Housing: Strategy for homes 'will be scrapped'

Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps said the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) – a development programme for local authorities – has failed and cited problems in Wentworth and Dearne, the constituency of Housing Minister John Healey.

Mr Shapps said the residents he met were growing increasingly frustrated with properties lying empty, and yet under the strategy green belt land could be used for more housing.

"It is a ridiculous situation that could be resolved," he said. "We would adopt a common sense approach, scrap the RSS and allow people at a local level to make decisions. By coming here we are making the point that even in the constituency of the Housing Minister, residents are facing these problems."