A New Midland Bank ?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midland_Bank

 

The subject of regional banking is of considerable interest just now, and I wonder whether a New Midland Bank (see above) might be the best way forward for Central England, as part of the re-organisation of the regions proposed by the Conservative Party (see below).

East Midlands MP, current Shadow Business Secretary and former Chancellor of the Exchequer Ken Clarke might be a good person to progress such a venture, which would, of course, need to be headquartered in Birmingham.

Proposed Regional Paraphernalia Rationalisation

I am speaking, of course, about Conservative Leader David Cameron’s “War on Quangos” announced today. As someone who has generally advocated being “Tough on Quangos, tough on the causes of Quangos”, I am generally supportive of Mr Cameron’s initiative, and one previously announced by Liam Byrne, Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Mr Byrne was formerly Minister for the West Midlands and it is on this region that I want to focus.

However, whilst I agree that we have too much “regional paraphernalia”, here as elsewhere, I do not support wholesale dismantling of this. Indeed, I would have preferred that the Regional Assembly, currently in the process of being abolished by the present Government, had been retained as one of the main instruments of regional policy, but not, I would stress, the only one.

The reason for this is straightforward. Area-based Quangos, as Mr Cameron should be well aware, came to prominence during the reign of Mrs Thatcher in the 1980s, because major urban local authorities, mainly, but not exclusively, Labour-controlled, were regarded as incapable of delivering the scale of regeneration required following the economic re-structuring that occurred during the 1970s. This question of regeneration “capacity” still applies, I would argue, and not just in the major urban areas. Those of us who have dealings with the Shire Counties and District Councils also question whether local government is up to the task of adequately tackling regeneration challenges. Some will respond that this primarily an issue of funding settlements from central government, in which case they should consult Mr Tony Travers of the London School of Economics, who is an expert in this area. However, I’m not so sure.

It seems to me that local government in the West Midlands Shires operates as part of a wider established oligarchy, which includes senior officials from a range of public organisations and key executives from the private sector. In some respects, this arrangement has itself some of the qualities of a Quango, with accompanying lack of transparency and deals done behind closed doors.

The challenges of the present suggest that a more pluralistic approach to regional development is required.This would retain some of the “centres of excellence” associated with Advantage West Midlands (AWM), for instance with regard to the re-development of regionally important investment sites, such as Longbridge. Given AWM’s development role it is not, therefore, appropriate that it should have main responsibility for spatial planning in the region. This should probably fall to a consortium of government agencies, including local authorities, with the Government Office for the West Midlands as lead, notwithstanding currently unsatisfactory policies for housing-based growth.

There is also an important role for more community-based planning – something almost entirely “lost” under New Labour, notwithstanding all the rhetoric around communities, including a supposed government department for these – and for more “bottom-up” (as distinct from top down) approaches to local regeneration. These are usually better value for money and can deliver action on the ground where excessive corporatism (strategic partnerships and like) have patently failed. In short, bring back pump priming !

Need to Re-Assign Government Spending on Transport

There is a saying that you should always make the most of a good crisis, and recent events on the UK transport scene suggests that such an opportunity now awaits us.

Today’s transport industry memo, seen by The Guardian, warns of “looming spending cuts” which could lead to schemes being delayed, downsized or scrapped.

This follows yesterday’s announcement on the Government’s take-over of  East Coast Mainline services from private train operating company, National Express.

For my money, I’d like to seen transport expenditure identified in the Government’s ill-conceived “Growth Point Programme” for places like Worcester, reassigned to more sensible projects of the kind identified @
http://worcestercentral.wordpress.com

In addition, much greater attention should be given to development of good intra-regional services, of the kind generally well run by London Midland between Worcester and Birmingham.

WMRSS Phase 2 Revision EIP CLOSING SUBMISSION

My written closing submission is provided below :

This submission comprises 2 parts :
1. Summary of Key Points made to the Examination
2. A New Mercian Hymn (for WMRSS) based on A Re-Construction of the opening to Geoffrey Hill’s Mercian Hymns*

1. Summary of Key Points made to the Examination

My original response to the WMRSS Phase 2 Spatial Options Consultation (2007) identified the need to align the development of options with Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), and expressed scepticism about the potential scale of housing-based growth, even prior to the subsequent economic downturn.

In the event, the issues of SEA compliance, in relation to the development of spatial options in both the West Midlands Regional Assembly’s Preferred Option and subsequent work for the Government Office by Nathaniel Litchfield and Partners, have been highlighted during the Examination Process.

2. A New Mercian Hymn (for the Regional Spatial Strategy)

King of the West Midlands Heritage, Local Distinctiveness :
Overlord for Sustainable Transport : Architect of
Renaissance in the Major Urban Areas and Telford,
Regeneration in the North Staffordshire Conurbation :
Master of the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment :
Protector of Natural Habitats : Contractor to Location
Appropriate Place-Making in the Shire Counties :
Financier : Manufacturer : Commissioner for Rural
Communities : Friend of the Social Landlord, the Old
And New Economies.

“I like that” said Offa, “SEA EU again”.**

* In the original poem a metaphorical King Offa is part-humorously invoked as the Genius Loci of Mercia/the West Midlands Region
** My poem is also an invocation to Offa, this time re-constructed as Contractor for Eco-Logical Infrastructure and Low-Carbon Development, and, indeed as “Sewer King” – re-calling the Fisher King of Ancient British and Anglo-Celtic Arthurian Myth – to allay the Welsh Assembly’s and others’ concerns about “Water Issues”.

24 June 2009

Further posts (3 & 16 June)  on King Offa & Mercian Hymns can be found @ http://witchofworcester.wordpress.com

West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy Proposed Phase 2 Revision – SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment) Compliance Issues

The following note should be read in the context of  the series of letters posted on 22 June  in respect of the SEA Directive @ www.planning-inspectorate.gov.uk/pins/rss/west_midlands_phase_two/ 

WMRSS Proposed Phase 2 Revision Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive (SEA)  Compliance Issues  – Note following Matter 1 Hearing

The SEA Directive requires : “An outline of the reasons for selecting the alternatives dealt with, and a description of how the assessment was undertaken including any difficulties (such as technical deficiencies or lack of know how) encountered in compiling the required information” (Par 4.9 Sustainability Appraisal/Non-Technical Summary of Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners (NLP) Report for GO-WM: Development Options for the West Midlands RSS in Reponse to the NHPAU Report October 2008/CD 182)

In the previous paragraph (4.8) entitled “Difficulties” the NLP SA acknowledges the following issues : “….uncertainties in the 2007 SA (for the West Midlands Regional Assembly Preferred Option), limited consultation which may have generated further information, and that spatially specific effects cannot always be identified”.

 In turn, the report by URSUS Consultants for WMRA entitled “Review of the Sustainability Appraisal of the NLP Housing Study Relating to the West Midlands RSS Phase 2 Revision” (CD236) notes a number of difficulties with the NLP study, and observes that : “The (NLP SA) report does not describe the reasons for choosing the options or scenarios…”

This difficulty, I would argue, is also central to the URSUS SA. Moreover, a crucial weakness of the URSUS SA, I suggest, is a lack of evidence that “spatially specific effects” have been have been properly integrated into the process for selecting the “Preferred Option”, which emerges from WMRA’s 3 housing “scenarios”.

On the issue of the “limited consultation” to which the NLP Report “Options” have been subject, this clearly raised difficulties about how far these can be tested through the present Examination, and, therefore, whether a further “Review” process will be required, as I submitted in the context of wider procedural compliance issues.

Of relevance to the above comments is the recent judgement on the East of England Plan SEA, where legal advice indicated that there were legitimate grounds to lodge a challenge, principally on the failure of the strategic environmental assessment to consider reasonable alternatives to the four strategic growth proposals.

The following information is taken from the website of Landmark Chambers (www.landmarkchambers.co.uk) :

“Following a hearing earlier this week [last], Mitting J. has held in response to a challenge by Hertfordshire County Council and St Alban’s District Council under s. 113 of the Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, that the Secretary of State’s approval of the East of England Plan (RSS for the east of the country) has breached certain requirements for strategic environmental assessment in regulation 12 of the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 .

The challenge concerned the decision to require significant additional housing to be met in Hemel Hempstead, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield and Harlow by means of significant releases of land from the Green Belt without a lawful strategic environmental assessment which considered the reasonable alternatives to the proposals, given the changes made to the policies at the Proposed Changes stage. The Judge rejected the claim so far as it related to Harlow, but upheld the claim relating to the other settlements (and the implications for St Albans). “

WMRSS Proposed Phase 2 Revision/SEA Compliance Issues Respondent 586/Janet Mackinnon/26 May 2007

UK EURO ELECTIONS

Source MSN News

Landmark Ruling Heralds SEA Change for Regional Planning ?

Extract from “Region home goals at risk” by  Susanna Gillman in Planning, 29 May 2009

A landmark ruling that the East of England Plan failed to comply with environmental law could affect other regional plans, the barrister leading the case has argued. Hertfordshire County and St Albans District Councils’ challenge (Planning, 22 May, p1) was the first on the application of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) rules in England to be successful. High Court judge Mr Justice Mitting ruled that the government flouted SEA regulations by failing to consider alternatives to building thousands of homes in the Hertfordshire green belt. He has ordered communities secretary Hazel Blears to re-examine policies for 12,000 additional homes at Hemel Hempstead and a further 10,000 at Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield.

Landmark Chambers’ David Elvin QC, who represented Hertfordshire in last week’s case, said the government lacked rigour in applying the regulations “Because SEA is working its way through the system on plans due for adoption, these issues will continue to present themselves,” he said. “The ruling could have implications for other regional plans. The South East Plan has just been adopted and may prompt challenges.”

A judicial review of the South West regional spatial strategy has recently been threatened on housing numbers, although it is not clear whether this would be contested on similar grounds (Planning, 15 May, p2).

The DCLG said it is considering whether to appeal. A spokesman said: “We are determined to deliver the housing that is desperately needed in the region.” However, the prospect of further expense may deter it. The DCLG has to foot a legal bill including 80 per cent of Hertfordshire’s costs – likely to exceed £50,000 – and £15,000 of St Albans’ estimated £28,000 costs. Tory MP for Welwyn and Hatfield Grant Shapps said the ruling is “an important step towards holding the government to account for failing to consider the effect of top-down housing targets”.

See also : www.unece.org/env/eia/sea_protocol.htm

The “Outsider” Sometimes Wins

Today’s Aintree Grand National win for race horse Mon Mome – ridden by Liam Treadwell and trained by Venetia Williams – at odds of 100-1 should be a reminder to us all that the “outsider” sometimes wins the big prize, not only against the odds, but well ahead of the race.

Congratulations to the team behind today’s outsider win….and a “Harvey Smith” to any sulky punters who failed to cheer !

Need for “SEA” Change amongst Sustainability & Environmental Activists

Now that the United States President and his First Lady have declared themselves “Activists”, the activist is once again a respectable member of society; and it is from this respectable position that I want to reflect on the relationship between sustainability and environmental activists.

On the radio recently – I think in the context of Severn Barrage Saga – the Chairman of the UK Commission for Sustainable Development (who support a barrage), Sir Jonathon Porritt, distinguished himself from “environmental activist” organisations like the Royal Society for the Protection of the Birds (who oppose a barrage), as, primarily, a “sustainability” activist.

For my own part, I have noticed a great many “sustainability suits” – many of them stuffed ! – in recent years and, I would suggest, quite a number of these work for and with the good Sir Jonathon, although I would not include him amongst them.

The fact is that those of us who are genuinely concerned about the future of the planet – and who are acting locally, as well as thinking globally – need to be both sustainability and environmental activists. A good starting point for this is some understanding of Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment or SEA.

New EPONA Website

My area regeneration and equestrian business EPONA will be launching a new website towards the end of March. In the meantime, emails can be sent to consult@crookbarrow.com  Other contact details remain the same