HBC council leader Paul Barnett tweeted last week that the abandonment of mandatory housing targets previously being imposed by the DLUHC was “good news”. It would allow Hastings to decide for itself what housing should be built and where. “We need more housing, but not at any price”, Cllr Barnett opined. “Affordable and sustainable are my top priorities”.

It’s an interesting illustration of the divide in political approach between the Labour party hierarchy at national level and beleaguered councillors at local level. On the same day Cllr Barnett’s party leader
Sir Keir Starmer labelled Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a “blancmange” for capitulating to back-bench Tory MPs who had demanded this change of policy.

Starmer argued that the result would be a reduction in house-building nationwide, and  described it as “a grubby deal [which] sold out the aspirations of those who want to own their own home”.


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HIPHousingNewsBarnett at odds with Starmer on housing targetsHBC council leader Paul Barnett tweeted last week that the abandonment of mandatory housing targets previously being imposed by the DLUHC was “good news”. It would allow Hastings to decide for itself what housing should be built and where. “We need more housing, but not at any price”, Cllr...The Hastings & St Leonards non-profit community newspaper