My column for West Sussex newspapers:
This week, we have achieved good news on ending unsustainable development. The Government has announced that it will amend planning and housebuilding reforms to end central-Government-dictated housing targets. This is the news that West Sussex has long waited for. It is something I have been vocal on since my very first speech in Parliament.
This amendment demonstrates that the Government is listening to communities like ours which are subjected to unsustainable levels of housing development. The amended Bill, which will come into law next year, will ensure that our community and our local leaders will have more power over proposed developments in the area. This means fewer houses built on our countryside. Rural West Sussex has never had the infrastructure to support large scale development and I am pleased our communities have now achieved the ability to say no to developers.
The Bill will also include a crackdown on developers who have already received planning permission for brownfield sites but who fail to build on them. This is a positive step forward for West Sussex.
As a parent myself, I know that for many, the dangers of social media and the internet to young people are a constant worry. Too often, we hear stories of children being groomed for harms, experiencing bullying or being exposed to inappropriate content. That is why I am pleased that this week the Online Safety Bill returned to Parliament before it comes into law. The Bill is a ground-breaking piece of legislation and the UK is leading the world on this. The Bill will ensure that no social media platform will promote illegal content to children in their formative years. Platforms breaking this law will face severe sanctions, including fines of up to 10% of their global turnover amounting to billions of pounds.
