Wednesday, January 31, 2007
An important word about expansion plans.
To read some of the comments made by the Lib Dems on expansion, you would think that the Conservative party is gleefully attempting to impose 17,500 homes in the rural part of the Borough east of the M1.
Firstly, I want to establish a few points before I go on to make my arguments about why it is we absolutely oppose rampant expansion, and also why the Lib Dems are playing the worst type of party politics, and I want to do so in a way that is devoid of the usual political rhetoric.
Firstly, the Government is imposing planning targets through a quango called English Partnerships (EP). EP have identified “growth areas”, of which Milton Keynes is one, where they wish to see government targets met for housing expansion. In effect this quango has been handed, by government, planning powers that ought to rest with local authorities and with that comes the ability to over-rule or ignore local authorities if they don’t play ball. EP have set up Milton Keynes Partnerships (MKP) with the specific aim of driving expansion in Milton Keynes (whether the local authority likes it or not!).
In an ideal world, where a city needs to expand, it would work in conjunction with neighbouring district and county councils to achieve the best results. Because MKP are forcing centrally mandated targets on Milton Keynes we are being forced to expand beyond what we Conservatives think is sustainable. Equally, because the targets are centrally driven there is little room for agreement and compromise between neighbouring authorities. The net result is that in order not to be inundated neighbouring authorities are pretty much in a position to have to fight one another over expansion plans. This is not the way it should be!
Aylesbury Vale District Council and Buckinghamshire County Council were put in exactly this position. They have commissioned the Buchanan report to defend their position that they do not wish to see the countryside urbanised, in the same way that we Conservatives in north east Milton Keynes have no desire to see our villages swallowed up. We have been quite clear from the outset that we do not agree with, or support the findings of the Buchanan report as it would destroy the character and nature of the villages east of the M1. It is a matter of longstanding record that we oppose it in the strongest possible terms.
The fact is that both Aylesbury Vale District and Buckinghamshire County Councils are both Conservative controlled. Just because we are members of the same political party does not mean that we agree with what they are proposing. The Lib Dems however are spinning the line that because we are all Conservatives those of us in north east Milton Keynes are aligned with Aylesbury Vale and Bucks and that expansion east of the M1 is our adopted policy. I cannot be clearer, it is not.
The other aspect to this is the confusion as to who has a legitimate role to play in the planning debacle that is MKP. There is an organisation called Milton Keynes Forum who are a self-interest group sponsored by a town planning consultancy who support the Buchanan proposals. Once can speculate about what they wish to gain, but it is clear they have an agenda. Milton Keynes Forum however has no official standing in terms of planning decisions, they are simply an interest group voicing their opinions. The fact that their name is similar to MK Partnership (who do have a role to play in the decsions making process) is being exploited by the Lib Dems to cause confusion. They are making great play about the fact that they are opposing the MK Forum proposals on the assumption that people are generally ignorant of who and what MK Forum are. It is my guess that they intend for people to believe that MK Forum are something to be feared, and that they are committed to fighting against. It’s a smokescreen, a feint, and it is entirely misleading. Yes, we ought to voice our disagreement with MK Forum, but we ought not to be distracted from the real fight, which is with MK Partnerships. MK Forum can no more dump 17,500 homes and a road and rail infrastructure on our villages than I can, but the real danger is in not standing up to MK Partnerships.
We could as political groupings on Council stand united against MK Partnerships. The Lib Dems are seeking to spin party politics and make out that they are the only, and true defenders of the villages. The truth is that they have been far too acquiescent with MK Partnerships and have not stood up for the people of Milton Keynes enough. The Lib Dems nodded through in Cabinet the South East Regional Plan without any real scrutiny. In effect they have committed to building 2000 houses in the areas outside of the MK Expansion Area (i.e. the villages in Sherington and Hanslope Wards, Newport Pagnell, Olney, Bow Brickhill, and Little Brickhill) over and above what is already in the council's local plan. In other words the council will need to approve an extra 50 houses in Moulsoe, 70 houses in Sherington, and 30 houses in Emberton between 2012 and 2021 to meet those targets. And this from the party that claims to be resisting development!
In any case the Lib Dems will not commit to giving the people of Milton Keynes a definitive say in their own future, something we Conservatives are committed to. Here is our policy:
• At a national level, if we win a General Election before expansion takes place, we will unwind English Partnerships and the local off-shoots such as MK Partnerships and hand full decision making powers over local planning back to the democratically elected local authorities and do away with the centrally driven targets EP are imposing;
• At a local level we are committed to fighting to retain the character of rural north Bucks and halting any development;
• What expansion there is in MK needs to have equal investment in infrastructure (I before E) and that infrastructure needs to be brought into line with the current population (which it is not) before there is any expansion;
• The people of Milton Keynes will have their definitive say in any expansion matters by way of a local referendum. This would be especially important if EP were wound up as that referendum would bind the council (as opposed to giving the council some popular mandate to oppose the centrally driven plans but no authority to refuse them as is currently the case).
Mark Lancaster, our MP, has written to the households in the villages affected to reassure residents and clarify our position in his capacity as an MP in response to the letters he has received from residents who have been needlessly worried by the Lib Dem propaganda.
When the next lib Dem leaflet comes through your door telling you that the Conservatives are going to support the Buchanan report, remember that is not our position at all.
Firstly, I want to establish a few points before I go on to make my arguments about why it is we absolutely oppose rampant expansion, and also why the Lib Dems are playing the worst type of party politics, and I want to do so in a way that is devoid of the usual political rhetoric.
Firstly, the Government is imposing planning targets through a quango called English Partnerships (EP). EP have identified “growth areas”, of which Milton Keynes is one, where they wish to see government targets met for housing expansion. In effect this quango has been handed, by government, planning powers that ought to rest with local authorities and with that comes the ability to over-rule or ignore local authorities if they don’t play ball. EP have set up Milton Keynes Partnerships (MKP) with the specific aim of driving expansion in Milton Keynes (whether the local authority likes it or not!).
In an ideal world, where a city needs to expand, it would work in conjunction with neighbouring district and county councils to achieve the best results. Because MKP are forcing centrally mandated targets on Milton Keynes we are being forced to expand beyond what we Conservatives think is sustainable. Equally, because the targets are centrally driven there is little room for agreement and compromise between neighbouring authorities. The net result is that in order not to be inundated neighbouring authorities are pretty much in a position to have to fight one another over expansion plans. This is not the way it should be!
Aylesbury Vale District Council and Buckinghamshire County Council were put in exactly this position. They have commissioned the Buchanan report to defend their position that they do not wish to see the countryside urbanised, in the same way that we Conservatives in north east Milton Keynes have no desire to see our villages swallowed up. We have been quite clear from the outset that we do not agree with, or support the findings of the Buchanan report as it would destroy the character and nature of the villages east of the M1. It is a matter of longstanding record that we oppose it in the strongest possible terms.
The fact is that both Aylesbury Vale District and Buckinghamshire County Councils are both Conservative controlled. Just because we are members of the same political party does not mean that we agree with what they are proposing. The Lib Dems however are spinning the line that because we are all Conservatives those of us in north east Milton Keynes are aligned with Aylesbury Vale and Bucks and that expansion east of the M1 is our adopted policy. I cannot be clearer, it is not.
The other aspect to this is the confusion as to who has a legitimate role to play in the planning debacle that is MKP. There is an organisation called Milton Keynes Forum who are a self-interest group sponsored by a town planning consultancy who support the Buchanan proposals. Once can speculate about what they wish to gain, but it is clear they have an agenda. Milton Keynes Forum however has no official standing in terms of planning decisions, they are simply an interest group voicing their opinions. The fact that their name is similar to MK Partnership (who do have a role to play in the decsions making process) is being exploited by the Lib Dems to cause confusion. They are making great play about the fact that they are opposing the MK Forum proposals on the assumption that people are generally ignorant of who and what MK Forum are. It is my guess that they intend for people to believe that MK Forum are something to be feared, and that they are committed to fighting against. It’s a smokescreen, a feint, and it is entirely misleading. Yes, we ought to voice our disagreement with MK Forum, but we ought not to be distracted from the real fight, which is with MK Partnerships. MK Forum can no more dump 17,500 homes and a road and rail infrastructure on our villages than I can, but the real danger is in not standing up to MK Partnerships.
We could as political groupings on Council stand united against MK Partnerships. The Lib Dems are seeking to spin party politics and make out that they are the only, and true defenders of the villages. The truth is that they have been far too acquiescent with MK Partnerships and have not stood up for the people of Milton Keynes enough. The Lib Dems nodded through in Cabinet the South East Regional Plan without any real scrutiny. In effect they have committed to building 2000 houses in the areas outside of the MK Expansion Area (i.e. the villages in Sherington and Hanslope Wards, Newport Pagnell, Olney, Bow Brickhill, and Little Brickhill) over and above what is already in the council's local plan. In other words the council will need to approve an extra 50 houses in Moulsoe, 70 houses in Sherington, and 30 houses in Emberton between 2012 and 2021 to meet those targets. And this from the party that claims to be resisting development!
In any case the Lib Dems will not commit to giving the people of Milton Keynes a definitive say in their own future, something we Conservatives are committed to. Here is our policy:
• At a national level, if we win a General Election before expansion takes place, we will unwind English Partnerships and the local off-shoots such as MK Partnerships and hand full decision making powers over local planning back to the democratically elected local authorities and do away with the centrally driven targets EP are imposing;
• At a local level we are committed to fighting to retain the character of rural north Bucks and halting any development;
• What expansion there is in MK needs to have equal investment in infrastructure (I before E) and that infrastructure needs to be brought into line with the current population (which it is not) before there is any expansion;
• The people of Milton Keynes will have their definitive say in any expansion matters by way of a local referendum. This would be especially important if EP were wound up as that referendum would bind the council (as opposed to giving the council some popular mandate to oppose the centrally driven plans but no authority to refuse them as is currently the case).
Mark Lancaster, our MP, has written to the households in the villages affected to reassure residents and clarify our position in his capacity as an MP in response to the letters he has received from residents who have been needlessly worried by the Lib Dem propaganda.
When the next lib Dem leaflet comes through your door telling you that the Conservatives are going to support the Buchanan report, remember that is not our position at all.
# posted by Sherington Tory @ 4:13 PM 
