Shapps: ‘councillors in dark' over opposition to allocations

Published by 24publishing for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Central Government, Communities, Local Government

The housing minister Grant Shapps suspects councillors are being kept in the dark by council officers opposing the Government’s reforms as he hit out at local authorities failing to prioritise housing for the armed forces.

He was responding to a Freedom of Information request by Hammersmith and Fulham councillor Harry Phibbs, which revealed that a number of Conservative, Labour and Lib Dem councils weren’t giving priority to workers and ex-armed forces personnel in their allocations.

This, despite the Localism Act giving councils greater flexibility to reframe their allocations policy and the government urging councils to do so with statutory guidance.

The information – obtained from Communities and Local Government (CLG) – was revealed in local authority responses to the Government’s consultation on the statutory guidance.

Opposition to the reforms came from Conservative-run authorities including: East Staffordshire Borough Council, Isle of Wight and Chichester District Council. Labour-run authorities included Leeds, Newcastle City Council and Bassetlaw District Council. While Lib Dem councils included the likes of Bath and North East Somerset Council and Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council.

Mr Phibbs said it was “disturbing that so many nominally Conservative councils are so abjectly failing to implement Conservative policies in this crucial respect”.

In response, the housing minister Grant Shapps said local residents would be "shocked" that council officials are "covertly" opposing housing support for members of the Armed Forces.

He said: "Given the backing from across the political spectrum for the Military Covenant, I strongly suspect that councillors are being kept in the dark by officers who oppose reform. Councillors actively need to ask what their council is doing to help those who have put their lives on the line in service of our country."