New LGA analysis shows over 1.1 million homes with planning permission waiting to be built

MORE than 1.1 million homes granted planning permission in England in the last decade are yet to be built, new analysis by the Local Government Association reveals today. The LGA is calling for Councils to be given powers in a Planning Bill in the Queen's Speech to incentivise developers to build housing more quickly. Latest figures show that 2,782,300 homes have been granted planning permission by Councils since 2010/11 but over the same period only 1,627,730 have been built. The number of planning permission granted for new homes has more than doubled since 2010, with 9 in 10 planning applications being approved by Councils. While there will be in some cases legitimate reasons as to why development has stalled, and it is recognised that there is a time lag between permission being granted and homes being built, new build completions have only increased by just over ˝ as much in that time. The LGA, which represents Councils, says this shows that planning is not the barrier to house building and that it is the housing delivery system that needs to be reformed. To help Councils get developers building more quickly, the Queen's Speech should bring forward legislation that enables Councils to charge developers full Council Tax for every un-built development from the point the original planning permission expires. It should also make it easier for Councils to use compulsory purchase powers to acquire stalled housing sites or sites where developers do not build out to timescales contractually agreed with a local planning authority. Developers have been building more homes in recent years, with completions at their highest level in the last 10 years:- 220,600, in 2019/20. But this falls far short of building the 300,000 homes a year the Government has pledged. The LGA says only by building more Council homes can we tackle the housing crisis and meet the Government's house building target. It comes as new polling by the LGA has found that 80% of MPs and 88% of Peers think Councils should have more financial freedoms and powers to build new homes. The LGA is calling for Councils to be given the powers to kick start a social house building programme of 100,000 homes a year. Cllr David Renard, LGA housing spokesperson said:- "Councils are committed to working with Government and developers to build the housing the country needs. It is good the number of homes built each year is increasing. But by giving Councils the right powers to incentivise developers to get building once planning permission has been granted, we can go further and faster. Councils are granting permission for hundreds of thousands of homes, but families who desperately need housing cannot live in a planning permission. This is why we need the Queen's Speech to deliver the reform needed to enable Councils to tackle the housing crisis."

Rival to McDonald's to return to UK

WILL we soon see a Wendy's in Merseyside, as the 2nd largest burger chain in America, has announced its return to the UK after a 20 year absence. The chain has issued a statement that it aims to create 12,000 jobs in the UK and open up 400 outlets nationwide, with 30 to 50 employees per restaurant. It will be far smaller than McDonald's who have 1,300 outlets, but a deal with delivery firm, Uber Eats, will make this a very interesting challenger to McDonald's. Its 1st UK restaurant we are told will open in Reading on 2 June 2021, followed by 4 more at locations including:- Oxford and Stratford later in the year. In a pres statement, Wendy's has said Britons will be offered exclusive new additions including:- vegetarian options as well as huge American portions, including the whopping Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple, which is more than 1,500 calories. That is not forgetting its famous Breakfast Baconators, towering triple stacked beef burgers and Chocolate Frosty desserts… But if this chain opens on Merseyside, will it pull you way from McDonald's Big Mac? The firm has said it could take many years to achieve its goals, so it might be a few years before we see a Wendy's up our end of the country, but you never know. What are your thoughts on this? Would you like to see a Wendy's near you? Please email us to:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com with you views on this international fast food restaurant chain's announcement. For more information, see:- Wendys-Careers.Co.UK Are you ready to make the jump?

Machete Gang who went on rampage are jailed

A gang that went on a rampage, at Runham College, Leyland, in March 2019, armed with machete and baseball bats have been jailed. The 6 males are said to have deceased on the College following dispute between rival gangs. All those sentenced admitted to charges of affray, at Preston Crown Court, on Tuesday, 4 May 2021, and have been detained at a young offenders institute. At the trial, the Court was told that during the incident, a 17 year old male was attacked with a machete and suffered a wound to his arm. It was also reported that no 1 else was injured during the attack.

Those sentenced, are as follows:-

► Shehroz Ahmad, 19, from Preston, has been sentenced to 14 months.

► Adam Khan, 20, from Preston, has been sentenced to 18 months.

► Murad Mohammed, 19, from Preston, has been sentenced 15 months.

► Samadur Rahman, 20, from Preston, has been sentenced to 18 months.

► Dilbagh Singh, 19, from Preston, has been sentenced to 15 months.

► Gurmail Singh, 20, from Kirkham, has been sentenced to 21 months and a further 28 month road ban for dangerous driving.

Vue Southport announces reopening and tickets available to book now

VUE, the home of the Ultimate Big Screen Experience in Southport is reopening from 17 May 2021, and tickets are available to pre-book now. From well loved classics, to a selection of theatre and sport screenings, and an epic line up of hotly anticipated new releases, filmgoers can look forward to blockbusters such as Peter Rabbit 2, The Unholy, The Conjuring Part II, Sir Alex: Never Give In and Hey Duggee; event cinema such as the Champions League and Europa League Finals in partnership with BT Sport; as well as 3 years' worth of new releases coming to the big screen within the next 18 months, such as:- No Time to Die, Top Gun: Maverick, Minions: The Rise of Gru and Fast and Furious 9.