Bromsgrove MP, Bradley Thomas, writes for the Standard.
IT APPEARS the Housing Secretary Steve Reed MP cannot answer the most basic questions about his Government’s own housing policies.
Following his visit to Wythall last month, the Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Sir James Cleverly MP, questioned Mr Reed on the Government’s housing targets.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Cleverly stated: “Last week I was in Bromsgrove, a rural constituency facing an 85 per cent increase in its housing target.
“Neighbouring Labour-run Birmingham, which has significant brownfield capacity, has seen its target cut by more than 30 per cent.
“Targets are increasing by 37 per cent in Essex but decreasing by 11 per cent in London.
“House building has collapsed under this Labour Government, so why is the Secretary of State letting his Labour-run urban friends off the hook while dumping housing targets in rural Britain?”
The Housing Secretary failed to answer the question or to explain why Bromsgrove’s housing target had been increased whilst Birmingham’s had been decreased.
Instead, the Housing Secretary turned to political point scoring to deflect from being unable to justify the decisions.
Mr Reed is another Government Minister failing to answer a simple question on his own housing policy.
We all know why the Government cannot justify its 85 per cent increase in our housing target – because there isn’t one.
I would have more respect for the Housing Secretary if he came out and said what we all know to be true – his housing targets are a purely political move to help his friends in the cities and to punish rural Britain.
Our green belt in Bromsgrove is under attack like never before and I’m doing everything I can to protect it.
There is enough brownfield land in England alone to build 1.41million homes on. That should be the Government’s priority.
The Government should also bring empty homes back into use and scrapping Stamp Duty to free up the housing market.
There is so much more this Government could be doing instead of building on our green belt, but it is not interested.
I was elected with a mandate to fight to protect our green belt and that’s what I’ll continue to do.
