Windsor MP joins new cross-party push to speed up housebuilding

Windsor’s MP has joined the board of a cross-party campaign to encourage housebuilding across the country – co-chaired by former Royal Borough leader Simon Dudley.

The Representative Planning Group (RPG) launched on Tuesday and has an aim of making the planning application process faster and helping local councils reach housing targets.  Labour MP Mike Reader is the other co-chair.

The group claims the current planning system is flawed and only listens to the ‘angriest 2 per cent’.

Windsor MP Jack Rankin has joined the group’s advisory board.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Mr Rankin said: "Our planning system works best when it reflects the views of the whole community, rather than just an engaged minority, and helps unlock the high-quality homes people need.”

Board members plan to go to schools, high streets, faith groups and workplaces to talk to residents. Online citizen panels and surveys will also be introduced.

As part of this process, group members will use ‘plain language with visual aids’ to explain proposals.

Mr Rankin was a Royal Borough cabinet member when fellow Conservative Simon Dudley led the council.

Mr Dudley’s approach to housebuilding in the borough proved to be controversial among residents.

He was a driving force behind the Borough Local Plan to build thousands of homes across the area and was leader when an agreement was reached which would allow up to 2,000 houses to be built on Maidenhead Golf Course.

Despite widespread opposition to the golf club proposals, he has defended the project since his resignation in 2019 – and criticised the decision to reduce the number of homes proposed for the site to 1,500.

Discussing the RPG, he said: “Councils face the challenge of balancing housing delivery with community support.

“Councillors can be more confident in their decisions knowing they are based on the considered views of a true cross-section of residents, rather than a vocal minority.

“It also helps address long-term political challenges by building consensus, reducing the risk of plans being delayed or overturned due to community opposition.”

But Maidenhead’s Liberal Democrat MP Joshua Reynolds is sceptical about the campaign’s aims.

Speaking to the LDRS, Mr Reynolds said: "Given Simon Dudley’s track record in Maidenhead, I will personally be taking any claim that he is interested in listening to residents with a large grain of salt.

“His time as council leader saw botched regeneration deals, missed opportunities, and decisions that too often put developers’ profits ahead of local needs, as did Jack Rankin’s time as cabinet member for economic development and property.”

He added: “Residents of Maidenhead had to pay £16million to the golf club, and an estimated land value of £500million is now only approximately £100million.

“Mr Dudley had a number of years as leader to make better decisions for everyone in Maidenhead and during that time, he never seemed particularly interested in doing so."

Simon Dudley refuted these claims and said that the group wants to ‘make the planning process genuinely representative of the whole community’.

He said: “Currently, planning consultations tend to attract a narrow demographic.

“Experience elsewhere shows that when residents understand the ‘what’ and ‘why’ behind developments, opposition softens and support grows, making it easier to meet housing targets without the level of conflict we sometimes see today.”

He added that this is important in areas like Maidenhead where ‘housing demand is high, and land is at a premium.’