Local MP Maria Miller wants local people to be able to shape the future of our community rather than unelected quangos and Whitehall.

Maria is supporting a new system of neighbourhood involvement that will help deliver sustainable development for Basingstoke. Whitehall targets and unelected quangos will be scrapped, to be replaced with collaborative working and new incentives to promote and reward local homes and jobs.

This comes as official Government surveys show only 1 in 3 people think they can influence decisions in their local area, and just 1 in 5 people think they can influence national decisions.

Under a new policy initiative, entitled Open Source Planning, Conservatives will:

•  Abolish unelected regional planning quangos. This would include scrapping the South East Regional Plan
• Allow local communities to create ‘bottom-up’ local plans, helping Basingstoke’s residents shape and protect the character of their neighbourhoods.
• Tackle the scourge of ‘garden grabbing’ and over-development in residential roads, giving the local council new powers to protect the character of neighbourhoods.
• Abolish the new unelected and unaccountable central planning quango – the Infrastructure Planning Commission, whilst retaining a fast-track process to avoid planning inquiries taking years; and give Members of Parliament a new role to vote on and ratify national planning policy.
• Increase council and police powers to tackle unauthorised traveller sites and illegal trespass.
• Change Whitehall’s restrictive parking rules to ensure more parking spaces are provided in family homes and near local shops, taking the pressure off crowded residential streets.

 Maria said:

“The Government’s planning system is a source of immense frustration and concern for many residents across Basingstoke. Planning rules are too complex and too many decisions are taken by unelected officials, ignoring the views of local residents.

“This bold new Conservative vision will put Basingstoke’s residents in the driving seat to help shape our community, transferring power from Whitehall bureaucrats and Labour’s unelected regional quangos. This will help deliver new homes and jobs for Basingstoke, whilst championing local democracy and protecting our local amenity and environment.”