Move to give councils more powers on planning

The proposals would see national planning rules reviewed, meaning it would be left to individual councils to decide whether new estates should be built on brownfield sites, which have been developed in the past, or on unspoilt green fields or protected green belt land.

Hilary Benn, the Shadow Local Government and Communities Secretary, said the change would allow local authorities to have more say in where building takes place.

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He said: "People want a greater say and they don't want to have to ask permission from the man in Whitehall to decide what they are going to do in their area, what they want to achieve.

"It is for local communities to take those decisions - this is the really important point. Local communities have to weigh up what is the need for housing, where is it going to go?"

Telford & Wrekin Council's leader, Kuldip Sahota, who is a Labour councillor, today agreed that local people know more about their areas and what could potentially benefit local people.

But he said he wanted to know more details about the proposed policy.

He said: "At the moment there's a Government policy framework which we're all following. If there is a Labour Government and we do follow this new policy we have to look at the details - the devil's in the details.

"We know at the moment what the National Planning Policy Framework entails and we are following that to the letter. What would be in this new policy we don't yet know.

"I do know that Ed Miliband said he was going to devolve more powers to local councils so that they can decide on local economy etc, as local people know their land. But I hadn't heard about this one. If that's the case I want to see all the details before I comment on it more."

Keith Barrow, the Conservative leader of Shropshire Council, said he thought the idea was "interesting".

He said: "I haven't really got an opinion on this one way or the other but I thought it was interesting.

"I would like to know what other people think about it."

A report is due to be presented to the Labour leadership later this summer proposing detailed reforms for devolution which it says will save money and give people more opportunity to do things for themselves.

Meanwhile, Ed Miliband has pledged that billions of pounds would be handed over to county regions, district groups and cities to spend on new railway or road schemes, joining up hospitals with elderly care services, job creation programmes for the long-term unemployed, and measures to boost local businesses.

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