Bradley has slammed the Housing Secretary for “yet again failing” to answer a question on why the Government has increased Bromsgrove and the Villages’ housing target by 85%.
Following his visit to Wythall last week, the Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Sir James Cleverly MP, questioned the Housing Secretary, Steve Reed MP, on the Government’s housing targets.
Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday (April 13th), the Shadow Housing Secretary asked: “Last week I was in Bromsgrove, a rural constituency facing an 85% increase in its housing target. Neighbouring Labour-run Birmingham, which has significant brownfield capacity, has seen its target cut by more than 30%. Targets are increasing by 37% in Essex but decreasing by 11% 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?”
In response, the Housing Secretary failed to answer the question or to explain why Bromsgrove and the Villages’ housing target has been increased whilst Birmingham’s target has been decreased. Instead, the Housing Secretary turned to political point scoring to deflect from being unable to justify the Government’s housing target decisions.
Bradley said:
“Another Government Minister yet again failing to answer a simple question on his own housing policy.
“We all know why the Government can’t justify their 85% increase in our housing target – because there’s no justification.
“I’d have more respect for the Housing Secretary if he just came out and said what we all know to be true; that his housing targets are a purely political move to help his friends in the cities and to punish rural Britain.
“I was elected with a mandate to fight to protect our greenbelt and that’s what I’ll continue to do.”
The Shadow Secretary of State saw for himself the impact of the Government’s 85% increase in Bromsgrove and the Village’s housing target when he visited Wythall last week to meet with Bradley, Cllr Adam Kent and local residents.
He saw for himself the barrage of speculative housing applications facing Wythall and the impact it will have on communities. With no promised investment in infrastructure, Bradley and Cllr Kent believe that Wythall won’t be able to cope.
This situation is replicated across the constituency following the Government’s 85% increase in Bromsgrove and the Villages’ housebuilding target and their reduction of Birmingham’s target by over 30%.
During his visit, the Shadow Housing Secretary pledged to scrap so-called ‘grey belt,’ protect our greenbelt, build on brownfield land first and in our cities where the need is greater.
