LGA responds to National Audit Office land availability report

7 May 2019 09:09 AM

Local Government Association Housing spokesman Cllr Martin Tett responded to the National Audit Office’s report on land available for new homes 

“It is vital that we build more of the right homes in the right places, and the intelligent use of public land can be important for meeting long-term housing and public service challenges.

“Through programmes like One Public Estate, councils have shown that they are best-placed to lead efforts to make better use of public assets, such as releasing unused or surplus land for housing, and are committed to bringing forward sites to ensure that enough homes and the necessary infrastructure are built to meet local needs.

“The Government need to use its forthcoming Spending Review to empower councils to speed up developments and set planning fees locally so they can cover the cost of processing applications and ensure planning departments are adequately resourced, so that they can support the delivery of new homes that our communities desperately need.”

Notes to editors

• The LGA’s #CouncilsCan campaign aims to influence the forthcoming Spending Review and highlight the growing risk to vital local services if the Government does not take action to secure the financial sustainability of councils. Visit our campaign page for more information.
• One Public Estate is a national programme delivered in partnership by the Office of Government Property (OGP) within the Cabinet Office and the Local Government Association. It provides practical and technical support and funding to councils to deliver ambitious property-focused programmes in collaboration with central government and other public sector partners.

#CouncilsCan: Spending Review 2019

With the right funding and powers, councils can continue to lead local areas, improve residents’ lives, reduce demand for public services and save money for the taxpayer. Securing the financial sustainability of local services must be the top priority for the Spending Review.

Find out more

NAO Report:  Investigation into the government’s land disposal strategy and programmes