Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Minister for Housing, John Healey MP has today written to all council leaders in England ahead of the second reading of the Housing and Planning Bill next Monday, warning of the threat to local communities if the Bill passes.

In his letter to council leaders of all parties, Mr Healey warns of the “severe” effect of the Bill on the ability of local communities to build the affordable homes they need, and urges them to speak up.

On the Bill in general, Healey writes:

“Simply put, this Bill is one of the most centralising and anti-council pieces of legislation I have seen in my political career. It effectively ends a local authority’s ability to secure the mix of new homes needed in their local area and it will inevitably lead to fewer affordable homes when the need has never been greater.”

On the end of localism, Healey writes:

“The LGA have confirmed to me that the Bill’s 145 clauses give the Secretary of State 32 new powers. And almost all of these are wide-open powers, with detail to be decided by Ministers with little public scrutiny after the Bill is through Parliament.”

On the forced sale of affordable homes to fund the extension of the right-to-buy, he writes :

“The Bill extends the right-to-buy to Housing Association tenants funded by the forced sale of ‘high-value’ council homes and assets. It gives Ministers the power to set and impose an annual levy on stock-holding councils for this money.

“The greater the demand for affordable housing in an area, the higher the value of the stock – so the more the Chancellor will take.”

John Healey adds:

“Whatever your view about the extension of the right to buy, legislating for Ministers to raid the resources of local councils to pay for their policies is a deep disrespect to local government and a disgraceful way to treat local areas.”