What is the point of the new developments?

Under the last Labour Government building housing was a top down affair with Government ordering regions to build a certain number of housing. This was communicated to Counties who then shared this with Districts who came up with the actual plans on the ground.

This has all changed. With the immanent demise of the Regional Spacial Strategies it will now be down to Districts to decide where to developments go.

The New Homes Bonus is a financial incentive for New Homes to be built. It gives 6 years worth of Council Tax to each new home built split 80/20 between District and County Council. This sounds good for St Neots. There is a large amount of money coming from building homes in St Neots and other developing areas. This could have proved to be of major benefit as St. Neots residents would be able to see this money make substantial changes to St Neots.

That is until the HDC Conservative administration nicked the money for the whole of Huntingdonshire to prop up their failing budget.

What benefit is there of having all this new housing east of St Neots? In the past this was effectively a Government order to build new housing. Now there is a reason to have these new developments - The New Homes Bonus. But HDC has taken that reason away. In my view there is no reason to have these new developments as the money will be spent in many other parts of the District. St. Neots loses out. That is why I say: