Green belt protests a taste of things to come as pressure increases from government housing targets
The weekend's protests in Aldridge and Kingswinford may well be a taste of things to come as councils battle with government targets to build 1.5 million new homes.
Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, has described the quotas as a 'death sentence for the green belt', and pledged to defy any pressures to build on green space in the borough.
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The targets, set by former housing secretary Angela Rayner, have created winners and losers, and with Dudley being told to increase housebuilding by 122 per cent over the course of the current parliament, it is hardly surprising that he is in a defiant move.
Councillor Harley has accused the Government of targeting Tory-run councils with its quotas, pointing out that Conservative-run Walsall has seen a 26 per cent increase its target, while Solihull has had its quota raised by 52 per cent.
"Every Conservative-run council in the region has had its housing need increased, whilst every Labour-run council has seen the numbers go down," he said.
