Steve Reed responds to reports that Michael Gove has paused the Government’s planning reforms

“These reforms don’t just need to be paused, they need to be scrapped altogether. Michael Gove needs to confirm that the Conservatives’ hated Developers’ Charter is dead and buried and set out how this Government intends to meet its housing targets.

“These reforms will pay back developers by selling out communities and gagging residents from having a say over development in their area. Even Conservative councils have signalled their opposition.

“These hated reforms won’t fix the housing crisis or give local people a stake in their areas. That’s why Labour introduced a Use it or Lose it Bill to protect local residents’ voice while speeding up housebuilding across the country.”