Council Cabinet Meeting 11.11.25​​​​

   

Cllr Onnalee Cubitt Speech

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Good evening, Leader, Deputy Leader, fellow Cabinet Members, ladies and gentlemen, 

 

Let’s be absolutely honest — we are not where we want to be. 

But we are where we are — and that reality has been forced upon us by a Labour Government elected 

on promises it cannot possibly deliver. 

 

This Government has set itself a grand target: 1.5 million new homes during this Parliament. Lofty 

words. 

But here in Basingstoke, that ambition comes at a heavy price — a demand that we build 21,000 

homes by 2042. 

 

Let me be clear: I have total confidence in Paul and Andy — two outstanding, intelligent, 

hardworking public servants who are across every detail of their brief. 

But even the best of teams cannot achieve the impossible without the tools and the funding to do it. 

 

And that is exactly the problem. 

Because while Labour talks about housing numbers, it says very little about the infrastructure that 

must come with them. 

 

We are being asked to deliver growth on a scale we have never seen before — yet without the schools, 

the roads, the surgeries, the water supply, or the hospital capacity that any responsible government 

would provide first. 

 

Under the National Planning Policy Framework, this Local Plan Update must be evidence-based. 

But the evidence is already clear — we are operating with an infrastructure deficit so large it borders 

on reckless. 

 

Our hospital was built in 1974 for around 100,000 people. 

Today, our population stands at 187,500 — nearly double — and growing every year. 

Since 1974, the UK population has grown by 23%. In Basingstoke, it’s grown by over 80%. 

 

And what has been done to match that growth? 

 

Nothing meaningful. 

 

Before Labour came to power, we had a Local Plan. It wasn’t perfect, but it was settled. 

Now, this new Government has ripped it up and ordered us back to square one. 

Instead of 15,000 homes, we’re being forced to plan for 21,000 — a 40% increase — dictated from 

Whitehall, with no promise of investment to match. 

 

Our county is bankrupt. Our country is bankrupt. 

And yet Labour wants us to build as if money were no object — as if bricks and mortar could replace 

proper planning, infrastructure, and services. 

 

We can’t meet the needs of our existing population. 

We don’t have the water. 

We can’t cope with the sewage system we already have. 

Our NHS is stretched to breaking point. 

Even if developers build surgeries, the Integrated Care Board doesn’t have the money to recruit the 

doctors or nurses to staff them. 

We don’t have enough dentists, and we don’t have the capacity to fix any of this under the current 

financial straitjacket. 

 

So, I say this clearly to the Labour Government: 

If you want these houses, get your chequebook out. 

 

Show us the money for our water infrastructure. 

Show us the money for our hospital and our roads. 

Show us that you understand the meaning of local consent and sustainable growth — not empty 

targets set from Westminster. 

 

We were promised £20 million would be spent on essential upgrades by a key water provider to make 

our last Local Plan sound. As far as we know that money was never spent. Yet another promise 

broken — and we will not allow that to happen again. 

 

As the Leader rightly says, there is still much evidence to gather. 

This is not the final plan — it is a draft, and tonight’s decision must be reviewed once every piece of 

key evidence is on the table. 

 

So yes, with a heavy heart, I will support this Draft Regulation 18 Local Plan going out to 

consultation. 

But let me be crystal clear — this is not a blank cheque for Labour’s housing agenda. 

This is a call to arms for the people of Basingstoke. 

 

Because ultimately, this fight is not about politics — it’s about fairness. 

It’s about whether communities like ours are treated as partners or as dumping grounds for national 

housing targets. 

 

So, to our residents I say this: 

Now is the time to speak up. 

Now is the time to stand up. 

Engage in this consultation. 

Make your voices impossible to ignore. 

 

This is your town, your community, your future. 

And together, we will make sure that Basingstoke is not forgotten — and never taken for granted. 

 

Thank you.