Healey accuses Barwell of granting 'political mate's favour'

Conservative MP Philip Davies asked the housing minister to halt the council’s Local Plan, primarily because it includes building 11,000 homes on green belt land. Mr Barwell responded by issuing a holding direction pausing the plan while communities secretary Sajid Javid decides whether to formally intervene.

John Healey, who recently returned as Labour’s shadow housing secretary, said in a letter to Mr Javid that Mr Barwell had made no attempt to “defend the substance” of Mr Davies’ complaint and his decision “smacks of a political ‘mate’s favour’”.

Mr Healey said the council’s Local Plan had been nine years in the making and involved “extensive” consultation with local people. He called on Mr Javid to account for Mr Barwell’s decision to issue a holding direction.

The Housing and Planning Act introduced powers for the secretary of state to halt a council’s Local Plan. It has been used once before by previous housing minister Brandon Lewis to block Birmingham City Council’s Local Plan after a request from local Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell.

In Mr Barwell’s letter to the council issuing a holding direction he said he had received a request from Mr Davies to intervene and the council should hold off on adopting its Local Plan while the secretary of state “is considering whether to give a direction”.

A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesperson described Mr Healey’s claims as “totally false”. He said: “No decision has yet been taken on whether to intervene or not.

“The holding direction was issued purely because of concerns over development on the green belt. This holding direction will allow time for proper consideration of these issues.”