Local Lib Dem leaders condemn plans to hand mayors power over local planning decisions

Liberal Democrat council leaders in Cambridgeshire have condemned Government plans to give elected mayors new powers to overrule local councils on major planning decisions, warning that the proposals would undermine local democracy and fail to address the underlying causes of the housing crisis.

Under the proposals, mayors would be able to “call in” planning applications and direct councils to approve or refuse them. The powers would apply to developments of more than 150 homes, commercial schemes exceeding 15,000 square metres, and buildings over 30 metres tall. Mayors would also be able to grant upfront permission for certain developments.

Cllr Bridget Smith (Lib Dem, Gamlingay ward), Leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, said:

“Taking planning decisions away from locally elected councillors means taking decisions away from the communities they represent. People should have a meaningful say in what is built in their communities and, just as importantly, what infrastructure is delivered alongside it.

“If the Government is serious about tackling the housing crisis, it should be giving councils the powers and resources to deliver the right homes in the right places, with the infrastructure to support them, not handing mayors a blank cheque to override local decision-making.

“We need genuine devolution, with power closer to communities, not a chaotic patchwork that concentrates more and more control in the hands of a single politician.”

Cllr Tim Bick (Lib Dem, Market ward), Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Cambridge City Council, said:

“Cambridge and the surrounding area desperately need more homes, but we also need those homes to be properly planned and supported by the infrastructure that growing communities require.

“The answer to the housing crisis is not to silence local councillors and residents whenever a development is controversial. Local planning authorities understand their communities and are accountable to the people who live there.

“Labour should be working with councils to unlock stalled development, invest in affordable and social housing, and make sure transport, healthcare, schools and utilities keep pace with growth.

“This is not devolution. Taking powers away from local communities and concentrating them with mayors risks making people even further removed from the decisions that affect their lives.”

The Liberal Democrats have called for councils to be properly resourced to deliver genuinely affordable homes alongside the infrastructure needed to support sustainable growth.