Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has accused Tameside's Reform leader of a 'nonsensical political stunt' after the council refused to adopt her planning reforms, leaving it in breach of national law.
The Ashton MP, in her role as secretary of state for Housing, Communities and Local Government, introduced changes to the local planning system that came into effect on October 31. Allan Hopwood, opposition leader on Tameside council, led opposition to the changes, describing them as 'egregious'.
Council votes against reforms
His Reform UK group, alongside the Conservatives and Tameside Independent Group, twice voted down changes to accept the planning reforms, defeating the minority Labour-run administration. Following the first defeat in October, Coun Hopwood wrote to Angela Rayner, urging her to stop the National Scheme of Delegation. He claimed the minister's changes 'take away the right of local councillors to decide smaller applications and limit their ability to bring larger ones to committee'.
Coun Hopwood said councillors were 'asked to vote with a gun to our heads'.
Rayner's response
After the second refusal at an extraordinary council meeting last week, Ms Rayner responded to Coun Hopwood, describing his actions as 'self-defeating' and bringing 'risk to investment, jobs and homes for local people'.
In her letter, she said: "Unfortunately, the self-defeating actions of the Reform Tameside group and others have brought the council in contradiction with national regulations. Alongside the risks to investment, jobs and homes for local people, your vote means that Tameside's planning committee will lose its ability to legally exercise its planning powers even over the most important choices put to council."
She added: "Powers will begin to sit with unelected officers – far from voting for local democracy, you are choosing to take powers away from local councillors. Your letter failed to mention this drastic risk to decision-making powers for elected members."
The letter continued: "It is not clear whether you were deliberately seeking to mislead the public by pretending otherwise, or if this simply reflects your ignorance of the planning system. But whatever your motives, given the fair and proportionate alternative available, this decision is not one that I can support."
Investment and regeneration
Ms Rayner's letter highlighted Tameside council's £100 million capital regeneration programme, including investment in Ashton town centre, repairs to Ashton Market Hall and the Civic Hall, a new bridge across the River Tame, and an accelerator programme to reduce vacant town centre units.
She wrote: "That is what real, meaningful action to deliver for local people looks like. In contrast, it is clear that residents are an afterthought to your latest nonsensical political stunt. I will continue to work closely with the council's leadership to make a success of devolution, secure investment, and build more good, affordable homes, including much-needed council homes. I suggest that you do the same."
Hopwood's rebuttal
Responding to the letter, Coun Hopwood claimed Ms Rayner is trying to 'bully councillors into accepting this hare brained scheme'. He refuted claims that he and his Reform group are ignorant of the planning system or misleading the public.
The Longdendale councillor said: "Angela Rayner's letter, or backfired political stunt, gets the facts the wrong way round. She claims her National Scheme of Delegation for planning protects elected members' right to decide the most important applications. When It actually does the opposite."
He added: "Householder applications and most schemes of up to nine homes would go straight to unelected officers. Councillors cannot call them in no matter how strongly residents object. Larger applications are also expected to be decided by officers. They only reach committee if the chief planner and the committee chair both agree it meets a strict test of local significance adding a level of ambiguity and favours decision making behind closed doors."
Coun Hopwood concluded: "The original right of ward councillors to call in controversial decisions would be removed by this over zealous, dictatorial scheme. The scheme hands more power to officers and takes it from the councillors that residents chose to elect."
The government changes reduce the power of committees by cutting their maximum size to 13 members and the number of applications they decide. Applications are split into Schedule 1, covering smaller and more technical cases dealt with by planning officers, and Schedule 2, covering larger applications that may go to committee if agreed by the chair and chief planning officer.
Local authorities across the country were required to change their constitutions to continue as Local Planning Authorities. Only Tameside, Bolton, Fenland and Central Bedfordshire councils refused, although Bolton has since accepted the changes. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government holds that after October 31, planning authorities must determine applications under the new rules, meaning Tameside's planning panel is operating outside them and decisions will be made by planning officers by default.
