Letter to Editor: On Epping planning and special measures
Your Say / Tue 16th Jun 2026 at 08:44am
Dear Editor,
IT is the consequence of local Councillors from certain political parties who have stuck their heads in the sand and failed to discharge their quasi-judicial functions as a local planning authority.
A source close to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “A minority of councils have repeatedly failed to take the decisions needed to build the homes their communities are crying out for.
Our message is clear: if you drag your feet to get on with the job, we will take away your right to make those decisions. Where councils aren’t delivering, ministers will – because getting Britain building faster is non-negotiable”.
My generation, and several others, who need new housing (and reform to mortgage lending criteria and leasehold etc. etc.) deserve a planning system which works and is efficient in boosting supply side growth in the housing and conduction industries (which in turn creates jobs, boosts economic growth and generates S
106 or CIL funding for local communities).
It was cowardice and capitulation to a few loud voices which forced the government’s hand… See less
Guy flegman
2026-06-16 09:15:42
Sounds like it’s “do as your told or else” so much for the illusion of democracy
Seamus
2026-06-16 10:06:25
Who would have thought that a locally elected council standing up for it's residents rights, would fall foul of a labour government who is now telling those duly elected officials, big business is more important than any democratically elected council and that town's residents. Labour are big brother, the same party the ex councillor belongs too
David Forman
2026-06-16 12:16:35
The fallacy of local authorities relying on Section 106 (of the Housing Act) payments is exposed in economist Liam Halligan's book Home Truths. The only way to provide truly affordable housing is via council housing. The Labour government are laggards in this respect, because in the 2025 calendar year they only completed 2070 council homes in the United Kingdom (Office for National Statistics figures). Relying on greedy developers to supply lots of new housing is like King Canute expecting to hold back the tide.
David Forman
2026-06-16 12:48:27
To understand why Section 106 contributions by developers is such a one sided arrangement loaded in favour of the developers, please have read of Liam Halligan's written evidence to parliament's Housing Select Committee back in April 2020. See link https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/2743/pdf/
Nicholas Taylor
2026-06-16 13:16:55
The three comments made before mine clearly demonstrate how out of touch the Labour Party has become with public opinion. The fact is, there is not a shortage of housing for those who can afford to buy or rent a home in the private sector, you only have to take a look at estate agents adverts to see how many homes are available. House builders do not build homes in such large numbers that prices come down, they trickle them out to keep prices up and shareholders happy. David's comment gives a figure for the number of new council homes built in 2025, the fact is that whilst Labour were in Goverment between 1997 and 2010, the figure was only about 500 per year. What this country needs is a wholesale change in housing policies, to include compulsory purchase when developers get planning permission but fail to build, ensure that council targets for affordable housing cannot be circumvented and that proper, timely consultation is carried out with residents before planning permission is granted.
Guy Flegman
2026-06-16 21:36:55
Actually on a serious note this has been on the cards for quite some time even before when the Tories were in charge they did not want to play ball. Still it boils down to do you follow the voters or your party
Leave a Comment Below:
6 Comments for Letter to Editor: On Epping planning and special measures: