Wealden leaders lobby new minister over housing targets

The campaign to persuade the government to lower the number of homes Wealden District Council is obliged to provide in future years is continuing.

Council leaders recently met with Stuart Andrew, the new Minister of Housing, to express their concerns at the current targets and urge the government to review those housing delivery expectations.

The meeting was facilitated by Wealden MP Nus Ghani and attended by Wealden council leader Bob Standley and Councillor Ann Newton, the council’s deputy leader and portfolio holder for Planning

It follows several other meetings with government ministers including Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and is part of a concentrated campaign to Whitehall about the high number of homes Wealden is obliged to provide under current guidelines.

Councillor Newton said the main points of discussion included the way the 5-year land supply (5YLS) is calculated, the use of outdated population projection data and the importance of delivering key infrastructure alongside new homes in Wealden.

She said, “We continue to make it very clear our numbers are far too high and completely unacceptable. We need government to reduce the number of homes we are required to provide. The minister understood our frustration and said work is continuing and government is reviewing the position.”