Homes and Planning Bill

Debate between Emily Darlington and Amanda Martin

Friday 13th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Emily Darlington (Milton Keynes Central) (Lab)]

I congratulate the hon. Member for St Ives (Andrew George) on his laudable Bill, but it is just a sticking plaster on the housing crisis we are experiencing and many of the measures are unnecessary—[Interruption.] I hope I have not offended the hon. Member. I thought I was being quite nice! The measures are unnecessary for councils dedicated to building communities and not just housing. In fact, too many councils led by the Opposition parties are, quite frankly, nimbys and blocking councils.

Milton Keynes is 60 next year, which is exciting for me and the MPs there. It is an example of what can be done when a council is committed to growth through building communities. In fact, everyone who has chosen to live in Milton Keynes is a pioneer—part of building the city that we are still creating. In every new estate, we build the school and GP surgery before the houses, rather than retrofitting them afterwards, and that is paid for by developers. We also build the infrastructure first. We are extending the grid roads, our famous roundabouts and our redways, which means that bicycles and pedestrians do not have to interact with the roads. Those provisions are set out in our council planning. Our community infrastructure—which ensures that communities have places to play, pray and gather—and our mixed housing, including social, affordable, private rent and private ownership, are set out in our “Strategy for 2050” plan. Having a five-year land supply, an up-to-date plan and a strategy that takes us out to 2050 allows us to put in place the things we need.

We are also building culture. Over 100 languages are spoken in Milton Keynes, and each and every one of those communities is celebrated. We respect the fact that diversity increases our innovation and our ability to build this new city. It is of no surprise to any of us—though it might be to others in the country—that we have been shortlisted for the city of culture.

[Amanda Martin]

I congratulate Milton Keynes on being shortlisted. Unfortunately, my city of Portsmouth was not—we were on the long list. [Hon. Members: “Shame!”] Yes, shame. I thank my hon. Friend for talking about the wider plans. My dad helped to build Milton Keynes—he was a gas fitter—and when Galley Hill estate was built, my parents moved there and were able to live in council housing because Milton Keynes had that forward thinking, so I echo her words.

[Emily Darlington]

I am sorry that Portsmouth was not shortlisted. I do not know what the bid was, but I am sure it was a fantastic one and that there will be opportunities in the future for Portsmouth to be city of culture. I want to recognise people like my hon. Friend’s father, who were part of building this new kind of city, and we continue in that spirit. When we built 183 new council homes, we ensured within the contract that local builders, plumbers, electricians and tradies were a part of the process—continuing the strategy of building homes with the people and talent we have in Milton Keynes.

--- Later in debate ---

[Oliver Ryan]

Tory ones.

[Amanda Martin]

And Lib Dems.

[Emily Darlington]

And Reform. Councils from all the Opposition parties are frankly not looking at this issue strategically and building the continued infrastructure. Not everyone likes roundabouts, but I do not like traffic so I will take a roundabout any day.