WIRRAL'S council leader said the borough has “got to play our part” in order “to tackle the worst housing crisis in a generation.”

During an emergency meeting called by the Conservatives over concerns about a proposed new housing target of 1,755 homes a year, Labour came under fire over the policy over the risk of future green belt development.

The new housing target was announced by the UK Labour government in July as part of its major plans to overhaul planning policy and help deliver a manifesto pledge to build 1.5m more homes.

This policy includes proposals to review green belt boundaries if deemed necessary to tackle housing shortages with a focus on brownfield and low quality land for development as well as a number of other changes.

This policy came under fire from opposition parties in Wirral at an emergency meeting held at Wallasey Town Hall on August 19 who argued the Labour policy was simplistic and would undermine plans to regenerate more deprived areas of the borough.

Though they said they had some concerns, Labour councillors argued the policy could change, there was a need for new housing, and urged parties to work with the government.

Several motions were put forward by all four political parties in the council which were all ultimately passed by a majority of councillors.

Two put forward by Labour and the Liberal Democrats passed unanimously while two put forward by the Conservatives and the Greens were voted through with Labour, the largest party in the council, being the only one to vote against.

Despite the changes at a national level, Wirral Council leader Cllr Paul Stuart said he expected the local authority’s draft Local Plan, a major policy that would guide developments until 2040 on the Wirral, to be approved by the end of the year.

The proposals put forward by the government suggest it could be heading for an immediate review.

Draft proposals put forward by the government have seen housing targets for the borough increase by more than 1,000 from 728 to 1,755.

Unless this target is reviewed down, it could see the local plan which is in the final stages of development rejected and the local authority go back to the drawing board.

In its current form, the number of homes projected to be built in the draft Local Plan won’t meet the government’s new proposed housing target.

However Labour councillors argued the proposals Labour have put forward nationally align with their plans locally.

In a speech defending the government, Cllr Stuart pointed to national figures showing 112,000 families are currently living in temporary accommodation including 146,000 children across England.

In Wirral, he said over 1,000 families were currently seeking help.

Cllr Stuart said: “The Labour government was elected with a mandate and that mandate was to sort out the housing crisis that we’ve got,” adding: “We’ve got to play our part in that. I believe the steps that were taken in the brownfield plan that we have delivered is delivering on what the government has put out.”

Quoting deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, he said: “The last Conservative government left Britain broken and it now falls to Labour to fix the foundations and get the country moving again,” adding: “That means getting serious about building the 1.5 million more homes we need to tackle the worst housing crisis in generations.”

Other Labour councillors also defended the need for new housing. Cllr Mike Sullivan said: “There are 5,000 people in Wirral waiting for houses. The figures that are being quoted tonight, whether we like it or like it not, we need houses. Let’s all work together,” adding: “We need houses and we need them as fast as we possibly can.”

Cllr Tom Laing accused other parties of “fearmongering and scaremongering” about the future of the Local Plan, adding: “The dream of a homeowners’ democracy. That was once a Tory vision and it lies squandered.” However, the new Labour policy came under fire from opposition councillors who said any plans to build on the green belt would let future generations down.

Conservative leader Cllr Jeff Green said he was “somewhat astounded” by the new figures he claimed would “play havoc with our regeneration plans,” adding: “Such a massive increase in the number of dwellings required could not be achieved with a vast amount of our precious green belt being taken up to do that.”

He called for the local authority to come together in a non-partisan way, lobby Wirral’s four MPs and challenge the new government. Other Conservative councillors raised concerns about the loss of farmland in areas like Clatterbridge, new proposed powers to allow councils to more easily buy up green belt land, and claimed large numbers of new homes in west Wirral could place strain on roads, schools, and doctors.

Cllr Jenny Johnson, who ran as the Wirral West Conservative candidate in the general election, said: “We are here to support the people of Wirral for now and for future generations to protect the beauty of our locality,” adding: “There is no need for this amount of housing. We do not need to destroy our green belt. Once lost, it is lost forever. There is a need to provide a reasoning for such a population increase. This is far from clear.”

Green co-leader Cllr Pat Cleary said: “Whatever housing targets are imposed on us, the green belt stands or falls on our success or otherwise in delivering transformative regeneration,” and called on councillors to challenge the government’s “deeply flawed” plans.

He wanted to see the council lobby the government to include Birkenhead’s regeneration plans in its strategy to create new towns of at least 10,000 new homes across the country. He said: “If the government means what it says, then Wirral’s left bank should be at the top of the list,” adding: “We have already set out the vision to achieve exactly what the government says it wants.”

Liberal Democrat councillor Stuart Kelly said the housing crisis in Wirral did need to be addressed but the government failed to take into account Wirral’s “unique” position. He added: “If the test of government policy is its impact on the brown field first policy ,then this policy change is misconceived, with too simplistic solutions to the housing crisis.

“There is a real likelihood that it will kill the regeneration of Birkenhead stone dead.”

Pointing to concerns raised by young people with him during the general election, he added:”Many young people see the green belt as acting as a barrier to their future ambitions but opening it up to development now will not serve future generations well, certainly not in terms of our passing on to them a renewed, vibrant and liveable environment in Birkenhead.”