Oldham Liberal Democrat leader Howard Sykes has urged ministers to accept the borough’s formal request to quit Greater Manchester’s Places for Everyone housing plan and restore every acre of green-belt land that the scheme had earmarked for development.

Councillor Sykes, who holds an MBE, has written to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government after Oldham’s Labour-run council voted to pull out of the controversial programme.

In his letter, Sykes says the authority’s own withdrawal submission “offers no explanation of Oldham’s position” and sets out the case he wants ministers to consider.

“Places for Everyone is a developer-led plan which will prioritise unaffordable housing on green-belt land,” he writes.
”Not only should it be revoked—as Oldham has now requested—but our green-belt boundaries should be put back to where they were.”

The final decision rests with Secretary of State Angela Rayner, who is also Deputy Prime Minister.

Sykes argues that rejecting Oldham’s request would be “undemocratic” and would “severely damage public confidence in democratic institutions”.
He ends the letter by asking the Government “wholeheartedly to support Oldham Council’s request to withdraw from Places for Everyone”.

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