A Labour government will build more houses and devolve power to local authorities, according to the party's deputy leader.

Speaking at the Local Government Association's (LGA) annual conference, Angela Rayner reiterated the party's commitment to devolution and giving people a ‘bigger stake' in the future of their local neighbourhood.

She pledged that a Keir Starmer premiership would ensure decisions are taken by people ‘with skin in the game'.

The deputy opposition leader said the party would deliver ‘genuine devolution' in its first term and would give communities ‘control over their own destiny'.

She said a Labour government would ‘change the relationship between the power we hold and the power you need' and suggested to a questioner that local government would not be the ‘poorer cousin' of central Government.

‘We say the decisions that create wealth in our communities – economic wealth and civic wealth – should be taken by local people with skin in the game,' she said.

‘That's our promise, and we will deliver it with a Bill in the first King's Speech of the next Labour government.'

Angela Rayner also said under the Conservatives there had been ‘managed decline' and a ‘total collapse of housebuilding in this country'.

She said Labour would reform planning laws to allow for building on parts of the green belt and bring back housing national targets while empowering councils to meet them.

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