Andrew Smith

All the comments on the Draft Local Plan submitted to the District Council by 3rd May have been loaded onto the Council’s database and are now in the process of being analysed. Overall, there were nearly 5000 comments by nearly 900 individuals. A significant number related to the White House Farm proposals. If those that have responded to the public consultation have merely registered an objection to development nearest to where they live the District Council will not be much the wiser. ... More

Yesterday the County Council announced a deal with BT to supply households and businesses with broadband speeds of at least 2Mbps. This is good news and long overdue. Let’s hope BT delivers and the majority receive superfast broadband. Access to broadband will prove to be transformational; on a par with the railways in the nineteenth century and the internal combustion engine in the twentieth. It won’t just be businesses that will benefit. Many people’s social lives will be transformed too. ... More

In 2006 David Cameron told the Conservative Party conference to stop “banging on” about Europe as he sought to make the party electable. At the 2010 General Election there was a decisive shift within the Parliamentary Conservative Party to a much more Eurosceptic position. David Cameron’s promise of a referendum in the next Parliament after renegotiation with the EU on Britian’s terms of membership has not only encouraged the Eurosceptic wing within his Party but given credibility to UKIP who offer a referendum now. Whatever Cameron might renegotiate it will never meet the rising expectations of the Eurospectics; his offer will also appear ... More

Last week the District Council’s Cabinet approved a report that recommended the District Council abandons its two development management committees and reverts to one – as was the case prior to 1996. The rationale is that the National Park Authority handles the major applications within its area which redeuces the workload. Furthermore, about one third of all applications coming before the development management committees are small scale, domestic applications, such as extensions, on account of parish council objections that officers recommend to permit. Overwhelmingly, the committees approve these applications. Full Council will make the final decision on this, and other, ... More

The street art exhibition currently taking place in Chichester highlights how few public works of art there are in the City; most are either buildings themselves or within buildings. But the artworks also raise the issue of planning permission, especially as some are on listed buildings. The District Council has issued the following comment: The Chichester Street Art Festival has been arranged by the organisers in partnership with the Pallant House Gallery, Chichester University, Chichester College, Chichester City Partnership and Chichester Festival Theatre. The artwork has been based on some of the iconic works from the Modern British Art collections at ... More

The County Council’s Highways Works Programme for the next two years has been published on its web-site. Notable by their absence are Florence Road, Melbourne Road and St James Road. Florence Road is notable, not only because its current state but because I had been promised it would be included whilst I was the County Coouncillor. When I queried the apparent lack of rhyme and reason for which roads were in and out of the programme I was advised that ‘prevention is better than cure’ not always the ‘worst first’. Florence Road is now, and was then, beyond prevention. ... More

The Government is offering local authorities £7,000 for each new house built (spread over six years) as an incentive/reward for those that grant planning permission for additional homes. It’s not new money, of course. It’s drawn from the same central government pot that has seen reductions in core funding for local government. Many councils have simply incorporated the cash into the revenue budget. The District Council is endeavouring to balance the books and intends to use the new homes bonus to fund community projects. At yesterday’s Cabinet meeting the policy for determining how the money would be used was agreed. Intermin NHB principles ... More

Interesting analysis of Police & Crime Commissioners across the country – measuring performane based on the number of decisions they make. Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne is shown as having made thirteen decisions. Many of them routine and not supported by any published background papers. ... More

It’s my intention to carry on as a governor of Tangmere Academy despite the result on Thursday. ... More

On a poor turnout the Conservative candidate held his Party’s share of the vote and won the Chichester East County Division from me. Overall 24.44% of the electorate voted. Of these over a quarter were postal votes. Excluding postal votes just 14.9% of electors within the City part of the Division went to vote on the day. The UKIP candidate got 648 votes (25.4% of the total) without – as far as I am aware – distributing any leaflets. The full vote was:- Simon Oakley (Conservative) 894 Me 663 UKIP 648 Labour 349 The full set of County Council results can be found here ... More