As a councillor, it can sometimes feel like you get nothing right.

Win funding for a new bench and some will be chuffed to have a new place to rest their legs. Simultaneously, however, there’ll be others convinced that said bench is a beacon for antisocial behaviour. It can be hard to please everyone.

Of course, the stakes are raised to a whole new level when something major is proposed – a major retail outlet that could cause a gridlocked nightmare on the roads, a late-night venue in the wrong spot or – most commonly – a whopping new housing estate.

I understand the accusations of NIMBYism but, to be frank, I’m quite proud to be a NIMBY if that means making sure that residents’ thoughts are listened to before miles of fields are concreted over for new housing. In my ward of Nunthorpe, where I serve as a Conservative councillor, this has been an ongoing issue since my election and for many moons before.

As councillors and community leaders, we have worked hard to get residents what they deserve, with our area often taking the brunt of the town’s new housing. A long-awaited community centre, a new GP surgery and funding for local schools have all happened thanks to locals who really care.

So I was utterly dismayed to hear that Keir Starmer’s new plan could rock the very foundations of these local powers. His new plot is to curb council planning committees – elected councillors – of their right to decide on small developments, with decisions handed over to “expert trained planners”.

The Local Government Association has warned about this planning shake-up.

It said: “Planning committees are the democratic backbone of the planning system, with councils being accountable to their communities about what should be built where. This is a central tenet that must remain under a reformed planning system.”

Shadow Housing Secretary Sir James Cleverly has the measure of it, saying Labour risks “bulldozing through communities, overriding local democracy and concreting over the countryside.”

Yes, we absolutely need to stop opposing development just for the sake of it – after all, most of us live on land that was once a field. But Starmer, as usual, has got it so wrong. What actually needs to happen is holding greedy developers to account. They should be forced to pay for proper infrastructure and build communities that make sense, rather than making vague promises before moving on with their diggers.

First, local elections across the country face cancellation. Now there’s a ploy to quietly strip away powers from those elected to fight our corner and protect our interests. At first sight, I totally get it looks like a dry planning tweak. But on closer inspection, it’s about stripping local voices from the picture and handing power to faceless “experts”. And that should worry everyone.