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The Tories had their chance to reform and build more houses and now I’m really hoping that Labour follows through with their promise/threat to build masses of houses in Tory areas after the Conservatives have been rightfully decimated* at the next election.
Of course Labour won’t and I know my dreams are those of someone who buys a single lottery ticket at Christmas.
*The modern meaning where only 10% are left.
If anything is ripe for concreting over, it is Michael Gove.
And besides it is
“Gove vows not to concrete over countryside”
How fucking difficult is it not to split that infinitive, bluddy illiterits.
Gove realises that people who previously voted for him in Surrey Heath do not favour more houses in their densely populated area and believes that this more than his unsurpassable loathsomeness will swing the election result.
Housing Secretary will say town halls do not need to set aside protected countryside to meet future population growth
Those “net tens of thousands”, eh?
He will also clamp down on council planning departments whose delays are holding up house-building in their area, pledging in a speech in central London to intervene if town halls do not act quickly enough.
Sounds like Talking Tories are doing a lot of talking again.
The source said this would help the government deliver its target to build one million homes over this Parliament.
I don’t know why they’re still bothering with the charade of pretending to be a viable government that might survive the election when everyone in local authorities, the civil service and the BBC knows they’re done and is acting accordingly.
Depending on how you look at this, either a positive or a negative. But Labour does have a very good electoral incentive to concrete over Tory strongholds in underdeveloped suburban areas or rural swathes of commuter belt. Young graduate professionals, often ethnic minorities, are moving out from the big cities in very large numbers, seeking cheaper housing and a nicer environment to bring their kids up. A lot of formerly safe Tory seats, or what were previously Tory/Lib Dem contests before Coalition and the tuition fee promise sent the LDs to oblivion in many of them, are going to be up for grabs for Labour in future – some good articles about this if you google for “Blue Wall”. Concrete will get Labour there faster. So a positive: the political pressure on Labour is to build (whereas the political pressure on the Tories was to obstruct) and we might yet see some building happen. And a negative: kicking Labour out is going to get harder, and the sort of electoral coalition needed to achieve it is going to change (quite possibly in unpredictable ways).
Immigration pressure might well undermine the benefits of any extra housebuilding from an affordability or room space-per-person perspective. But it’s not as if the Tories have any serious plans to reduce it either…
Immigration pressure might well undermine the benefits of any extra housebuilding from an affordability or room space-per-person perspective
Might well, eh?
I don’t know what the point of the Tories is either. Some kind of laboratory experiment to create the world’s most chinless twinks?
Around me the countryside is already being concreted over without any help from Gove. Since 2001 the population has dropped by 450, yet since then there has been 1200 new dwellings built. Under existing planning laws.
– Depending on how you look at this, either a positive or a negative.
The beautiful English countryside ruined so hordes of socialist diversity can infest the land forever.
I suppose ex-pats who feel the need to reaffirm their decision to leave might see that as a positive.
PJF – are you not looking forward to Long Term Decisions For A Brighter Future?
I am AMAZED that they’ve chosen electoral annihilation over easy winning, but I won’t mind going into that polling place with my little pencil to help separate them from power. It’s the least I could do.
I also hope they’re fully vaccinated.
“done and acting accordingly” Well said and the companies choosing London or New York for a stock issue are doing the same.
I’m tempted to start a twitter account called “Shit farms”
There’s a lot of them with dilapidated barns and machinery rusting in the open air. A few pictures of slurry and cattle being aggressive to ramblers and it will take off. Beautiful countryside, my arse.