Labour Government Undermines Local Democracy with Planning Power Grab
You won’t have seen national headlines about it, but the Labour Government recently dealt a further blow to the ability of local people to shape their own communities by quietly deleting the funding that the Conservative Government previously had in place to support the development of Neighbourhood Plans.
Neighbourhood Plans give local people a real opportunity to shape the future of their community, allowing them to set out a shared vision for development, protect valued spaces, and influence where new homes, jobs, and facilities should go. In East Cambridgeshire, having a Neighbourhood Plan in place also means that parishes get to keep more of the money generated from developer contributions, helping them to provide the infrastructure they know local people want.
It can, however, be costly to develop a Neighbourhood Plan – typically around £10,000 for a modest-sized Parish Council.
Here at East Cambridgeshire District Council we really value the role that parishes play in our local planning process and the work they put in to develop these plans. There are currently 11 either in place or being developed across the district, and the Council continues to support parishes through every stage of the process.
Recognising this, Conservatives took the decision at our last Full Council meeting to step in and provide local funding so that Parish Councils can continue this important work should they choose to do so. Parishes can now apply to the Council for up to £5,000 to help with the costs of developing or updating a Neighbourhood Plan for their area.
In a further dilution of the voice of local people in shaping the places they call home, the Government is also proposing to remove the ability for Councillors to choose to debate and vote on specific developments in their areas. This comes at the same time as it is proposing to hand new strategic planning powers to Mayors, including the power to “call in” applications for decision.
I fear that these changes, alongside the creation of new Unitary Councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, will leave local people feeling more and more helpless in getting their voices heard.
The Government is also proposing to do away with the legal right for communities to have early pre-application consultation on national infrastructure projects – the kind of large-scale developments like the Sunnica and Kingsway solar farms in East Cambridgeshire. These projects are already handled through a national process led by the Government’s Planning Inspectorate, not local planning authorities. Removing even the limited opportunity communities currently have to engage early on will further erode local people’s ability to have meaningful input on projects that can transform their area.
Trust in the national infrastructure process is already low – and who can blame communities for feeling that way? Residents can spend years making their case to the national Inspector, as in the Sunnica case, only to see the Inspector’s recommendation for refusal overturned by a Minister at the stroke of a pen. The cards are already stacked against local people, and the removal of their right to early consultation only makes that worse.
Together, these changes represent a steady and worrying centralisation of power – away from local people and towards increasingly remote decision makers. Communities like ours know best what works for our villages, towns, and countryside. Local voices, not Whitehall officials or regional Mayors, should have the final say on how our places grow and change.
Conservatives at East Cambridgeshire District Council will continue to stand up for local democracy and to make sure that residents have a genuine say in shaping the future of the communities they call home.
Anna Bailey
East Cambs District Council, Member for the Downham Ward
Leader of the Council
Deputy Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough
Chairman of East Cambs Community Land Trust
Deputy Chair Political of Ely & East Cambridgeshire Conservative Association
Phone: 01353 663 253
Mobile: 07850 521 590
Council email: anna.bailey@eastcambs.gov.uk
