Labour councillor calls to 'approve green belt planning applications in areas that do not vote for them'

A Labour councillor is said to have backed unwanted housing developments on green belt land in areas considered less supportive of the party and more likely to vote against it.

Chris Myers, who represents Potters Bar on Hertsmere Council in Hertfordshire, allegedly urged fellow Labour members to back the plans in a bid to safeguard their control of the council.

Labour currently controls the council in a coalition arrangement with the Liberal Democrats, albeit on a slim majority - which the party is keen to retain.

Leaked messages uncovered by the Daily Mail emerged just weeks after the borough released its local plan, which puts thousands of homes at risk of being built on land previously designated as green belt under the Government's revised "grey belt" regulations.

The messages, thought to have been sent in July 2024, saw Mr Myers warning colleagues the 900-home Potters Bar application, referred to as "PB3", would be fatal to the party.

"PB3 in any plan, loses us the council. It's that simple. So, stop protecting the 'influencers' and start planning sites where we can't win seats," he wrote.

The councillor, who describes himself as a lifelong Potters Bar resident, said the site was "only at risk if we put it at risk", and argued there were "plenty of green belt sites across the borough" that could accommodate development instead.

"We take the political decision not to go near PB3", he concluded.

Helen Green, a Labour councillor who chairs the planning committee, responded in the group chat by suggesting members needed to be "more creative" with planning across the entire borough.

A third Labour member, Nik Oakley, appeared to endorse Mr Myers, writing: "If it makes you happy, Shenley Hill will probably be there."

Shenley Hill lies near Radlett, a small town of around 8,200 people that could nearly double in size under the local plan proposals.

A separate 195-home development on green belt in the area was rejected three times by Hertsmere Council, before a Government planning inspector overruled the decision, deeming the land grey belt rather than green belt.

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Former Housing Secretary Angela Rayner introduced the grey belt classification, which Labour had pledged would only affect "poor quality" and "ugly" land.

Sir Oliver Dowden, the former Conservative Deputy Prime Minister who serves as MP for the area, described the leaked messages as "deeply concerning".

"If legitimate, they suggest a politically motivated approach to planning that prioritises partisan interests over the preservation of our Green Belt," he told the Daily Mail.

He accused Labour of "rigging planning policy to punish areas where people didn't vote for them by imposing more urban sprawl".

Hertsmere Labour group dismissed the criticism, insisting the conversation was historic and bore no relation to the current local plan.

"This historic conversation has nothing whatsoever to do with the current local plan. It pre-dates even the previous draft local plan," a spokesman for the group said.

They claimed political discussions on group chats were "healthy and legitimate", but played no role in formal council decision-making.