21.30 EMB Rachel Reeves eyes commuter town boom to boost home ownership and salvage economy
21.30 EMB Rachel Reeves eyes commuter town boom to boost home ownership and salvage economy
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Chancellor promised ‘bold reform of the planning system to deliver on the Plan for Change for working people’. Rachel Reeves has bet her economic credentials on a commuter town boom in a hope it will spark growth in the UK. The chancellor is set to make a major announcement on planning reform amid questions about her own future in the Treasury and economic indicators putting Britain on the brink of a crisis.
![[Rayner said the plans will boost home ownership]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/20/16/71227f11356db51a2c61bf97a036df52Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM3NDc2MDA2-2.78464795.jpg)
Ahead of a speech next week, the chancellor promised to “take an axe to red tape that slows down approval of infrastructure projects” - plans which Angela Rayner said would “make home ownership dream a reality for millions”. The chancellor revealed new plans for more houses near commuter train stations, in what the government said was “bold reform of the planning system to deliver on the Plan for Change for working people”.
She also announced that environmental assessments for building homes and infrastructure will be replaced with a new, simpler system. The latest attempt to boost growth comes as recent rises in borrowing costs threaten her economic plans, while leaders in the business sector continue to voice concerns over upcoming tax rises in April from her autumn Budget.
While the prime minister has insisted he will keep Ms Reeves in post, with the economy on the brink of a recession and business confidence in the government at its worst point since the Covid pandemic, there have been growing questions over her position.
