Shropshire Star

Shropshire Council to challenge Government policies on housing

The Government is to be challenged over its housing policies by Shropshire Council amid claims that it does not understand rural needs.

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Councillors at yesterday's full council meeting said changes to legislation, from council house rebates to affordable housing, were hitting rural areas hard.

Councillor Malcolm Price, the authority's planning portfolio holder, said £400,000 of vital funding had been lost in the past three months with the Government ending the community infrastructure levy on individually built new homes.

In areas where a community infrastructure levy is in force, landowners and developers must pay the levy to the local council.

Another policy hitting Shropshire, he said, was the rule that house builders had to provide affordable housing for developments of 10 houses.

"All that happens is that developers build nine homes, so they don't have to contribute to affordable housing," he said.

Councillor Cecilia Motley said: "Abolishing the levy on self-build in rural areas has deprived very many small communities of income.

"Also cunning developers are now only building nine houses.

"We have a lack of affordable housing. Both of them have hit south Shropshire firmly in the midriff."

Leader of the council, Councillor Keith Barrow, said the 10-house development policy was nonsensical.

"When it comes to planning the government doesn't understand the rural area," he said. "We need affordable housing and we should write and tell central government that its policies hit the countryside."

Council house tenants will soon get a bigger rebate if they want to buy their home.

At the moment the tenants are entitled to up to £75,000 of rebate but the Government has just announced that this is to rise to up to £77,000.

The news was greeted with disappointment by members of Shropshire Council yesterday.

Councillor Malcolm Price, chairman of planning, said: " We are trying to provide essential housing but we keep losing essential stock, which I find really infuriating."

Councillor Vince Hunt said the council must also ensure that there was land available to provide more affordable housing.

"We have four new schemes being built in Oswestry, all very much needed," he said.

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