Daily Archives: 16 Dec 2015

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16 Dec 2015

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Fracking

Nowhere is safe from fracking, including national parks and AONBs

MPs have voted to allow fracking for shale gas 1,200m below national parks and other protected sites.

The new regulations – which allow drilling from outside the protected areas – were approved by 298 to 261.

Opposition parties and campaigners criticised the lack of a Commons debate – and accused ministers of a U-turn as they previously pledged an outright ban on fracking in national parks.

The government said its plans would protect “our most precious landscapes”.

It said the UK had “one of the best track records in the world for protecting our environment while developing our industries”.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35107203

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16 Dec 2015

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Claire Wright, DCC, Scrutiny, Transparency

Claire Wright calls for public scrutiny at DCC

It’s hard to see an argument AGAINST the public being able to speak at Scrutiny Committee meetings, but DCC seems to be afraid of it.

Transparency is something that all councils SAY they have but time and again they show that this is just meaningless.

Is DCC up to this? We shall see.

http://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/ottery_st_mary_representative_calls_for_public_speaking_at_county_scrutiny_talks_1_4345549

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16 Dec 2015

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Land Supply, Local Plan, NPPF

MPs questions on planning – woeful ignorance of reality

The village of Hook Norton is mentioned ( see earlier post) as well as this exchange:

Michelle Donelan Conservative, Chippenham
The Minister will be aware that the planning inspector has deferred a decision on Chippenham’s housing development plan and has asked Wiltshire council to come back after a few queries. During this time, what measures could be put in place to ensure we do not have a free-for-all of aggressive planning applications against the best interests of the strategy of the town?

Marcus Jones Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Communities and Local Government) (Local Government)
Having a five-year land supply in place puts local planning authorities in a strong position to resist unwanted development. Furthermore, national planning policy reiterates the importance of sustainable development, not development anywhere or at any cost, and I am sure my hon. Friend’s local authority is well aware of that when making decisions.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2015-12-14a.1270.2

What can you do when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Communities and Local Government) (Local Government) is si ignorant of real life?

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16 Dec 2015

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Voting

Strong support for proportional representation voting

“A large majority of the public support the principle of proportional representation in parliament – that the number of seats given to parties should reflect the number of votes cast.

New polling seen by the Independent shows that voters are increasingly unhappy with Britain’s First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system, with a majority also in favour of changing it.

Under FPTP the number of seats each party gets can vary wildly compared to the votes cast because large numbers of votes end up being discarded and not counting towards the result. …

… “First Past the Post as a system for electing MP’s is simply unfair and no longer fit for purpose. It has led to a narrow and unrepresentative politics, which in turn has turned people off from voting and politics as a whole,”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/proportional-representation-a6774976.html