Isn’t our local government democracy in a total mess? You can too much of a good thing. And democracy is one of them. Look at the layers of government we have in the UK. Parish Councils, District and Borough Councils, County Councils, MPs. I’m not […]
How to stop local Authority Planners from quitting There are very few planners I know who didn’t start their career in a Local Authority. Some have stayed and risen through the ranks whereas others have moved to the private sector or consultancy. (It amuses me […]
The rise of citizen power: it’s time to learn your ABC As we head towards the local election on May 5, we are noticing a strange phenomenon: the rise of the residents’ groups as a political force. Take for example Spelthorne Council in Surrey. This […]
Where have all the planners gone? It came to me in blinding flash just as I was falling asleep. The reason that planning is slow is not the system. It is because there is no one to manage the system. It is like an engine […]
Has reorganisation of planning ever worked? This week’s question: how many housing Ministers have there been since 1990? (Have a guess and let me know, I’ll tell you the answer next week) We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to […]
Do we learn anything from history? Normally, I try to keep this column cheery but this week, it is difficult to be humorous in light of what’s happening in Ukraine. A couple of weeks ago, I and many other commentators thought Putin was posturing […]
Attention all would-be councillors: get your knockers out This week’s question: How many PMs have served under Her Majesty? Answer at foot of column Panic! It’s only ten weeks to the local elections. The pundits (opinionated journalists, out of work politicians and the bloke down […]
Let’s bring back some good old-fashioned news reporting Question of the week: what’s the population of Ukraine? If ten years ago I asked you to pinpoint Ukraine on a map I bet most of you would have had a hard job. You would probably still […]
Taking action with Action Groups Things are going well. The council officers seem very pleased with your plans for a new development. The site has been allocated and they are short on numbers and your scheme will really help. There is an action group called […]
How to set up an Action Group This week’s question. How many bars are there in the House of Lords and House of Commons? Answer at the foot of the column. In over 30 years in the property communications business (I started when I was […]