Robert Jenrick has backtracked on the government’s pledge to undertake root and branch reform of planning. The housing secretary told council leaders yesterday that there was “no need to rip up” the system.

Jenrick made the comments in a speech to the Local Government Association in which he also made clear that the government was partially reversing on plans to introduce a new Infrastructure Levy system to replace Section 106 agreements and CIL.

His comments come in the wake of growing political pressure on the government to water down its proposed planning reforms in the wake of the Conservative Party’s shock defeat in the Chesham and Amersham by-election.

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