Too many failures from Slough’s Labour Council on housing & development: it’s time for a change say Lib Dems

"It's time for better policies on housing & development in Slough" says Robert Plimmer, Chair of Slough Lib Dems. Robert lists 3 key ways Slough's Labour-run Council is failing on housing & development. He proposes new approaches for each one:

• Labour is failing to control Airbnb properly and insist on the affordable houses that Slough residents need: housing is a complex issue, and the Tory Government have caused many of the problems, but Slough's Labour Council should also be doing a better job. In early 2019 Robert Plimmer visited a development site on Bath Rd (see photo) and suggested to Slough Council that they should:
  • within the limits of national policy, do more to insist that developers of sites such as 163 Bath Road do more to meet the needs of Slough residents by providing some social and/or key worker housing and/or properties for local residents under shared-ownership schemes;
  • follow other councils and use planning and enforcement powers to take more steps to control Airbnb better and reduce the likelihood of office to residential conversions attracting Airbnb short-term rentals;

• Labour is failing to control developers properly: Slough's Labour-run Council has sometimes allowed developers to reduce the contributions they have to make (under section 106) for community facilities such as provision of adequate roads systems to support the increased traffic at peak times.
• Slough Council should insist developers apply the highest standards to meet the needs of Slough residents and communities;

• Labour is failing to take the long-term approach to meeting Slough's housing needs: A Slough Observer story in Feb 2020 highlighted the long-standing failure of Slough's Labour politicians to address Slough's housing needs.
• Slough Council must adopt a more constructive approach when seeking to work with neighbouring authorities to find mutually agreeable ways forward.