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Conservative and Liberal Democrat ‘NIMBYs' could undermine plans to tackle Britain's housing crisis by devolving planning decisions to local authorities, documents obtained by LocalGov.co.uk sister title The MJ suggest. An independent survey of councillors in England, completed by pollster ComRes early this year, but never fully published, indicates the two parties leading this week's general election polls would devolve decisions over housing developments to councillors who instinctively oppose new building in their locality. The survey shows that while 95% of Conservative councillors polled would support David Cameron's manifesto pledge to hand control of housing and planning to councils, 70% disagreed with the claim their ‘community needs more homes or development in order to meet social and economic needs'. Liberal Democrat councillors appear to have adopted a similar, ‘not in my back yard' (NIMBY) approach. While 94% would support Nick Clegg's pledge to devolve planning, 51% disagreed with the suggestion their community needed more homes or development. The National Housing Federation (NHF) recently warned not enough houses were being built across Britain – every region of England had fallen short of its targets since 2002 – and estimated one million more homes were needed. NHF researchers believe up to 2.4 million people currently live in over-crowded homes. But the survey results suggest the Tory and Lib Dem plan to tackle the problem through devolution to town halls could backfire unless they could convince sceptical councillors to support developments. Housing minister, John Healey, who last year kick-started the biggest council house-building programme for 20 years, told The MJ: ‘This survey lays bare the risk of a Conservative-led government, with Tory and Lib Dem councillors alike ready to block new housing developments. ‘Conservative planning policies will give full licence to this "just say no" attitude and bring to a shuddering stop existing plans to build the affordable homes our country needs.' More than half of Labour councillors polled said they supported the localisation of planning regimes – in contrast to the party's national policy – but 69% said their locality needed more developments. Labour is the only major party to pledge not to fully localise planning decisions, and wants to retain a system whereby regional house-building targets are effectively set by the national Homes and Communities Agency, but informed by local leaders. The Government believes that would prevent NIMBYs from blocking essential developments. More than 70% of both Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors said the current regional housing targets were ‘too high' – suggesting they would not plan many new homes were they to be devolved control over housing. Just 16% of Labour councillors said the current regional targets were too high. Two-thirds of both Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors agreed with the assertion that their area ‘has seen too much development'. Gary Porter, LGA lead member on housing, and a Conservative councillor in Lincolnshire, claimed Tory ‘prejudice' against new developments reflected ‘the fact the Government has imposed top-down housing targets on councils without resourcing their requirements'. ‘That prejudice is justified because of the injustices of the last 10 years. I don't believe any council is instinctively resistant to new housing, providing it is funded adequately,' he told The MJ. However, with public sector cash likely to be scarce in future, Cllr Porter acknowledged local authorities faced ‘significant challenges'. Navprit Rai, housing policy adviser to the Lib Dems, said: ‘Some councillors are not necessarily objecting to new building, they are objecting to the workings of the current centralised planning and target system – which has failed.'

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WHITEHALL

Exclusive: Poll reveals 'NIMBY' threat to devolution

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