Government accused of Cambridge 'power grab'

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Hannah BrownLocal democracy reporter

News image — Labour wanted to "rinse every penny" from the "Cambridge cash cow", a councillor claimed

BBC Looking down a street in Cambridge city centre. Two cyclists are riding away from the camera. Black iron railings and a row of parked bikes are to the left, and a terrace of old buildings curves to the right in the distance. Groups of pedestrians walk on the paths either side. — Labour wanted to "rinse every penny" from the "Cambridge cash cow", a councillor claimed

The government has been accused of making a "power grab" for Greater Cambridge with its proposal for centrally-controlled planning.

People have been asked to have their say on whether a development corporation should be set up to approve new housing, with the corridor between the city and Oxford described by the chancellor as having the "potential to be Europe's Silicon Valley".

The city's Labour MP, Daniel Zeichner, said the consultation was "a great opportunity to create a more sustainable, fairer city, and we should seize it".

But Heather Williams, a Conservative who sits on the planning committee at South Cambridgeshire District Council, called it an "absolute power grab" and said it offered nothing to local people but "grief and disruption".

"Let's be clear, this is not about helping people that live here, this is the national government wanting to rinse every penny they can get their hands on from the Cambridge cash cow," she added.

The development corporation would encompass the administrative areas of the city council and South Cambridgeshire to allow for "integrated, long-term planning across Greater Cambridge as a whole", the government said.

A head and shoulders image of a smiling man with grey hair and brown eyes. He is wearing a brown jacket, brown scarf and white shirt with a maroon necktie. — Daniel Zeichner said Cambridge should seek to be the best small city in the world

Housing and planning minister Matthew Pennycook said the development corporation would have the necessary powers, authority and access to finance to unleash "ambitious and high-quality sustainable growth".

"I encourage all those with an interest in the future of Greater Cambridge to respond to our consultation and share their expertise, insights and knowledge," he said.

Zeichner said the proposal offered "hope to a whole generation" that there would be homes for them in the future.

"For those of us lucky enough to live in such a wonderful city, [it is] the chance to use this growth to create a transport system that the city has been crying out for over many decades," he added.

A woman in a head and shoulders image. She is wearing a brightly-coloured coat in purples, greens, blues and pinks, and a black top underneath. She has glasses perched on top of her head. She has dark brown eyes and dark brown hair. She is standing on a path beside some trees. The ground behind her is wet, with leaves on the ground. — Heather Williams said the government plans would not benefit local people

Williams, who leads the Conservative group at the Liberal Democrat-led local authority, said the government should deliver the infrastructure required now, not under the agreement of 150,000 homes.

"The consultation shows the real threat that this corporation has to completely remove local voices and elected, accountable people from the planning process," she said.

A man with grey hair and glasses looks straight at the camera, squinting slightly in the sun, in a head and shoulders image. He is wearing a white shirt. The blurred background is of a row of parked cars in front of hoardings around a construction site. — Tim Bick said the plans contradicted praise for the "positive local record of shaping development"

Tim Bick, Liberal Democrat leader at the Labour-controlled city council, also branded the plans a "power grab" and urged people to "challenge Labour's undying control mindset".

"Stripping out planning powers" from councils, he added, was "simply not justified".

"It will leave our area with less democratic control of its future than any other part of the country," he added.

The Conservative Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Paul Bristow, said it deserved "serious consideration".

"If taken forward, the Combined Authority will work closely with a development corporation to support delivery at pace," he added.

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