Reform council leader urges Government to revise housing target formula

In a letter to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, Cllr George Woodward claimed the targets are putting the borough's green spaces at risk of development.

The Government revised the standard method for calculating housing need through changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, announced in December 2024.

The changes saw housing targets rise in every region in England, except for London, according to research from planning consultancy firm Marrons.

The decision was part of a raft of changes to the NPPF aimed at boosting housebuilding in order to meet the Government's target of building 300,000 new homes a year.

However, Cllr Woodward has criticised targets emanating from the standard method calculation as "artificial" and "unsustainable".

The Reform UK councillor’s letter formally requested an immediate adjustment to the Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) formula for post-industrial areas like St Helens Borough.

He claimed that parts of the calculation "actively penalise" his borough, adding: "By linking our minimum housing quotas to national market factors, the formula completely ignores the local realities on the ground in Merseyside."

Cllr Woodward said the council's opposition to the quota is based on three constraints: Infrastructure deficits, preservation of the green belt, and artificially induced demand from international immigration.

On infrastructure, the letter argued the borough's local roads, GP surgeries, schools, and drainage systems were "already over-subscribed".

"Forcing thousands of additional homes into the borough without upfront, legally guaranteed infrastructure funding from central government is unfair to existing St Helens Borough residents," Cllr Woodward wrote.

He meanwhile argued that over half of the borough consists of green open spaces and Green Belt land, which would be "targeted" by developers.

"I am proposing a democratic and permanent solution for your department, which is to amend the PPG calculation itself," the letter said.

It continued: "The formula must allow for a 'Local Demography and Regeneration Factor' that discounts quotas for councils actively trying to protect their Green Belt and instead focus on brownfield renewal."

He welcomed an urgent meeting with the Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook to discuss the targets.

Adam Carey