Lord Bellingham
Main Page: Lord Bellingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Kris Hopkins
I know the details involved, because my hon. Friend has written to me, and we have forwarded them to the appropriate authorities. The Charity Commission is now examining what my hon. Friend has alleged, and I will not comment any further until after the investigation.
Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk) (Con)
19. When he next plans to meet district council representatives to discuss their local development frameworks; and if he will make a statement.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Nick Boles)
I welcome the fact that King’s Lynn and West Norfolk council is one of the 55% of local authorities that have an adopted local plan. My hon. Friend and I met last year, and I would be happy to arrange another meeting with him and local council representatives, if he would like that.
Mr Bellingham
I thank my hon. Friend for that very helpful reply. Does he agree that, given the importance of localism and local authority autonomy, councils such as King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, which has plans in place plus a five-year-plus supply of housing, should have a very good chance indeed of not being overridden on appeal when it comes to speculative, opportunistic developments?
Nick Boles
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The key is having a robust five-year land supply and, if an authority can demonstrate that, there is absolutely no reason why their decisions about housing development should not stick.