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Post by northwestman on Aug 3, 2020 14:03:52 GMT 1
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Post by northwestman on Aug 6, 2020 10:52:36 GMT 1
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Post by ssshrew on Aug 6, 2020 11:02:44 GMT 1
Just another way of helping out their ‘buddies’. Anyone who thinks it’s just for the good of us all is deluding themselves.
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Post by northwestman on Aug 6, 2020 11:12:01 GMT 1
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/04/boris-johnson-nimbyism-planning-changes-disastrous-england-'Scrapping regulations in England will unleash a wave of urban sprawl, worsen inequality – and leave locals powerless to stop it. The most extraordinary upheaval in modern British government is to be introduced this week by Boris Johnson. He is, in effect, to end planning permission. Local councils and those they represent are to be stripped of control over new buildings, to be replaced by central government “zoning” commissions. At the weekend, the housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, promised a “change in a generation”. It is more than that. It ends half a century of regulation of England’s landscape and urban development. Under new rules the “zoning” commissioners will merely have to designate land as developable, whereupon owners can legally do what they like. How much influence have lobbyists for the private housebuilding industry – ardent greenfield developers and ancestral foes of planners – had over the new reforms?'
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Post by ssshrew on Aug 6, 2020 11:21:54 GMT 1
This country will be unrecognisable in a few years by the time this lot have finished and it won’t all be due to Covid 19.
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Post by northwestman on Aug 6, 2020 11:23:09 GMT 1
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Post by staffordshrew on Aug 6, 2020 18:23:41 GMT 1
Of all the people you might want to trust with future planning, Jenrick, Boris and co are the least trustworthy. A disaster looms, presumably shares in developers soared?
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Post by northwestman on Aug 6, 2020 21:58:15 GMT 1
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Post by northwestman on Aug 6, 2020 22:14:06 GMT 1
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Post by darkshrew on Aug 7, 2020 7:59:02 GMT 1
Having suffered irrational non-rule based decisions from the Shropshire County Council planning department I agree that we need to move to a rules based planning system like many other countries. However, this seems to be the introduction of a no rules based system aimed at helping developers to knock up cheap housing and make a quick profit without regard to the surroundings or the people affected. IMO the damage that this government are doing will set us back immensely as a nation - socially, economically and culturally. In the name of getting Brexit done we have a group of people in charge who seem to be a dangerous mix of incompetent and corrupt at a time of national and international emergency. How long will the Tory faithful put up with this  |
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Post by northwestman on Aug 7, 2020 9:53:33 GMT 1
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Post by northwestman on Aug 7, 2020 10:54:29 GMT 1
Johnson (aka Cummings) et al, have now set the tone for dealing with blatant lies, gross incompetence and corruption, normalising these by simply moving on, whilst completely ignoring public outrage and any calls for resignations.
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Post by staffordshrew on Aug 7, 2020 11:08:21 GMT 1
Johnson (aka Cummings) et al, have now set the tone for dealing with blatant lies, gross incompetence and corruption, normalising these by simply moving on, whilst completely ignoring public outrage and any calls for resignations. That's it exactly. Does anyone still disagree with that? |
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Post by northwestman on Aug 7, 2020 11:34:07 GMT 1
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Post by northwestman on Aug 7, 2020 11:55:04 GMT 1
Reader's comment in the Guardian:
The government's Covid response is a badly organised shambles. The PM's chief adviser is alleged to have made not one but two trips in breach of lockdown, putting lives at risk and ruining the credibility of the government's strategy. The PM continues to protect him. A senior MP is accused of a very serious crime which would see someone in any other walk of life suspended while investigations are carried out. He is not suspended and his identity remains protected.
How do they get away with this? For one thing the English are a pretty docile lot. For another thing, the front page picture in a couple of the papers is of Johnson playing he-man with weighted dumbells, a sort of poundshop version of Putin's macho pictures. This is the standard of information on public affairs that is accessible to a great many people.
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Post by northwestman on Aug 7, 2020 12:28:12 GMT 1
www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/comment/peter-brookes-times-cartoon-august-7-2020-r5wdbg6lgUnfortunately, this cartoon is behind a paywall, so I'll have to describe it. It shows Richard Desmond in a smart suit with a big wallet in his hand leaning against a wall giving a thumbs up. Behind him is a large building site. In front of Desmond and on his knees is Jenrick, dressed as a navvy, holding a brick and a trowel and smiling profusely. A wad of £50 pound notes is stuffed into his builder's crack.
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Post by Pilch on Aug 7, 2020 12:40:34 GMT 1
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Post by northwestman on Aug 8, 2020 8:38:15 GMT 1
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Post by northwestman on Aug 8, 2020 9:44:51 GMT 1
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/07/its-taken-just-12-months-for-boris-johnson-to-create-a-government-of-sleazeIt's taken just 12 months for Boris Johnson to create a government of sleaze. From Dominic Cummings to dodgy business deals, the prime minister’s circle behave as if the rules simply don’t apply to them. Whether doling out lucrative contracts, helping billionaire property developers cut costs, or handing out lifetime seats in the House of Lords, the guiding principle seems to be brazen cronyism, coupled with the arrogance of those who believe they are untouchable and that rules are for little people. Johnson’s sparing of Cummings and Jenrick, when a more fragile prime minister would surely have felt compelled to fire them both, has emboldened those individuals and their watching colleagues...they believe they can get away with anything.
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Post by northwestman on Aug 8, 2020 9:52:35 GMT 1
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/07/the-tories-planning-overhaul-is-a-ferocious-attack-on-democracyMore than anything else, the reforms serve to transfer power away from local elected representatives and towards private developers, who will be able to build whatever they like, unopposed. The significance of this should not be underestimated. From now on, our built environment will be shaped around the interests of shareholder value, unchecked by democratic accountability. In a system where development is left in the hands of profit-maximising firms, there is a strong incentive to build strategic land banks and drip-feed new homes on to the market at a slow rate. The reason for this is simple: releasing too many homes at once would reduce house prices in the area, which in turn would reduce profits. By handing over even more power to private developers, the government’s reforms will make this problem even worse. Combined with the recent extension of permitted development rights (allowing change of use), the reforms could lead to a new generation of slum housing, as the Royal Institute of British Architects and others have warned. And by scrapping section 106 provisions, the future of social housebuilding has been cast into doubt. As openDemocracy has revealed, the Conservative party has received £11m in donations from individuals and companies linked to the property sector since Johnson became prime minister. These donors are no doubt expecting a return on their investment. Robert Jenrick’s cosy relationship with Richard Desmond may may not be the last scandal to catch the limelight.
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Post by camdenshrew on Aug 8, 2020 12:15:03 GMT 1
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Post by northwestman on Aug 9, 2020 7:05:15 GMT 1
The Conservative whips’ office has been aware of concerns relating to the alleged behaviour of the MP arrested last weekend on suspicion of rape dating back to 2010, The Times understands.
Multiple sources claimed that ministers had to intervene to “manage” his conduct in 2016 and 2019. Present and former parliamentary workers claimed that he had also allegedly been involved in inappropriate behaviour at a party conference. They claim he was considered to be erratic in his dealings with colleagues, crass and quick to anger.
And yet 10 years later he's still in Parliament!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2020 9:24:05 GMT 1
The Conservative whips’ office has been aware of concerns relating to the alleged behaviour of the MP arrested last weekend on suspicion of rape dating back to 2010, The Times understands. Multiple sources claimed that ministers had to intervene to “manage” his conduct in 2016 and 2019. Present and former parliamentary workers claimed that he had also allegedly been involved in inappropriate behaviour at a party conference. They claim he was considered to be erratic in his dealings with colleagues, crass and quick to anger. And yet 10 years later he's still in Parliament! Funny how the tory boys on here have nothing to say about this. A tory mp accused of rape and long term sexual misconduct being covered up by the party. Oh well, at least Jeremy Corbyn attended an Irish Republican funeral 40 years ago! |
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Post by northwestman on Aug 9, 2020 9:40:53 GMT 1
The Conservative whips’ office has been aware of concerns relating to the alleged behaviour of the MP arrested last weekend on suspicion of rape dating back to 2010, The Times understands. Multiple sources claimed that ministers had to intervene to “manage” his conduct in 2016 and 2019. Present and former parliamentary workers claimed that he had also allegedly been involved in inappropriate behaviour at a party conference. They claim he was considered to be erratic in his dealings with colleagues, crass and quick to anger. And yet 10 years later he's still in Parliament! Funny how the tory boys on here have nothing to say about this. A tory mp accused of rape and long term sexual misconduct being covered up by the party. Oh well, at least Jeremy Corbyn attended an Irish Republican funeral 40 years ago! One might wonder why Rob Roberts, Tory MP for Delyn, hasn't had the whip withdrawn too! www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jul/21/conservative-tory-mp-rob-roberts-accused-of-asking-intern-to-fool-around-texts |
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Post by northwestman on Aug 16, 2020 10:03:29 GMT 1
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Post by northwestman on Aug 18, 2020 16:11:09 GMT 1
www.theguardian.com/society/2020/aug/18/reports-of-rough-sleeping-in-uk-rose-sharply-during-lockdownReports of people sleeping rough rose sharply during lockdown, despite claims by government that more than 90% of homeless people had been helped off the streets at the height of the pandemic, the Guardian can reveal. The government’s Everyone In scheme – which saw £3.2m spent on getting people off the streets and into accommodation – was held up as an example of what could be done when homelessness was made a priority. Housing, communities and local government secretary, Robert Jenrick, boasted they had successfully taken 90% of rough sleepers off the streets to protect them from the virus. The government has repeatedly claimed that 90% of rough sleepers were helped during the pandemic. But, in June, the Office for Statistics Regulation criticised ministers for a lack of transparency by quoting figures without publishing supporting data. Glen Bramley, professor of urban studies at Heriot-Watt University, said that government data on rough sleeping was based on an estimate of street counts which was “not a reliable system”. He said the actual number of rough sleepers could be much higher than official statistics suggest.
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Post by northwestman on Aug 23, 2020 18:07:38 GMT 1
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Post by northwestman on Aug 29, 2020 11:56:20 GMT 1
www.bdonline.co.uk/news/jenricks-permitted-development-expansion-faces-legal-challenge/5107668.articleA campaign group has written to the government threatening legal action unless it suspends its introduction of new permitted development (PD) rights, which are due to come in to force next Monday. The new permitted development rights, which were announced in July as part of the government’s radical shake-up of the planning system, give building owners the right in principle to extend houses upwards, and to demolish and rebuild commercial premises as housing without planning permission. The group is also looking to take action over the shake-up of the use-classes order, which the government has said is necessary to help save high streets. In the pre-action letter, it said the potential claim would be made on the basis that the government had failed to take account of consultation responses to the policy, or its own expert advice. This included the independent review of permitted development rights that it commissioned from Dr Ben Clifford at UCL. It also pointed out that the new regulations were laid before parliament on July 21, the day before the summer recess, and will come into force the day before it reconvenes. This means parliament has had no opportunity to debate “the most radical reforms to our planning system since the Second World War” before they come into effect, with potentially enormous consequences for the environment. Now that is sneaky, but unsurprising. Building Design.
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Post by northwestman on Aug 31, 2020 10:32:42 GMT 1
Jenrick is also using an algorithm!
Robert Jenrick, the housing secretary, is standing by plans to bring an algorithm into the heart of a new planning system.
This month Jenrick, 38, launched a plan to build more than 300,000 homes a year, giving councils compulsory targets and creating local zones in which development is automatically approved.
The plan will use an algorithm to produce targets for every area in England, based on its “relative affordability” and the extent of development locally.
Lichfields, the planning consultancy, has said the plan will achieve the opposite of “levelling up”. The algorithm, it has predicted, will instead “turn the heat” on London and the southeast but see housebuilding fall or flatline in the north.
Its analysis also suggests that most new housing will be built in Tory-held suburbs and shires, rather than in Labour councils in town centres or cities.
The moment that MPs and spads [special advisers] come back, things are going to move. You can’t tell Tory MPs to build tower blocks in the suburbs.”
One MP said that a large number of colleagues seemed to be unaware of the scheme but predicted a rebellion when its implications became more widely known.
“Councillors are kicking off. MPs are going to do the same. It’s in London, it’s in the shires,” the MP said.
“I think a hell of a lot of people haven’t read a lot about it but it’s going to morph into something bigger when they do.”
The Times.
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Post by northwestman on Sept 7, 2020 9:51:30 GMT 1
Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, has been accused of awarding his own constituency up to £25m from the controversial Towns Fund — despite official figures showing it is less deprived than neighbouring areas that have been overlooked.
Newark-on-Trent, a market town in Nottinghamshire, was one of the areas awarded funding in the run-up to last December’s election. The town is the heart of Jenrick’s constituency of Newark, a Tory safe seat he has held since 2014.
According to the government’s own model for awarding funding, Newark-on-Trent is not an area of “high priority” for investment.
Jenrick, 38, launched the £3.6bn fund last September, saying the aim was to “level up our great towns”.
Analysis of the beneficiaries found 61 of the 101 towns chosen for funding were in marginal seats, leading to accusations that the fund represented spending of taxpayers’ money for party political purposes. Now the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has said Jenrick and Jake Berry, a minister, jointly made all decisions on which towns received funding to boost “regeneration”, “improved transport” and “skills and culture”.
n reply to a parliamentary question by Labour, Simon Clarke, a local government minister, said that Jenrick and Berry were “responsible for final decisions on which towns were selected”. Previously, a National Audit Office (NAO) report had said only that “ministers” were involved in decisions.
Towns such as Luton and Chesterfield were deemed higher priority, but both were overlooked. They were represented by Labour MPs.
Steve Reed, the shadow communities secretary, said Jenrick’s integrity had been left in “shreds” by the decision. He said: “It is shocking that Robert Jenrick had admitted denying funding to towns that desperately need it and used it instead to try and buy votes in his own constituency. Taxpayers expect their money to be used properly, not to fund politicians’ election campaigns.
“The public will not tolerate gerrymandering of public money for party political gain by Conservative politicians.”
The Times.
And a comment from a reader:
'One could be easily form the opinion that this man is fundamentally corrupt, deceitful and without a shred of moral fibre. Quite at home in this incompetent and broken government'.
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