Rayner announces plan to bypass local committees to stop developments ‘getting stuck in the system’

Angela Rayner has announced plans to allow planning officers to approve applications without permission from committees of councillors if they comply with local plans and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

The housing secretary and deputy prime minister, speaking on the BBC yesterday, announced plans to overhaul local planning committees in a bid to boost housebuilding.

She said: “At the moment, we haven’t had mandatory local plans, and therefore we’ve seen speculative developments in areas through permitted development.

“I’m saying to local planning and local authorities, get your plan in order so you decide - based on the affordability and the challenges in your area that you know about - where you think this development should happen, if they [the plans] follow the NPPF and that local plan, then we shouldn’t have it stuck in the system for years”

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Asked by Laura Kuennsberg whether the plans amount to a reduction in local democracy, Rayner said: “I don’t accept that, because we’re saying they [councils] have to have a local plan - [which is] local democracy- and we were elected to build the 1.5m homes [which is] national democracy”

Rayner said the government will “take away the subjectiveness that happens at a local level”.

The announcement follows prime minister Keir Starmer doubling down on his commitment to build 1.5m homes over the next parliament at a speech on Thursday as one of six“milestones” for his government to reach by 2029.

Rayner was also asked whether there will be enough skilled workers to be able to build 1.5 million homes.

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She said the government has put an extra £140m into contruction hubs to train people.

She added: “All of the ministers under our planning reforms will look at national strategic planning and will be able to move resources so that the infrastructure is there.

“People are absolutely right, you can’t build lots more housing in an area if you don’t have the roads, you don’t have the GP surgeries, and you don’t have the schools that people desperately need. So building in that into our plans and making sure that that is delivered at the same time is critical to getting buy in.”