Walsall Council is determined to push back against neighboring councils offloading housing targets onto them, ensuring fair distribution of housing responsibilities.
It’s a bit of a mess. Councils in the Black Country have to share land responsibilities. If one council doesn’t pull its weight, the others have to step in. Sometimes, that means using Green Belt land, which isn’t ideal.
Recently, the housing secretary announced plans to build 370,000 homes a year. But Walsall’s planning committee is standing firm. They don’t want to be pushed around. Chairman Mike Bird pointed out that Walsall has put forward a lot of sites, while Dudley and Wolverhampton barely contributed.
He’s worried they’re not on a level playing field. If Walsall doesn’t make a stand, they might end up with more housing than they need. The Black Country Plan was supposed to help with this, but it fell apart when Dudley Council pulled out.
Councillor Bobby Bains emphasized that they need to focus on what’s best for Walsall. He feels like they’re being pulled in too many directions. They need strong leadership to say they’ll do things their way.
Councillor Aftab Nawaz echoed this sentiment. He’s frustrated that other councils expect Walsall to use its Green Belt while they don’t develop their own. He suggested bringing in Wolverhampton’s chief executive to explain their plans.
Deputy leader Mark Statham called Wolverhampton’s plan ridiculous. In the end, the committee decided to send a clear but polite letter to Wolverhampton City Council, laying out their expectations.
