decisions can now be taken away from local councillors and referred directly to the Housing Secretary.

The alert comes on the back of a flurry of planning applications across North Shropshire, some of which have been approved by the Planning Inspectorate despite the proposals having been rejected by councillors.

Helen agrees that more housing is needed but only when suitable infrastructure is in place to accommodate the increased pressure on local services.

The issue is compounded by the lack of a Local Plan in Shropshire after the Plan developed by the previous Conservative administration was deemed unsound and withdrawn. A Local Plan is an authority-wide strategy used to guide development and the absence of one leaves the door open for developers to more easily gain planning approval.

Helen Morgan said: “This is an extraordinary power grab by the Government and an insult to local people. Local councillors are democratically elected to make decisions on behalf of their communities, not to act as a rubber stamp for ministers in Whitehall.

“Good planning decisions are community-led and built with the vital infrastructure communities need, including GPs, NHS dentists and schools. That requires local knowledge and democratic accountability.

“If Ministers are serious about speeding up housebuilding, they should properly fund social housing and fix the chronic underfunding of council planning teams.”

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to reverse these changes and recommit to a planning system that is locally led, democratically accountable, and focused on delivering genuinely sustainable development.