Long-serving listeners might recall that for episode 45 of the podcast Sam Stafford published a conversation with Clive Betts, MP for Sheffield South East, about the then Housing, Communities & Local Government Committee’s recently-published report on the future of the planning system in England. Clive chaired that committee and has been involved in housing and planning-related select committees of different names since 2002. He has been a member of parliament since 1992.

That 2021 report, which considered the ‘Planning for the Future’ white paper of August 2020, highlighted concerns about "the lack of detail, which has made it very difficult to assess the possible practical implications” and concluded that “Government should consult on the details of proposed reforms to prevent unintended consequences and harms resulting from them”.

Here we are a couple of years on and the now Levelling Up, Housing & Communities Committee, which Clive still chairs, has published another report on reforms to national planning policy and he very kindly made time to record another online conversation with Sam about it. Their wide-ranging, whistle-stop conversation takes in, amongst the other issues covered by the Committee's inquiry, the politics of the NPPF consultation, housing targets, a 'Plan for England', Green Belt (obviously), the Infrastructure Levy and local authority resources.

Some accompanying reading.

The LUHC Committee’s planning reform report

https://committees.parliament.uk/work/7281/reforms-to-national-planning-policy/publications/

The HCLG Committee’s 2021 planning reform report

https://committees.parliament.uk/work/634/the-future-of-the-planning-system-in-england/publications/

The LUHC Committee’s report on funding for “Levelling Up”

https://committees.parliament.uk/work/6928/funding-for-levelling-up/publications/

Philip Barnes’ blog on abolishing hope value

https://philipbarnesblog.wordpress.com/2023/07/11/is-it-really-the-hope-that-kills-you/

The UK now spends more on housing benefit than on most government departments

https://www.newstatesman.com/chart-of-the-day/2022/11/uk-spending-housing-benefit-government-departments

Gove’s department hands back £1.9bn meant to tackle England’s housing crisis

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jul/12/gove-department-hands-back-19bn-meant-tackle-england-housing-crisis

Community Infrastructure Levy review: report to government

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-infrastructure-levy-review-report-to-government

Some accompanying viewing.

Sam’s evidence to the LUHC Committee’s planning reform inquiry

https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/be5501c6-ca1a-4aaf-9c69-f444392df7fd

Some accompanying listening.

Episode 90 of 50 Shades of Planning – No hope?

https://pod.co/50-shades-of-planning/no-hope

Feels Like We Only Go Backwards by Tame Impala (s/o to Simon Ricketts)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wycjnCCgUes

50 Shades T-Shirts!

If you have listened to Episode 45 of the 50 Shades of Planning you will have heard Clive say that...

'In the Netherlands planning is seen as part of the solution. In the UK, too often, planning is seen as part of the problem'.

Sam said in reply that that would look good on a t-shirt and it does. Further details can be found here: http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2021/07/50-shades-of-planning-t-shirts.html