Westminster Politics

2 Neville's

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Lack of money from developers/ owners of the land, better opportunities developers are working through first, the plans approved are too expensive/ or not workable to build, speculation growth (where actually its more valuable to keep the land as it because it’s increasing in value), CIL, requirement for social housing makes the development non profitable.

Lapsed planning permission is another one, usually the planning is valid for 3 years, so the majority of of those approvals will have expired (assuming those approvals were equally split across the past 10 years). A site with previous planning means it’s more likely to be approved again, but still have to go through the process.
As someone who works for one of the “big PLCs” I’d agree with all of this and also the simple fact that we simply cannot build out big developments as quickly as some seem to think. 1000 unit scheme will take 10+ years to get a complete site built. Bit unfair to include remaining units in those numbers. We spend in excess of 100k on getting a successful planning application so we aren’t sitting on these permissions for fun, once we get them through we’re onsite ASAP. Viability another big one, really commend the smaller developers, the risk they take on really doesn’t seem worth it for the margins.

Some of the planning requirements we face are quite time consuming although I don’t necessarily agree with tearing up the regs. In my experience the local authorities need more money / training to sift sites at candidate site stage and only allocate sites that need little mitigation if any. More applicable for council owned land of course. Again a bit more budget to employ more highways officers, public health, ecologists etc would also massively improve timescales in getting decisions. I’m currently sitting on an application for 140 houses that hasn’t had highways comments for 8 months. Should be closer to a month.
 

Sweet Square

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What's some of the reasons why the houses haven't been built? Genuine question as I have no clue.
The Conservatives refused to build more social housing because they worried it would create more Labour voters, Nick Clegg has said.

Speaking ahead of the release of his new book, Politics Between the Extremes, the former Deputy Prime Minister said top figures on David Cameron’s team viewed housing as a “petri dish”.

“It would have been in a Quad meeting, so either Cameron or Osborne. One of them – I honestly can’t remember whom – looked genuinely nonplussed and said, ‘I don’t understand why you keep going on about the need for more social housing – it just creates Labour voters.’ They genuinely saw housing as a petri dish for voters. It was unbelievable,” he said.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...e-labour-voters-nick-clegg-says-a7223796.html
 

SilentWitness

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Such a pointless quote (not from you, but the opposition to this). There are other reasons why these homes haven’t been built, but still given the outdated planning rules, smaller developments struggle to get built, and there needs to be some focus on these small developments that can never get off the ground as planning takes too long and is too risky.

This will help the small and micro businesses, and sole traders, which generally speaking make up a massive % of the working population.

I’m not interested in helping Bovis or big developers build 50+ houses. We need to help get rid of the red tape for the small developments which will employ local people.
Why not renovate disused buildings? That is far more ecologically viable. As I also said, archaeology is part of the planning process and this rule would byass that.

So that's great if it's helping a few people get back working if it means loads of other industries will be hit hard by this ruling that doesn't even mean that the houses built through auto planning will be affordable for those in the working population.
 
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Why not renovate disused buildings? That is far more ecologically viable. As I also said, archaeology is part of the planning process and this rule would byass that.

So that's great if it's helping a few people get back working if it means loads of other industries will be hit hard by this ruling that doesn't even mean that the houses built through auto planning will be affordable for those in the working population.
Often renovating a disused building is far more expensive than building new, and whilst clearly different for each building lends its self to change of use into flats rather than houses.

It’s not helping a few people, it’s one of the key ways of getting the economy back on track.
 

Pexbo

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Mark Francois is trending on Twitter and people are wondering if he has had a nice weekend. Infer what you will from that but let’s not speculate what it might mean.
 

Berbasbullet

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Realistically why wouldn’t you suspend the whip from whomever it was? How can you justify that?
 

Kentonio

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You’d have to think the guy would have to take a leave of absence though, how can he continue to do constituency surgeries and the like with those charges hanging over him?
 

Kaos

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The Tories aren’t suspending the whip from the MP accused of rape. Unbelievable.
I despise the Tories probably more than anyone else on this forum, but publicly suspending the whip from the accused will only reveal who he is. Makes more sense to keep it quiet until the allegations are more thoroughly investigated.
 

Kentonio

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I despise the Tories probably more than anyone else on this forum, but publicly suspending the whip from the accused will only reveal who he is. Makes more sense to keep it quiet until the allegations are more thoroughly investigated.
If it was just about that then sure I’d agree but I don’t see how someone accused of such severe charges can continue to do constituent surgeries either. Sure people deserve the right to anonymity when charges are brought, but it doesn’t really work for MPs.
 

BobbyManc

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I despise the Tories probably more than anyone else on this forum, but publicly suspending the whip from the accused will only reveal who he is. Makes more sense to keep it quiet until the allegations are more thoroughly investigated.
Yeah I think it's getting more attention than it merits. People would be better off focusing their energy on something more substantial and significant, such as the fact the Tories have starved the judicial system of funding and rape convictions have fallen to record lows recently in England and Wales.
 

Kaos

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If it was just about that then sure I’d agree but I don’t see how someone accused of such severe charges can continue to do constituent surgeries either. Sure people deserve the right to anonymity when charges are brought, but it doesn’t really work for MPs.
Why? MPs are still obliged to the same virtue of innocent until proven guilty, especially with such damaging allegations that will likely taint them, irrespective of whether they're found guilty or not.

Until he's actually proven guilty, he still has an obligation to his constituents.


Yeah I think it's getting more attention than it merits. People would be better off focusing their energy on something more substantial and significant, such as the fact the Tories have starved the judicial system of funding and rape convictions have fallen to record lows recently in England and Wales.
Agreed.
 

Ubik

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Why? MPs are still obliged to the same virtue of innocent until proven guilty, especially with such damaging allegations that will likely taint them, irrespective of whether they're found guilty or not.

Until he's actually proven guilty, he still has an obligation to his constituents.




Agreed.
People accused of rape aren't entitled to anonymity, nor should they be. That's a completely different thing to being innocent until proven guilty. If he's charged with rape, he should absolutely not be working as an MP whilst the case is ongoing.
 

Kentonio

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Why? MPs are still obliged to the same virtue of innocent until proven guilty, especially with such damaging allegations that will likely taint them, irrespective of whether they're found guilty or not.

Until he's actually proven guilty, he still has an obligation to his constituents.
Constituency surgeries can cover some incredibly personal and sensitive issues. How would you feel if you were a vulnerable young woman who later found out you’d been revealing very personal information and receiving help from a rapist?
 

Mr Pigeon

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How are we standing with regards to the previous 4-5 years? What I mean is has our growth these part few years been better or worse than it was in 2009, or any other recession period.

I ask because I need to know before I start selling my organs on eBay.
 

Sweet Square

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How are we standing with regards to the previous 4-5 years? What I mean is has our growth these part few years been better or worse than it was in 2009, or any other recession period.
Around the 1% to 2% mark(2018 & 2019 was the lowest since 2010)-
https://www.statista.com/statistics/281734/gdp-growth-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/


Productivity is the worse since the Industrial revolution
The slowdown in Britain’s productivity growth over the last decade is the worst since the start of the Industrial Revolution 250 years ago, a dismal track record that is holding back gains in living standards across the country.

Research from academics at the University of Sussex and Loughborough University shows that the productivity growth slowdown since the 2008 financial crisis is nearly twice as bad as the previous worst decade for efficiency gains, 1971-1981, and is unprecedented in more than two centuries.

https://www.theguardian.com/busines...wdown-worst-since-industrial-revolution-study
The UK is basically a zombie economy.
 

Sparky_Hughes

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I really hate this country sometimes. As soon as my nipper has headed off to uni Im done, just need to decide where.
 

BobbyManc

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a surveillance plane is probably what you would use to check people are not drowning and to direct on the ground support to intercept illegal immigrants
probably not what you would use to "scare people"
The world must be a much easier place when you can uncritically swallow whatever the MoD claims to be the case. A quick check confirms that they are lying when they call it a surveillance aircraft.