Update from Alicia Kearns MP on the public meeting about house building proposals in the Harborough District:
Thank you to everyone who attended the public meeting on Friday 3 November 2023 in Market Harborough. Hundreds came to show your opposition to the plans.
All three Members of Parliament representing Harborough, the Leader of Harborough District Council and the Council Lead for Planning all set out our positions.
The opinions of residents were heard through a Q&A and an indicative vote at the end of the evening which showed that all save a very small handful were against Harborough District taking on Leicester’s unmet housing needs.
I am very grateful to all those who stood up for the unfair housing proposals aimed at our Harborough villages.
As you will know as MPs we have worked hard to secure reassurances from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities with regards to HDC's local plan so that the Council can reject their plans.
I believe we have done everything in our power to show the council does not need to take on these houses, and that it should not.
I have since had an update from Cllr Knowles following the meeting, and in light of the reassurances we as MPs were able to ascertain for HDC, I am pleased to hear that the Council decided to defer the vote once more, but what I really want is for them to vote to reject these plans to take on Leicester’s unmet housing need in our own communities.
The Council has directed that the public Council meeting will be on the 22 November 2023 and will contain only one agenda item, a vote on this issue.
Thank you again for all your support and I am confident that we have built a positive case to reject the City of Leicester's overspill of housing into our communities.
