New housing targets for Lincolnshire "unrealistic" says council
A Lincolnshire council leader has described new housing targets as "unrealistic".East Lindsey District Council leader Craig Leyland is "challenging" the government after being told the area must see a 130% rise in the number of new homes every year.He says the ambition to build more "must be rational".The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government said Lincolnshire has to "play its part" in building more homes.
The government has pledged to see 1.5 million new homes built in England between now and the next General Election.New, mandatory targets for Lincolnshire mean a total of 1,552 a year - a rise of 52 percent on previous targets under the Conservative government.Within that figure, each district has been given its own target and in East Lindsey it jumps from 437 to 912 homes per year.Councillor Leyland said that the council is "seeking to understand where the figures have been arrived at".He says the council is "granting enough planning permissions" which are not always acted upon by developers.The challenges of building by the coast, because of flood risk, and the Lincolnshire Wolds, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, make the targets even more unachievable, he claims."That forces the development into our market towns and small communities which are already struggling," he said.
Evie Capps, aged 20, from Horncastle in East Lindsey, is living with her parents, and works full-time in a cafe."In order to buy a house, I would have to have £10,000 saved and I would have to earn at least three times more than I do now," she said."There should be more houses, not overcrowding. It would be better for the community."
As well as setting the new targets, the government has also promised to overhaul the planning system.Lincolnshire developer Steve Gelder, founder of the Gelder Group, is sceptical about the targets currently being met "because we don't have the skilled workforce and the planning system gets in the way".
Housing is a key issue in next month's Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral elections.Conservative candidate Rob Waltham said the targets are "undeliverable" because "the sites to build them haven't been allocated and to do that you'd have to go through a whole new process with local plans".Andrew Jenkyns, who is standing for Reform UK, said "we need to build more homes but need to ensure local people have a true voice and are properly consulted".Trevor Young, the Liberal Democrat candidate, said the targets are "unrealistic": "It's okay for the government to come up with idealistic targets but where are the jobs and money coming from?"Marianne Overton from the Lincolnshire Independents said she "has fought hard against the imposition of over-ambitious targets which are very hard to meet".Sally Horscroft of the Green Party said "we would do our best to deliver but it has to be the right housing in the right places".Jason Stockwood, Labour candidate, has been approached for comment.
In a statement, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government said the targets are "vital given we have inherited the worst housing crisis in living memory"."Alongside this, we have taken decisive action to build up essential skills in the construction industry, including training up to 60,000 more engineers, bricklayers, electricians, and joiners by 2029 to tackle skills shortages," it said.
You can see more on this story on Politics North at 10:00 GMT on BBC One on Sunday or on BBC iPlayer.Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here, external.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Leader Live
18 minutes ago
- Leader Live
UK Government ‘betraying Wales' over rail funding, Plaid leader says
Rhun ap Iorwerth, leader of Plaid, criticised the UK Labour Government for reclassifying the £6.6 billion Oxford to Cambridge line to an England and Wales project. The designation means Wales will not receive the additional rail funding it would get if branded an England-only project. Mr ap Iorwerth called on Eluned Morgan, the Welsh Labour First Minister, to condemn the reclassification. Baroness Morgan agreed Wales was not getting its fair share but said she was expecting to see positive changes in the UK Government's spending review on Wednesday. Mr ap Iorwerth's comments come following reports that revealed the project had originally been listed as England-only from 2020 to 2024. The Treasury told the BBC the classification was a 'publishing error' and insisted it was always considered an England and Wales development. Speaking First Minister's Questions in the Senedd on Tuesday, Mr ap Iorwerth said: 'We were getting our share until Labour actively moved the goalposts. 'Labour went out of its way to make sure Wales wouldn't get the money when the big spending really began.' He added: 'She should be joining me in condemning the UK Labour Government for betraying Wales. Will she?' Mr ap Iorwerth argued the reclassification was a 'new HS2 scandal' – a rail project that has been controversial in Wales. Despite none of the track being laid in the country, it was also designated an England and Wales project by the last UK Conservative government. Plaid has said this designation cost Wales £3.9 billion in funding. Responding to Mr Iorwerth, Baroness Morgan said: 'I've learned to expect nothing but constant negativity from the Plaid Cymru leader. 'I've been clear and I've been consistent when it comes to rail funding that we have not been getting our fair share of funding, in a position that the Tories left us with for over a decade. 'The difference between the Tories and the UK Labour Government is that they've recognised that injustice. 'I don't know what's going to be in the spending review, but the one thing I do know is that if Labour gave Wales a total land of milk and honey, Plaid Cymru would still find fault.' Baroness Morgan added they were 'expecting something positive from the spending review', but the Welsh government would have to keep on making the case for a fair share of funding. In January, the UK government admitted Welsh railways had been underfunded, with spending at 'low levels' in recent years. However, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander did not announce any additional funding at the time.
Glasgow Times
18 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
UK Government ‘betraying Wales' over rail funding, Plaid leader says
Rhun ap Iorwerth, leader of Plaid, criticised the UK Labour Government for reclassifying the £6.6 billion Oxford to Cambridge line to an England and Wales project. The designation means Wales will not receive the additional rail funding it would get if branded an England-only project. Mr ap Iorwerth called on Eluned Morgan, the Welsh Labour First Minister, to condemn the reclassification. Baroness Morgan agreed Wales was not getting its fair share but said she was expecting to see positive changes in the UK Government's spending review on Wednesday. Mr ap Iorwerth's comments come following reports that revealed the project had originally been listed as England-only from 2020 to 2024. The Treasury told the BBC the classification was a 'publishing error' and insisted it was always considered an England and Wales development. Speaking First Minister's Questions in the Senedd on Tuesday, Mr ap Iorwerth said: 'We were getting our share until Labour actively moved the goalposts. 'Labour went out of its way to make sure Wales wouldn't get the money when the big spending really began.' He added: 'She should be joining me in condemning the UK Labour Government for betraying Wales. Will she?' Mr ap Iorwerth argued the reclassification was a 'new HS2 scandal' – a rail project that has been controversial in Wales. Despite none of the track being laid in the country, it was also designated an England and Wales project by the last UK Conservative government. Plaid has said this designation cost Wales £3.9 billion in funding. Responding to Mr Iorwerth, Baroness Morgan said: 'I've learned to expect nothing but constant negativity from the Plaid Cymru leader. 'I've been clear and I've been consistent when it comes to rail funding that we have not been getting our fair share of funding, in a position that the Tories left us with for over a decade. 'The difference between the Tories and the UK Labour Government is that they've recognised that injustice. 'I don't know what's going to be in the spending review, but the one thing I do know is that if Labour gave Wales a total land of milk and honey, Plaid Cymru would still find fault.' Baroness Morgan added they were 'expecting something positive from the spending review', but the Welsh government would have to keep on making the case for a fair share of funding. In January, the UK government admitted Welsh railways had been underfunded, with spending at 'low levels' in recent years. However, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander did not announce any additional funding at the time.
South Wales Argus
29 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
UK Government ‘betraying Wales' over rail funding, Plaid leader says
Rhun ap Iorwerth, leader of Plaid, criticised the UK Labour Government for reclassifying the £6.6 billion Oxford to Cambridge line to an England and Wales project. The designation means Wales will not receive the additional rail funding it would get if branded an England-only project. Mr ap Iorwerth called on Eluned Morgan, the Welsh Labour First Minister, to condemn the reclassification. Baroness Morgan agreed Wales was not getting its fair share but said she was expecting to see positive changes in the UK Government's spending review on Wednesday. Mr ap Iorwerth's comments come following reports that revealed the project had originally been listed as England-only from 2020 to 2024. The Treasury told the BBC the classification was a 'publishing error' and insisted it was always considered an England and Wales development. Speaking First Minister's Questions in the Senedd on Tuesday, Mr ap Iorwerth said: 'We were getting our share until Labour actively moved the goalposts. 'Labour went out of its way to make sure Wales wouldn't get the money when the big spending really began.' He added: 'She should be joining me in condemning the UK Labour Government for betraying Wales. Will she?' Mr ap Iorwerth argued the reclassification was a 'new HS2 scandal' – a rail project that has been controversial in Wales. Despite none of the track being laid in the country, it was also designated an England and Wales project by the last UK Conservative government. Plaid has said this designation cost Wales £3.9 billion in funding. Responding to Mr Iorwerth, Baroness Morgan said: 'I've learned to expect nothing but constant negativity from the Plaid Cymru leader. 'I've been clear and I've been consistent when it comes to rail funding that we have not been getting our fair share of funding, in a position that the Tories left us with for over a decade. 'The difference between the Tories and the UK Labour Government is that they've recognised that injustice. 'I don't know what's going to be in the spending review, but the one thing I do know is that if Labour gave Wales a total land of milk and honey, Plaid Cymru would still find fault.' Baroness Morgan added they were 'expecting something positive from the spending review', but the Welsh government would have to keep on making the case for a fair share of funding. In January, the UK government admitted Welsh railways had been underfunded, with spending at 'low levels' in recent years. However, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander did not announce any additional funding at the time.
