'County's farms are not for sale'

A COUNCIL continued to promote two of its farms for housing development - despite leaders saying they would stop farms being sold off.

- Phil Corrigan

Reform UK leaders at Staffordshire County Council announced last year they had 'banned' the sale of the authority's farms, after a number were sold off by the previous Conservative administration to raise funds.

But in December the council formally opposed the removal of land including two farms from Newcastle’s local plan. The sites AB12 at Bignall End and AB33 at Audley had originally been earmarked for 180 homes in the draft local plan, but Newcastle Borough Council proposed to remove them in line with instructions from the planning inspector.