COUNCILLOR QUESTIONS CONSERVATIVE 'SHOCK' OVER 20,000 HOMES TARGET

2.22.05pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 30th Apr 2008

Councillor Steve Darling, the Leader of the Lib Dem Group on Torbay Council, has tabled a question for the next Council Meeting which asks if the 20,000 target for new homes in Torbay is a result of Torbay's Conservative administration signing up to the Government's 'Growth Points Scheme'.

Councillor Darling's question to Cabinet Member Cllr Lewis says:

"The Government is expecting Torbay to build 20,000 new homes. The local paper on April 1st quotes you as reacting to this by saying, "I don't know why Torbay is being singled out. We've got one of the biggest increases in the South West."

Does the Cabinet Member think there is any link between the Conservative administration signing up to the Government's Growth points Scheme and the 20,000 homes target?"

Councillor Darling says: "Elected Mayor Nick Bye and his Conservative administration signed up to the Government's 'Growth Points Scheme' in order to get government money so that they could develop the Mayor's Vision. By signing up to the Growth Points scheme the Council were essentially saying that Torbay was an expanding area - so it should not have come as a surprise when the Government set us a target to increase the number of homes in Torbay.

"It appears that Torbay is having to pay the price for the Mayor not having a vision of his own and asking the Government to give him some money to develop one."