Rishi Sunak has told parliament he wants decisions over the location of new homes to be taken locally rather than by ‘distant bureaucrats’.

Sunak was asked by backbencher Theresa Villiers at prime minister’s questions yesterday whether he would amend the levelling up and regeneration bill to remove centrally-set local housing targets.

She said: “Excessive housing targets are placing greater and greater pressure on councils to approve development which damages our environment.