West Berkshire Conservatives at odds with Cameron regarding using brownfield land for housing

David Cameron has just announced a policy to provide discounted housing to first time buyers. Part of the policy is that these homes should be be built on "brownfield" land. However, at last week's West Berkshire Council meeting the Conservatives voted in favour of a report that recommended that a review of protected employment land should not be done until after housing sites are allocated on "greenfield" land. This means that more greenfield land is being allocated than is necessary - please see what I said about it.

The new policy says that the price of the homes would be reduced by 20%. This would be paid for by removing "planning obligations" such as the requirements to:

• Provide affordable homes
• Contribute to expansion of schools
• Contribute to road improvements
• Pay the Community Infrastructure Levy

However, although superficially attractive, there are major flaws in the Conservative policy:

• Brownfield land is more expensive to develop, The land may need to be de-contaminated and there may be hidden problems under the ground.
• The cost of planning obligations is reflected in the price of land, not in the price of new homes. Developers pay less for the land because they know that they are going to have to pay for the planning obligations. The Conservative policy means that developers may not have to pay for the planning obligations for developing land that they bought at that reduced cost.
• It would reduce the number of affordable homes built for rent or shared ownership.

Alan Macro
Councillor for Theale
West Berkshire Council
www.theale.org.uk

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Why we need an English Parliament and Government

The Conservatives are promoting the idea that decisions that only affect England should be decided by only English MPs. This is superficially attractive, but has a major flaw. UK Government ministers are selected from MPs (and lords) representing constituencies in all countries of the UK. Under the Conservative idea, you could have ministers representing Scottish, Welsh or Norther Irish seats asking English MPs to vote for policies and budgets that they themselves cannot vote for. They may not, of course, get a majority of English MPs to vote for their proposals. There could be major conflict between what the full parliament and what the English subset would approve. This could lead to major constitutional problems.

We have had many Scottish and Welsh government ministers:

• Danny Alexander (Scot, First Secretary to the Treasury)
• Gordon Brown (Scot, Prime Minister and Chancellor)
• Alistair Darling (Scot, Chancellor)
• Alec Douglas-Home (Scot, Prime Minister)
• Bevan Aneurin (Nye) Bevan (Welsh, Health Minister)

Another alternative would be regional parliaments. However not all regions are well defined and not all of their inhabitants fully identify with them. Therefore the best solutions are an English Parliament with an English government reporting to it. The parliament and government should have the same powers as the Scottish assembly. The powers of the Welsh and Norther Irish assemblies should also be enhanced to match the Scottish Assembly.

Alan Macro
Councillor for Theale
West Berkshire Council
www.theale.org.uk

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Billy Connelly has got it exactly right about nationalism and Scottish independence

The Big Yin is quoted in today's Times as saying that nationalism is "the history of war and horror", adding "it is all based on the belief that, because you were born on that bit of planet, you are imbued with certain talents and gifts. It is nonsense. I am a citizen of the world and I like it that way."

I couldn't have put it better...

The full article can be viewed here (paywall)

Alan Macro

Fuss over UKIP's posters has played into their hands

UKIP unveiled its £1M worth of billboard posters yesterday. They were immediately branded as "racist" by Labour politicians and questioned about this by the media. This played into UKIP's hands - they got far more media coverage than if they hadn't been criticised.

I would not have called the posters that I have seen, like this one:

racist.

They are unfairly anti-immigrant and in very poor taste, but I don't think they are racist in the normal sense of the word.

Alan Macro

Blair wrong to urge the west to "reach out" to Putin in fight against Islamic extremists

Tony Blair is reported to be calling on the West to make "common cause with Putin" in the fight against radical Islam.

However, Blair has done more than anyone in Europe to encourage radical Islam by involving Britain in the second Gulf War. This was represented by radical Muslims as an attack on Islam, especially since the accusations that Iraq possessed "weapons of mass destruction" proved to be completely unfounded.

Putin's Russia has treated separatists in Islamic Chechnya very brutally. He is the very last person that we should be co-operating with.

I'm not sure that targeting "radical Islam", rather than Islamic extremists, is going to help win friends in the Muslim community either.

Alan Macro
Lib-Dem Councillor for Theale
West Berkshire Council

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