What it is:
Political advocacy to national government seeking powers EHDC doesn’t currently have — such as:
- Fines for land banking,
- “Use-it-or-lose-it” mechanisms,
- Taxation powers for undeveloped land with permission.
How EHDC should use it:
- Pass motions at council level,
- Write to MPs and MHCLG,
- Join forces with other LPAs facing similar speculative pressure.
Impact:
Shapes national policy and prepares ground for future legal powers to control behaviour.
🏡 What Is “Lobbying for Reform”?
There are some things EHDC just doesn’t have the power to do — like:
- Fining a developer who’s land banking,
- Forcing them to build once permission is granted,
- Taxing them for sitting on housing land.
These powers would need to come from national government. But EHDC doesn’t have to sit back — it can lobby for change.
🧭 What Could EHDC Do?
- Pass a formal motion in council calling for:
- “Use-it-or-lose-it” planning permissions,
- Annual levies on land-banked sites,
- A national delivery test linked to planning eligibility.
- Ask local MPs to raise the issue in Parliament.
- Join with other councils through the LGA or TCPA to create pressure.
🎯 Why Does It Matter?
If rules stay developer-friendly while councils take the blame, the system will keep:
- Rewarding delay,
- Penalising communities,
- Driving up housing targets because delivery stays low.
✅ Final Thought
This is about standing up and saying:
“We’re trying to manage development properly — but we need the tools to do it.”
Lobbying is how EHDC helps fix the broken parts of the system.