Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called out the controlling Liberal Democrat group at Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council (HBBC) in the House of Commons for failing to produce an up-to-date Local Plan.
The lack of an up-to-date Local Plan means Hinckley and Bosworth is left open to speculative developments with very little legal protection to stop housebuilding in areas where there is already overburdened infrastructure. This also puts added pressure on civil servants working in the planning team at HBBC who are processing and dealing with planning applications in the Borough.
On Wednesday April 26th Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Bosworth, raised the failure of the local Liberal Democrat leadership in control of Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council to produce an up-to-date Local Plan and protect the area from overdevelopment in Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs).
Bosworth’s MP has been campaigning for stronger protections for Neighbourhood Plans which are being ridden roughshod over because the Borough does not have an up-to-date Local Plan. Such plans have been crafted and voted on by local groups and residents in areas such as Stoke Golding, Burbage, Markfield and Market Bosworth.
Most recently, the lack of an up-to-date plan played a significant role in the planning inspectorate decision to pass a controversial decision on the Ashby Road application in Markfield. The final report stated “…HBBC cannot demonstrate a five-year housing land supply because a number of relevant development plan policies are out of date”.
In a question to the Prime Minister, Dr Luke Evans MP, said “Liberal Democrat-run Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council does not have an up-to-date Local Plan, so every day that goes by we have speculative housing applications that put pressure on local infrastructure, such as GP surgeries, schools and roads.
“Locally, the Lib Dems say it is due to the Government’s target to build 300,000 new houses per year, yet the Lib Dems have a target of 380,000.”
Dr Evans concluded his question to the Prime Minister by calling for stronger protections for Neighbourhood Plans “to ensure that communities such as Burbage, Barwell, Markfield and Market Bosworth get the infrastructure and protection they need for the houses that we need.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said “The Member for Bosworth is right to point out the hypocrisy of the local Liberal Democrats on that and to highlight the issue locally.
“[Dr Evans] is also absolutely right to point out the importance of [an up-to-date] Local Plan. The Plan is precisely what gives communities the power to ensure that development in their area happens the way they want it to.”
“Therefore the Council is failing in its duty to do that for its communities by not putting forward [an up-to-date] Local Plan.”
Speaking after PMQs Dr Evans said, “A useful analogy is to think of it like having a passport. The local Liberal Democrats are essentially arguing that they have a valid passport, but in fact it is out of date – we all know what happens if you try to go on holiday without an up-to-date passport… you can’t! The fact you still have one in your possession is moot if you can’t fly with it!”
In response to Dr Evans’ question to the Prime Minister, the Borough Council released a statement that concluded “Following legal advice on these matters the Council has been forced to review its programme. Work is now progressing in line with our revised published timetable.”
From the councils own documentation the timetable has slipped to an “estimated date for Examination is considered late 2024 to early 2025 with adoption of the plan following in late summer 2025.”
