We know Matt Kelcher as the three-term councillor for Harlesden and Kensal Green, and
latterly as the chair of Brent Planning Committee, with his introductory homily
on the importance of meeting the borough’s house building target and the
current housing emergency.
He has another life, in the
small print of the Council’s Register of Interests but not declared this at
Planning Committee meetings. Kelcher is the Director of Public Affairs at
TheCityUK, described by Reuters as ‘Britain’s most powerful financial lobby
group’. His work, as a member of Chartered Institute of Public Relations, is to
advocate for members of TheCityUK.
Matt Kelcher is also a Brent
councillor on the multi-million Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation where
his connection with TheCityUK is also declared LINK.
Where does this overlap with
his councillor role?
A clue lies in one of his
more recent articles for TheCityUK blog. ‘Reforming the UK’s planning system: a
path to growth’. Locals who have spoken
against planning applications at Planning Committee may have picked up a polite
lack of sympathy for their presentations and the extracts from his article
below makes clear that he sees the need for a more robust assumption of assent
for applications:
A
lack of consistency between (and within) local planning authorities is creating
uncertainty and unpredictability in decision-making. One way to maximize the
value added by England's new metro mayor model would be to explore allowing
mayors to designate zones with a much greater presumption of planning approval.
The UK's current planning regime of application and appeal is an international
outlier, and its delivery has presented challenges to the building of homes and
infrastructure.
To
make the UK more attractive to investors and facilitate investment decisions,
the planning process needs to prioritize efficiency and timely decisions. One
mechanism to achieve this would be to streamline the statutory consultation
process, with a greater assumption of assent from consultees who do not reply
to local authorities within deadlines.
Cllr Kelcher is an ally of
the former Shama Tatler (now Baroness Shah of Wembley) and active within the
Labour Party in the drive for accelerating house building, which in Brent has resulted
in unaffordable luxury high rise towers. He is a member of her Labour YIMBY group (Yes
in My Backyard). The group was set up to oppose those who raise concerns about
over-development, density, and lack of affordability in new developments – stereotyped
as NIMBYs (Not in My Backyard). They rely on a ‘market model’ belief that
increased supply will result in reductions in house prices and rents – not something
we have seen in Brent where according to the London Renters Union rents have increased by 27% over the last 3 years despite all the new units built.
‘Proudly NIMBY Proudly Labour’
Tribune magazine in an
August 2025 article LINK
wrote:
One
of the core principles of YIMBYism is ensuring easier access to property
ownership and wealth accumulation. Yet, bizarrely, advocates refer to
themselves as ‘housing activists’ and think of themselves as ‘campaigners’
embedded in a ‘pro-housing’ movement. They might choose to adopt the language
of those on the front line of the housing emergency. But in reality, their
natural habitat is the boardroom — and buffet lunches with developers.
Tongue in cheek they suggest
that alongside NIMBY and YIMBY, there should be PHIMBY – Public Housing in My
Backyard.
If a Brent planning
application had been made by any of his TheCityUK employer’s clients, Kelcher
would have had to declare his interest. ‘Pre-determination’ is a slippery term
in planning circles and refers to a member of a planning committee having made
up their mind in advance of hearing an application. I have no evidence that
this applies to Matt Kelcher’s many specific decisions at Planning Committee, but
his pre-disposition to approve applications in more general terms is, perhaps, clear.
Matt Kelcher’s record: Source Open Council Network
Published and promoted by Jmes Paton on behalf of Brent Green Party c/o 23 Saltcroft Close, Wembley, HA9 JJ
