'What if the council tells the Government no?' Walsall's leaders to be grilled on housing as green belt under threat
Bosses at Walsall Council will be pressed on the issue of housing at a meeting of full council next week.
Three questions have been submitted: two from councillors and one from a member of the public.
Elaine Williams, chair of Walsall and Bloxwich Reform UK branch, has criticised the location of a proposed new free school site at Reedswood Park, when more than 2,000 homes could be coming to the green belt in the west of the borough.
She said: “There are proposals in the draft Walsall borough local plan to build thousands of homes, including on green belt land, in areas such as Bloxwich, Pelsall, Brownhills, Aldridge, Streetly, Pheasey and adjacent to the arboretum.
“So why has a site in Reedswood been selected for a new school and not a site that in respect of the majority of these proposed locations/number of homes is within statutory walking distance of any new housing that will create demand for school places?”
Leader of the labour group Councillor Matt Ward will ask what measures Walsall Council is taking in order to secure part of the £1.7 billion government funding for its 10-year social and affordable homes programme.
His submitted question states: “The Government recently announced its social and affordable homes programme 2026–2036, which allocates £1.7 billion to the West Midlands region.
“Could the leader outline what specific steps Walsall Council is taking to ensure that we are well positioned to secure a fair and proportionate share of this funding — particularly to deliver new social rent homes, support estate regeneration, and address areas of acute housing need within the borough?”
Finally, conservative member Councillor Ken Ferguson will ask a question about the 1,200 houses per year that the Labour Government has instructed Walsall Council to deliver.
He raised concerns about what will happen should the authority not reach the target by choosing to use brown field only sites only and not green belt.
Councillor Ferguson said: “The Labour Government are instructing Walsall Council to deliver 1,200 houses per year, which is considerably more than the average built over the past years.
“Could the portfolio holder tell me, this council and residents, what would be the consequences if the council say no to delivering this number of units, protect our green belt, and only include brown field in the borough plan?”
The meeting is set to take place at 6pm on Monday, January 12, at Walsall Council House.
