Council leaders have hit back at a claim that local planning systems are preventing tens of thousands of homes from being built each year.

The Home Builders' Federation said the planning system was the 'worst it has been for decades'.

Although the Local Government Association (LGA) admitted there were ‘some resource concerns' in council planning teams, it insisted councils wanted to get on with building homes, with land for more than 2.6 million homes allocated in local plans and nine in 10 planning applications being approved.

An LGA spokesperson said: ‘Councils have great ambition to get on with building homes.

‘But the right powers must be provided to incentivise developers to get building, including being able to charge full council tax for every unbuilt development from the point the original planning permission expires.

‘More must be done to future-proof the sector and ensure planning departments can continue to enable the delivery of housing targets, including the affordable homes and infrastructure that the country needs.'