“The Communities and Local Government Committee will publish its Third Report of session 2015-16, Department for Communities and Local Government consultation on national planning policy, at 00.01 on Friday 1 April 2016.”
What an appropriate date! Watch this space!
NHS trusts are being placed under pressure from Government to change the way they report on their finances, in what critics described as a desperate attempt to reduce a looming health service deficit.
The health service is currently forecasting a deficit of £3bn by the end of this month – the highest in the history of the NHS – amid widespread failures by NHS trusts to cut their spending.
But documents seen by The Daily Telegraph disclose that the Department of Health has embarked on a national programme to change current accountancy practices, and to encourage trusts to be more optimistic about their financial problems.
The review being carried out by four major accountancy firms aims to explore “areas of opportunity” about ways which NHS finances could be reported differently. …”
… “This definitely falls into the area of fiddles – being clever about when you book income and when you book expenditure” – Sally Gainsbury, Nuffield Trust” …
“The final tally could be even higher, as councils are still counting the cost of the winter devastation. The total cost to households and businesses hit by the winter floods could be as much as £5bn, KPMG said in December.
The worst-hit council was Cumbria, which saw around £175m in damage to local authority-owned infrastructure, with costs for flood-hit bridges, landslips, carriageway damage, survey work and the need to build a temporary road on the A591.
Calderdale has a bill of £33m, Northumberland £24m and Lancashire has suffered £5m damage due to the floods.
The LGA said government funding had been important in helping local authorities and communities recover from the floods, but warned councils will need more help as the full cost of damage emerges.
The organisation also called for new flood defence funding to be devolved to local areas so authorities can work with communities and businesses to ensure money is spent where it is most needed.”
This is what our LEP said in February 2014:
“Given its strategic role on both economic and funding matters, the Heart of the South West LEP has been asked to lead the Economic Impact and Funding workstream. The workstream will provide an underlying case for funding of immediate mitigation measures and wider assistance, as well as set out evidence for investment in longer term solutions for the levels and moors area.”
http://www.heartofswlep.co.uk/news/flooding
In June 2014 a £50,000 grant was given to establish “work hubs” in areas that had experienced flooding in the Mendips:
http://www.heartofswlep.co.uk/news/flooding
The only other mention of flooding is in the LEPs response to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement last year on the same webpage”
“We are pleased that the Exeter Flood Defence Scheme, which will help protect around 3200 businesses and residents across the city is taking shape. It’s vital that we take proactive flood alleviation measures to reduce the potentially disastrous consequences that flooding can have for the economy throughout the HotSW area.”
So, don’t hold your breath on the LEP being proactive with funding for flood resilience infrastructure – it has too much invested in the Hinkley C nuclear power plant and far too many “hubs” of all kinds to fund for business (wo)men for “growth” opportunities.
“The latest report from Ofcom on UK broadband speeds suggests that there is still a wide disparity between urban and rural areas.
The average broadband speed in the UK stands at 28.9Mbps (megabits per second), a 27% increase on the average speed last year, the study indicates.
But it was weighted towards urban areas, where users enjoy services three times faster than in rural areas.
Speeds in the countryside had “not improved” said one expert.
An Ofcom spokesperson said: “Most people’s broadband is getting faster, but too many people still can’t get a good, reliable service.”
Dan Howdle, editor-in-chief of broadband comparison site Cable told the BBC: “Ofcom’s report is quick to highlight the increase in UK broadband speeds as an overall average and goes as far as to split things down into urban, semi-urban and rural contexts. …”
A Dictionary of Doublespeak
accountability:
failure to account to and utter contempt for the public
affordable:
not affordable, beyond the reach of lower-income local people; of property snapped up by rental companies and second-home buyers
A.O.N.B.:
an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and therefore a place where luxury homes or industrial parks may be built (e.g. Shakespeare Cliff, Sidfields)
appeal:
a planning law allowing developers to overturn Local Authority planning refusals, Councils usually lacking the will and means to contest
Council House(obs):
a misguided post-war attempt to provide housing for social need; property to be sold off to landlords and to buy votes
democracy:
rule by the fortunate few for the fortunate few
devolution”
a scheme designed to by-pass local democracy by transferring power to self- selecting, unelected, unaccountable people with business interests
five-year land-supply:
a planning device that encourages developers to build on more green fields when they haven’t yet built on what they’ve got
flood plain:
land suitable for large-scale building developments
F.O.I.request:
Freedom of Information request – a system designed to delay, deny and obfuscate the truth, usually treated with contempt by Council Officers
green belt:
highly profitable land near large conurbations earmarked for development
Local Authority:
a soft touch for developers
localism:
a means of transferring local democracy to business associates
Local Plan:
an unintelligible, complicated process involving creative accounting in the calculation of job and housing forecasts, designed to ruin the countryside and cause distress to local communities
Neighbourhood Plan:
a plan involving much time and effort expended by local communities but carrying little or no weight when challenged by developers
N.P.P.F.(obscene):
National Planning Policy Framework, a planning system designed by developers for developers
Ombudsman:
an arbitrator without teeth, an irrelevance or charade
one-nation:
serving the interests of the rich at the expense of the poor and disabled (as in “one-nation compassionate Conservatism”)
Right-to-Buy:
a government scheme offering lucrative investment opportunities for landlords and developers to acquire social housing at taxpayers’ expense
sustainable:
definitely not sustainable; without infrastructure or local services; of land profitable for developers, especially on green fields (obscene, as in a presumption in favour of sustainable development)
transparency:
secrecy and obfuscation e.g. failure to produce, or doctoring of, minutes, failure to consult the public, etc
and if this amuses you, “definitions of numpties” on twitter might appeal:
https://mobile.twitter.com/omandprem/status/688698563690385408/photo/1
They have already collared post-16 training under the general heading of “investment in skills training” and at least one college and one university head is involved with its board.
A small step to schools.
In the meantime Tory shires still very unhappy:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35897430
And recall they already embrace the remit of “health” already (though “growth” in health probably means involving more private enterprise).
How long before undemocratic, unelected, non-transparent LEPs run everything?
East Devon Watch 