Plans to drop targets for social housing in St Albans have been described as "an attack on social housing and an attack on local democracy".

Councillors from St Albans District Council clashed over proposals by the coalition Government to repeal section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act, which ensures all new housing developments contain affordable housing.

This follows a speech by Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for communities and local government, who unveiled the idea for planning to go straight to a national inspectorate, rather than go through local councils.

The council currently aims to reach the target of 30 per cent of affordable housing in St Albans.

Labour cuoncillors Mal Pakenham and Councillor Jacob Quagliozzi, representing London Colney, tabled an emergency motion to challenge the Government’s plans at the council meeting last Wednesday (September 12).

In the meeting, Councillor Pakenham, representing Batchwood, said: "This is a direct attack on local authority’s democratic rights and the whole assessment of affordable housing.

"The House Builders Association has actually criticised it. They are not exactly a left wing group. Most of those companies devote large sums of money to the Tory party and have done over many years.

"They said by introducing these measures in 2013 it will actually cause a delay in people building houses.

"What they will wait for is a change in legislation, then go back and say we can’t afford to have any affordable housing.

"The Local Government Association, which is packed to the rafters full of Tory councillors, says there is 400,000 units with planning permission which haven’t been built.

"What does the secretary of state have to say about that? Absolutely nothing.

"This is about taking powers away from local planning authorities, and saying we are too slow at making decisions."

In response to the criticism, Councillor Julian Daly, Conservative, said: "I agree with Councillor Pakenham’s views on social housing because local people and local authorities should be at the heart of planning.

"However, my opinions differ with Councillor Pakenham in the fact that some councils should be efficient with planning decisions.

"We do need to recognise the point about efficient and effective decisions because there are some councils who are not effective and efficient at making planning decisions.

"If a council isn’t performing we do need to put special measures in place and I don’t support planning in councils that are not efficient and effective."

Councillor Chris White, Liberal Democratic representative, said: "The Labour Party had the worst house building record since 1946 and are also responsible for the banking crisis, which continues and which is the main reason why there is such a difficulty and why the economy is not functioning.

"Much of the ball at least starts in their court.

"I disagree with Councillor Pakenham when he says the Local Government Association is led by Conservatives.

"It is not just Conservative councillors, because if it was all the councillors who are not Conservative would have left it."