Housing: New Homes Target

Debate between Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and Lord Tyrie

Thursday 24th April 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for his question, and he is quite right to say that we must always be open to listen to new and original ideas. We have indeed completely revised the National Planning Policy Framework to kick-start this pro-growth planning system, changing our strategic approach to green belt release and introducing “golden rules” to ensure that releases deliver in the public interest. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which is being debated in the Commons and will come to this House in due course, will play a key role in unlocking that growth. We are happy to listen to all ideas as we go through that Bill’s process.

[Lord Tyrie (Non-Afl)]

The Government are quite right to concentrate on supply. It has been one of the greatest failures of public policy in the past 25 years that we have not built enough homes. Do the Government really believe, however, that the measures that they have announced are going to go anywhere near to meeting that target and are they now working out further contingency planning to get the houses built while they have this unique opportunity, with a huge majority in the Commons, to push through measures that would otherwise be crippled by nimbyism?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

My Lords, I hope that I have partly covered that in my Answer to the Question from the noble Lord, Lord Young. We are taking decisive steps around the planning system, developing construction skills, the new homes accelerator and, of course, building new towns—the New Towns Taskforce has set about its work effectively and rapidly. We hope that that will start to deliver the 1.5 million homes that we need. We have a sophisticated new digital tool to map what is going on and to detect where there are still issues. We hope that that will help us to deliver the target.

Council Tax

Debate between Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and Lord Tyrie

Tuesday 19th November 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

I hear my noble friend’s point, which he has made in the House several times before. The impact of Brexit is widespread, and I completely understand his point.

[Lord Tyrie (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, will the Minister return to the point that the noble Lord, Lord Clarke, made a moment ago? Unless we address the gross imbalance in the amount of money taken from various groups in society in council tax, we will never make any progress on the other side of ledger, which is how to spend the money on social care. The Government must grasp this nettle. Is now not the best moment to do it, when the Government have a large majority and a long Parliament ahead to achieve their aims?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for his comments. My honourable friend Minister McMahon is very clear that we need to set up a fairer funding settlement for local government. It is our choice to do it this way, rather than by a complicated and time-consuming reform of council tax. In this year’s funding settlement, the noble Lord will hear news about reshaping the way that funding is distributed, and there will be further news on it in the spending review next year.