News Release

17th June 2004

LOCAL PLANS TO BE DICTATED FROM BIRMINGHAM

Michael Fabricant is "extremely worried" about new laws coming into effect which will transfer powers over planning from local councils to regional bureaucrats. "With, it sometimes seems, every available green site being built over in Lichfield and other cities and towns, this new law will take still more powers away from the local council and allow controversial new developments to be constructed regardless of the wishes of local people." says Michael.

The Government announced on 17 June the timetable for the implementation of the new Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act. The legislation will transfer planning powers to the West Midlands regional assembly allowing it to create a 'Regional Spatial Strategy' for housebuilding, transport and planning that will be binding on local councils. Meanwhile the Staffordshire Structure Plan will be scrapped.

"Despite the fact that there is near unanimity in Staffordshire that we don't want to be governed from Birmingham by a costly regional Parliament, John Prescott just doesn't seem to listen. He seems determined to ride roughshod over local government at every opportunity. Local councillors are answerable to local people via the ballot box, and transferring responsibility to distant and unaccountable regional bureaucrats is just undemocratic and bad for local planning. Already, Lichfield is being forced to build too many dense areas of housing because of Government diktats. This will just make matters worse.