Build, Back Better

 Murky notes none other than Premier Boris Johnson has been preaching his latest slogan build, back better. In his usual bumbling style he has tried in vain to explain that its his (and Dominic Cummings) method of rebuilding the nation after Covid 19 and Brexit but it hasn't gelled with his party's supporters particularly those elected members from the Shire Counties who have used their local planning frameworks and plans to control voting support in their favour for the last three decades. If objection numbers are high then the development doesn't happen and sleepy councillors put on their shining armour and defend the voting public with all their might and guile.

The new changes to planning law exploded into full view during August when Tory constituency parties began to debate the first of three consultation documents that have been aimed at gaining support from and for developers by introducing an algorithm into the national planning framework that favours building outside of the current urban conurbations and developing homes where people ideally wish to live, in the Countryside, in the Government's hopes that village and market town expansion will reduce the unsustainable state they have slipped into over the last two decades.

In Northumberland the mess that has ensued in planning since the disgraced Councillor Peter Jackson's regime abandoned the Councils core strategy in favour of a 'let's dump all future housing in our urban areas' local plan that they were going to produce in "a few months", three years on it was eventually presented to a Government planning inspector who asked at examination for evidence (which the council haven't got) to prove their plan. 

After they were caught out they began making their usual spinning noise expecting to blame Labour who in reality had resolved the shire tory squires conundrum by supporting the Tory Governments garden village program and an edge of Town site at 'Clickerman' farm to suck up the rural development numbers. Peter Jackson had them stopped at great expense to the Council which now means through his own Governments proposals and his complete denial that the core strategy was right for the County, development will take place in villages all over the county leading to slippage in housing values on current homes as choice increases widely.

Although we at murky like the general public have been parked in the cold on the clarification of annual housing numbers to be developed between 2022 and 2052 but were led to believe they have doubled from the figures being used in the Tories unclassified local plan to over 1000 each year, that's 30,000+ over the expected lifetime of the plan and without the development of much needed Council Housing on Council owned Land the numbers will only be met through the development of low quality high profit executive homes with towns and villages looking unbelievably similar like 1990's high streets.

Housing development and planning law changes are only part one of the Tory Governments plan to nullify local government through power grabbing now that they are aware that people can be controlled through centrally announced edicts. They are so sure they can force through these changes Premier Johnson has already announced phase two of his build back better plan, the development of 40 new hospitals over the next few years. The Government need to force this through as their developer allies need the land the outgoing hospitals stand on to manage their investment plans until councils nationally can resolve the issues of land supply to furnish the Tories new massive housing program.

Its said from time to time that all publicity is good publicity, but through the damage caused by Councillor Jackson and the accusations of bullying, racism, fraud, dodgy land dealing by his cabinet and an unacceptable local plan against the Council then the only good to come out of the most recent dreadful announcements can only be good for the Labour Party as Tory voters begin to realise how they have been let down by their own distant MP's.