Transaction

jmetaB02e41157e47570c1e038710f7ad22a90c9036004af209ec4b586bc6157f3516acd@df9fe59142e8384a6970c15c298c7eb05eefe661be8e6833cafbf051e80bfbd1rss.itemmetarss.netM†<item><description><![CDATA[<a href="https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/kings-speech-local-residents-will-lose-right-to-block-housebuilding-5z2crdcr0"><img src="https://www.thetimes.com/imageserver/image/%2Fmethode%2Ftimes%2Fprod%2Fweb%2Fbin%2Fb8ed6133-dc79-42af-802f-0db252a6476f.jpg?crop=3126%2C1758%2C0%2C163&resize=1200" /></a><div><div><p>Sir Keir Starmer will pledge to “take the brakes off Britain” by removing the power from local people to block new homes and infrastructure.</p><p>Unveiling Labour’s first King’s Speech on Wednesday the prime minister warned that his new government will consult on “how, not if” developments should take place as he put economic growth at the heart of Labour’s agenda.</p><p>The Times understands that new legal measures will force councils to quickly identify enough land to meet their predicted future housing needs.</p><div><div><div><div><div><div><img src="https://www.thetimes.com/imageserver/image/%2Fmethode%2Ftimes%2Fprod%2Fweb%2Fbin%2F05ee1c73-75fe-4d49-b17c-5a0bdcf2d2d3.jpg?crop=4978%2C3644%2C0%2C0" /></div></div></div><div><div><div><div><div>House building targets will be imposed on councils if they do not produce timely plans to hit tarhets</div><div>ALAMY</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p>Once that land has been identified there will be a presumption in favour of development, with local residents able to agree the style of new housing but not object to it getting built.</p><p>Councils that fail to produce timely plans will see ministers<span> step in and impose house building blueprints on them.</span></p><span><div><h2>Advertisement</h2><div><div></div></div></div><p>Government sources said that the new government intended to be “robust” with any local authority that tried to delay implementing the new rules.</p><p>Starmer has pledged to make the UK the fastest growing economy in the G7 by the end of Labour’s first term in power.</p><div><div><div></div></div></div><p>On Tuesday <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/article/boost-rachel-reeves-imf-improves-uk-growth-forecast-x2xclfggt">the International Monetary Fund upgraded its growth forecasts for the economy</a> from 0.5 per cent to 0.7 per cent this year rising to 1.5 per cent next year.</p><p>That is faster than the 1.3 per cent projected for Germany and France next year, and the 0.9 per cent anticipated in Italy.</p><p>However it would still not be enough to fill the gap in the public finances with economists warning that Starmer will still have to choose between tax cuts and spending reductions to balance the books. One said it would take a “growth miracle” for Labour to avoid painful trade offs.</p><div><h2>Advertisement</h2><div><div></div></div></div><p>Starmer said: “Now is the time to take the brakes off Britain. For too long people have been held back, their paths determined by where they came from — not their talents and hard work.</p><div><div><div><div><div><div><img src="https://www.thetimes.com/imageserver/image/%2Fmethode%2Ftimes%2Fprod%2Fweb%2Fbin%2F6425e630-300a-4a58-a28b-2b2c66ddb32b.jpg?crop=5000%2C3333%2C0%2C0" /></div></div></div><div><div><div><div><div>The effective nationalisation of the rail network will be one of 35 bills in the speech</div><div>MIKE KEMP/GETTY IMAGES</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p>“I am determined to create wealth for people up and down the country. It is the only way our country can progress, and my government is focussed on supporting that aspiration.”</p><p>The King’s Speech is expected to contain 35 bills including plans to reform the House of Lords, oversee the effective nationalisation of the railways and give new powers to directly elected mayors that Labour wants to see established in all cities and large towns across England.</p><p>There will also be a bill setting up Great British Energy, which will invest in new renewable power to hit Labour’s target of eliminating fossil fuels from electricity supplies by 2030.</p><p>• <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/article/how-keir-starmer-was-quick-to-court-donald-trump-with-a-10-minute-call-c53vz6pf5"><b>How Keir Starmer was quick to court Donald Trump with a 10-minute call</b></a></p><div><h2>Advertisement</h2><div><div></div></div></div><p>A workers’ rights package, measures to ban no-fault evictions and crackdown on shoplifting are also promised, along with independence for the Office for Budget Responsibility and a ban on smoking left over from the previous government.</p><p>“Today’s new laws will take back control and lay the foundations of real change that this country is crying out for, creating wealth in every community and making people better off — supporting their ambitions, hopes and dreams,” Starmer said.</p><p>The central theme of the speech will be growth and in particular Starmer’s plan to streamline the planning system in order to hit his target of building 1.5 million homes in the next five years.</p><p>There is also likely to be an enhanced role for new mayors in the planning process. This could see them work across local authorities in their area to identify the most promising sites for development.</p><p>• <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/article/press-ahead-t-levels-education-skills-england-labour-7qdl96072"><b>Labour veterans attack ‘calamitous’ plan to review post-16 skills training</b></a></p><div><h2>Advertisement</h2><div><div></div></div></div><p>Ministers are also planning to set out firmer rules ensuring that big infrastructure projects such as roads, railways and reservoirs are approved quickly. This is also likely to see onshore wind farms as well as laboratories and data centres classed as nationally significant infrastructure, meaning projects are approved by ministers rather than local councils.</p><p>Starmer is also promising a bill to devolve power over transport, skills, housing and employment schemes to councils and mayors.</p><div><div><div><div><div><div><img src="https://www.thetimes.com/imageserver/image/%2Fmethode%2Ftimes%2Fprod%2Fweb%2Fbin%2Fa8f7f564-74ea-4ae3-ae0f-ce9869d52f5e.jpg?crop=1992%2C1427%2C0%2C0" /></div></div></div><div><div><div><div><div>Angela Rayner promised the most ‘ambitious programme of devolution this country has ever seen’</div><div>ALAMY</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p><a href="https://www.thetimes.com/topic/angela-rayner">Angela Rayner</a>, the deputy prime minister, urged areas without mayors to apply for them by September as she set out plans on Tuesday for local leaders to “take on new powers automatically if they meet certain conditions”.</p><p>She told them to work on local growth plans as she promised strong mayors more financial powers to improve their areas.</p><p>Promising “the most ambitious programme of devolution this country has ever seen”, Rayner said the new government wanted to accelerate the introduction of elected mayors across the country.</p><div><h2>Advertisement</h2><div><div></div></div></div><p>“While we will not force places to take on a metro Mayor, we will not shy away from making the case for their huge advantages, with some powers continuing to be reserved for institutions with directly elected leaders,” she said.</p></span></div></div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 16 Jul 2024 23:01:00 GMT</pubDate><link><![CDATA[https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/kings-speech-local-residents-will-lose-right-to-block-housebuilding-5z2crdcr0]]></link><dc:creator><![CDATA[]]></dc:creator><title><![CDATA[King’s Speech: Local residents will lose right to block housebuilding]]></title><guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/kings-speech-local-residents-will-lose-right-to-block-housebuilding-5z2crdcr0]]></guid></item>