Caroline Spelman tells colleagues her party would introduce a new housing bill and revoke regional targets

The shadow communities secretary, Caroline Spelman, has written to Conservative MPs and councils advising them to delay housing and commercial developments.

In a letter, leaked to the Observer, she said the Tories would introduce a new local government and housing bill in its first year of office which would 鈥渞evoke 鈥� in whole or in part鈥� all of Labour鈥檚 regional development targets.

鈥淸This] will put the brakes on elements of regional spatial strategies that [local authorities] find undesirable,鈥� she writes.

She continues: 鈥淲e would advise councils not to rush ahead with implement he controversial elements of regional spatial strategies [regional planning guidelines].鈥�

But a conservative spokesman said the main point of the letter was to highlight Tory policy that would lead to more development: 鈥淲e want to devolve power to the local communities so the provision can be made where it is needed [by] encouraging demand to be met,鈥� he said. 鈥淟abour has failed to deliver on their housing targets.鈥�

Grant Shapps, shadow housing minister, called Labour鈥檚 housing policy 鈥渢op-down鈥� and 鈥淪talinist.鈥�

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