Council leader to attend public meeting with MPs about Leicester’s unmet housing need

The meeting will take place on Friday 3 November 2023 at Market Harborough Methodist Church.

The leader will be accompanied by Cllr Galton, portfolio holder for planning and the council’s director of planning.* 

At Full Council on 18 September 2023, a motion proposed by the council leader to defer a decision on whether to become a signatory to the Leicester and Leicestershire Statement of Common Ground (SOCG) relating to housing and employment needs, was carried by councillors. At the meeting, Cllr Phil Knowles proposed the deferral due to the local MPs sharing their views against signing this agreement and invited them to an open meeting to clarify and evidence the information that they have shared publicly on this issue.

Cllr Knowles said: “I will be delighted to attend this public meeting which I have been calling for since 18 September as I think it is essential that we seek clarification on the information that the MPs have shared publicly on this issue and hear how this differs with advice that the council has been given. No decision has been made on whether the council should become a signatory of the Statement of Common Ground and the council is still gathering information and evidence on the matter so that councillors are fully informed to make the right decision for Harborough residents.”

The Statement of Common Ground will go for a decision at Full Council on 6 November 2023. The report for the meeting will be published on the council’s website under ‘council meetings’ on 27 October 2023.

*The details of attendees in this release were amended on 26 October 2023 as the consultant who has provided advice to the council on the matter will no longer attend the meeting at the request of the MPs.