” … Old Etonian Foreign Office minister Hugo Swire, an ex-pig farmer, got his paws on the public vote thanks to his 14-month-old blond cockapoo Rocoo.
He won after he was caught red-pawed sending a mass e-mail begging for votes.”
A bit like a General Election, then!
Blond cock-a-poo?
As the article points out, devolution comes with dangers:
” … There is a risk that moves towards greater decentralisation of power to newly empowered spaces – institutions of local government – simply replicate on a smaller scale the weaknesses of the national system. With the focus on new models of governance – directly elected mayors and combined authorities – crafted to suit the accountability requirements of Whitehall, it is important that new opportunities to strengthen accountability of decisions to the public space are not missed.
At core, the challenge for democratic institutions is to blur the boundaries between the governed and the government, creating more space for the former to engage with the latter while ensuring equity of participation and access. In practice at a local level there are more opportunities for this interaction – not simply due to proximity enabling direct engagement but because shared space in communities creates a focus for deliberation. There are already examples of local authorities pioneering new approaches, such as Oldham’s Co-operative Borough (as opposed to council), which involves developing the community leadership skills of elected members. The devolution of the entire health budget to Greater Manchester will be an interesting chance to consider how aligning health resource and decision-making more effectively across a place can create greater individual engagement in healthy choices and outcomes. …”
… Overall, registrations for new homes fell by 2% in the last three months compared with the same period last year. That figure masks what many see as a more worrying trend. In the private sector, new building registrations fell by 1%.
” …While in the public sector – that’s largely homes built by housing associations which tend to be more often in the “affordable” category – the number was down a more precipitate 4%.
This morning, one housing association chief executive told The Times newspaper that it would certainly be cutting the number of affordable homes it planned to build this year.
Neil Hadden, of Genesis Housing Association, one of the largest in the UK, said that he was “looking carefully at priorities for spending”.
The reason? Uncertainty over how new Right to Buy plans will affect housing associations (the government wants to allow tenants to buy their homes at a discount and cuts to housing benefit which has meant income for many associations has fallen or is at risk.
… The latest figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government released in August said that house building “starts” (that’s actually building houses rather than registering a plan to do so) were down 14% compared to the previous three months and down 6% compared to the same period a year earlier.
And that comes against a background of generally poor construction figures as the sector becomes concerned about economic head winds.
It may not be time to roll out the tumbrils for UK house building.
But the latest figures could be making things a little twitchy for a Prime Minister who has made affordable housing one of the key priorities for this Parliament.”
“…When someone has a sufficient interest in something – profit, vanity, glory, whim – democracy (between elections) is rarely strong enough to stand in the way. However potent the politician, he or she is rarely big enough to admit a mistake. They even prefer to pursue folly to prove their power. ”
http://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/planners_voice_support_for_new_avenues_homes_1_4288115
The carrot is, of course, “affordable” housing.
But with house prices climbing so steeply, simply selling some houses on a site for 20 percent less than others (e.g. a differential between best locations and worst locations on a site and/or luxury fittings v basic fittings) will still bring a hefty profit for any developer these days.
East Devon Watch 