Burt backs local decision making on housing numbers.

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 2nd Jul 2010

Solihull MP Lorely Burt has backed the new right of local authorities to determine how many homes are needed for their own area.

Speaking in a debate in Parliament on Wednesday, Lorely cited examples from her own Solihull constituency saying:

'Central government diktat originally provided for a town the size of Lichfield in the middle of our green belt. We managed to get it down to half the size, as we ourselves had assessed we needed. We welcome the change of Government and of strategy.'

After the debate Ms Burt said: 'People need homes and in particular in Solihull, affordable homes. But we know locally what we need and we don't need central government to tell us.

'Clearly there are some issues which need to be resolved on a regional basis, so I have urged the government not to throw the baby out with the bathwater and ensure that we still have a mechanism to resolve regional issues together.'