Labour faces revolt over 1.5 million homes plan

Labour could be facing a rebellion in its own party over plans to force councils to allow 1.5 million homes to be built within five years.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer repeated his party’s pledge to deliver 1.5 million new homes even though he admitted himself it was probably “too ambitious”.

In a speech outlining his ‘Plan for Change’, he said: “Building 1.5m homes is ambitious…A little too ambitious, perhaps”.

And Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook admitted recently that reaching the homes target was proving harder than he thought before Labour came to power.

Impossible and unrealistic

Now, the leader of a Labour-run council in Lancashire has warned the Government they are on a collision course over the “impossible and unrealistic” targets.

I feel that we are going to be on a collision course with Labour.”

Yvonne Gagen, Leader of West Lancashire Council, which includes Ormskirk and Skelmersdale, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I feel that we are going to be on a collision course with Labour.

“And it’s not just Labour councils, it’s Liberal Democrats, it’s Conservatives. They’ve all said the same thing.

“Over these planning targets, they are absolutely impossible and unrealistic.”

The council’s new housing target is now 605, up from 166, Gagen says.

“We have 90 per cent green belt and Grade-I agricultural land, and we need to protect this.”

Agent reaction

David McMaster, Associate Director at Aldreds, commented on The Neg’s news report: “While it is laudable that the Government wants to build new homes and no one could really argue that.

“Is it not alarming that the Labour Party made these promises either without sound research into the obvious challenges of such a big project or was this a pledge they knew they could not deliver,” he said.

“I do not promise anything to my landlord clients that we cannot deliver.”