Ed Miliband will urge 'discipline' on Labour’s future spending plans

 
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Ed Miliband will tomorrow call on Labour to show “discipline” by finding new policies that would transform people’s lives without hiking public spending.

In a speech to the party’s policy-making body, he will offer a crackdown on developers who “hoard” prime building land as an example of how a future Labour government could change Britain without putting state finances at risk.

Under the “use it or lose it” policy, developers could be stripped of land if they fail to build homes after being granted planning permission for them. Companies could also be charged a fee for as long as they leave the land idle.

Labour believes this would make a real difference to jobs and the homes shortage in London, where 45 per cent of land with planning permission for housing is awaiting a start.

Among landmark developments that have suffered delays are plans for up to 1,700 new homes on the site of the former Pura Foods factory overlooking Canning Town station, and the redevelopment of Walthamstow dog track.

Mr Miliband will accuse firms of sitting on land and frustrating families’ chances of affording a home. “There is nothing more important in family life than having a home,” he will tell the party’s National Policy Forum in Birmingham. “Across our country, there are firms sitting on land, waiting for it to accumulate in value and not building on it. Land-owners with planning permission, who simply will not build. We have to change that.”

Researchers say 400,000 homes are stuck in the pipeline — the equivalent size of Birmingham.

Mr Miliband believes being disciplined on spending is vital if Labour is to win the trust of voters. But he argues that Labour can still make a difference to lives and set out different values and priorities from the Tories while keeping to rigid spending limits.

In future most of its policies would have to be either zero-cost or paid for by “switching” money from one area to another. But investment spending for housing and big infrastructure projects would be allowed. Housing will be at the heart of Labour’s manifesto, with hopes of 400,000 homes and 600,000 jobs being created.

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