Richard Carr: 'Labour has sold the electorate a lie'

The Poole-based chief executive of Fortitudo hit out at the government in the run-up to its autumn budget on October 30. 

Mr Carr said Labour’s vision to build 1.5 million homes every year “will not happen” because local authorities generally speaking are “anti-development”. 

Her said: “Labour told the whole electorate in this country that they're going for growth, they're going for home ownership, they want to build 1.5 million homes a year. 

“Quite simply, if everything we are reading now in the press is as it is, it is absolutely the opposite. 

“The really interesting factor here is where is Angela Rayner going to get the planning permission to build these houses? 

“Because quite clearly, they’ve been in power for more than 100 days or about a third of a year and they haven’t put in one application yet.” 

In recent months, Mr Carr’s business Fortitudo has focused on the student housing market across the country, including ones in Hinton Road, Bournemouth town centre and Holdenhurst Road, Lansdowne. 

BCP Council’s draft local plan, currently being considered by the government, sets a target of 1,200 homes a year from 2024/25 to 2028/29 and 1,800 homes per year until 2038/39. 

But BCP Council believes there will be an overall shortfall of 16,000 homes over 15 years and officers have written to Dorset Council asking to build on their land. 

Labour leader Keir Starmer (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Mr Carr added: “The current local plan for BCP that’s with the inspectorate I believe will never be put into force. It’s anti-development, it’s an anti-development local plan. 

“It’s not just BCP, most local authorities are anti-development and contradictory in many ways.” 

Fortitudo’s boss also said the electorate “has been lied to absolutely to an extreme probably never ever seen before”. 

He added: “Look at the recent investment summit: why is it that we are not investing in nuclear energy in the United Kingdom when our energy prices are 33 per cent higher than France and Germany’s. 

“It's all well and good having wind farms. What happens when it's not windy?  

“This to me is the most stupid thing that they've done since they've been in power, is why would you close down the last coal powered fire station that we own when Europe is in conflict with Russia?” 

Keir Starmer said his three priorities for the budget are “driving up living standards – making sure people feel better off, making sure our NHS is back on its feet and fit for the future, and that we’re rebuilding the country, particularly what we’re doing on housing”.