Fresh-faced Labour MP Chris Bloore is putting his best foot forward to cling on to his wafer-thin 789-vote majority in Redditch, playing the NIMBY card to keep locals sweet. The council is fuming over a developer’s proposal to build 214 homes, including 66 affordable homes—50 of which would be social housing aimed at helping those most in need – on a redundant part a golf club. Given the council’s record of delivering just 9% of required affordable housing in recent years, you’d think it’d would be a no-brainer…
But no. Bloore turned up to a planning inquiry today to loudly oppose the project, despite promising to tackle “housing challenges” in the area. His excuses for blocking the development:
After listing the reasons why the affordable houses should not be built, Bloore finishes strong:
“I can attest there is no one in this room who is more pro-affordable housing than me.”
Not exactly in line with Labour’s pledge to “back builders not blockers”…
Speaking to Sky News off the back of Rachel Reeves’ Air Passenger Duty hike, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said:
“Labour is dependent on those Red Wall seats, and yet every move she makes poisons economic growth and damages the UK’s recovery… it’s the Chancellor who stumbles from policy misstep to policy misstep… I think her policy decisions are incredibly stupid.”