Telford & Wrekin Council in housing overspill 'deal' row
Telford & Wrekin Council today denied any decision had been made over building houses that could act as overspill for families from the West Midlands.
Leaders at the authority said they were "not convinced" that the borough should be part of any plan to redistribute housing growth.
It comes after the Conservative group on the borough council claimed a deal had been struck within the new West Midlands Combined Authority for Telford to use its excess housing to cover a shortfall in supply in Birmingham and the Black Country.
The group's leader, Councillor Andrew Eade, claimed that 5,615 new homes have been built in Telford over and above what is needed. The group says new documents show that other councils in the West Midlands Combined Authority are set to use the housing to meet their own shortfall.
At the end of last year it was revealed that Telford & Wrekin Council is set to become a non-constituent member of West Midlands Combined Authority.
It means it will work alongside the four Black Country councils, Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull, Tamworth and Cannock.
The borough council's Duty to Cooperate Report published in January states that 9,940 new homes are needed to meet local demand, but that 15,555 are set to be built in the area – an excess of 5,615.
Councillor Eade said: "Our councillors have rolled over under pressure from the region's 'big boys' and are now wrecking our town and building on our green fields just to meet a housing shortfall in Birmingham and the Black Country."
Labour Councillor Richard Overton, deputy leader of the council, said: "Councillor Eade has been somewhat selective about which information he has chosen to share.
"The document referred to clearly states that the council has not been convinced it should be a participant in any redistribution of future housing growth outwards from the West Midlands conurbation. It also adds we have sought further clarification."
