Member

I want to hammer this point: economic prosperity, social justice, and environmental responsibility and protection can and must all go together. They are fundamentally interlinked, which is why the Green party has been campaigning so passionately and is so outspoken on these issues in relation to the Bill—specifically, the importance of democracy in the planning process, the importance of people’s voices being heard, and the importance of ensuring that the planning process is focused on tackling the most important part of the housing crisis, which is the social housing crisis. I repeat yet again in this Chamber that I am frustrated that the Government still refuse to set targets for building social housing. We must protect nature and act responsibly, not only because it is our own interests now, but for future generations. Some parts of the Government seem to have been trying to pitch this as a contest between builders and blockers, but that is completely misleading. Actually, it would be more accurate to call it a contest between carte blanche for bulldozers versus building the better Britain that is rooted in taking care of our natural environment and in social fairness.