§ 19. Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will take powers to deal with the situation arising when local authorities discard without valid reasons plans initiated by an outgoing housing committee thus reducing the number of housing units to be built on a site.
§ Mr. MacCollIt is for local housing authorities in the first instance to decide how best to use their sites, but my right hon. Friend would not be willing to approve for subsidy unsatisfactory schemes. Additional powers are not needed.
§ Mrs. ShortDoes my hon. Friend recall that I have written to him about the case in my constituency and about the case in the Watford Rural District in which advanced plans have been discarded for party political reasons, where additional architects' fees have been incurred, making them a charge on the ratepayers, and where the end result is a reduction in the number of houses to be built? How can he say that he cannot or will not take action? This is a very urgent problem.
§ Mr. MacCollIn the case of my hon. Friend's constituency, there were very acute differences of opinion about the density of development.
§ Mrs. ShortThe Tories complained: that is all.
§ Mr. MacCollVery strong views can be held on density of development. It would not be right to interfere with the discretion of the local housing authority.
§ Mr. AllasonWould the hon. Gentleman be very wary of sour grapes allegations by defeated councillors? Would he be interested to know that in Watford Rural District, which is right alongside Hemel Hempstead, there are two sides to this story?
§ Mr. MacCollI have never found it necessary to be wary of my hon. Friend.