Planning Bill 2008 vs Reform Bill 1832
Michael Millar 10:33am
It’s the big vote on the Planning Bill today. As seems to be the way of things at the moment, the Government has made last minute changes to placate angry back benchers threatening a bit of laldy, as they say in Scotland.
The most controversial part of the Bill is the creation of an Independent Planning Commission (IPC) to take all the big decisions on major infrastructure projects. Detractors say this is undemocratic. I happen to agree with the CBI’s John Cridland, when he asked the Today Programme this morning: why, if we trust the experts of the MPC to take decisions on interest rates, can’t we trust planning experts to do the equivalent? (But then I do live in a place where they’ll never build a nuclear power station.)
But one other point I think is worth highlighting is one of the concessions made by the Government yesterday:
Wherever a developer applies for a compulsory purchase order, the IPC will have to hold a public hearing into that order where someone affected wants it, and they will have the right to be heard at that hearing.
Call me a cynic but this could mean the only way you will have the right to speak up is if you own property (and thus affected by a CPO), which takes us back to around 1831, pre-Reform Bill! (Once again, being a property owner that’s fine with me, selfish sod that I am.)
For more from Michael Millar, head over to Trading Floor.
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Comments
Nicholas
June 25th, 2008 10:53amMore Big Bullying Government brought to you at the greatest possible expense from the Big Bullying Government experts under the sponsorship of the Big Bully himself.
You would think that this government had more to worry about than ramming expensive, dubious and bureaucratically intensive experimental projects down the throats of the poor old country wouldn't you?
Jackie
June 25th, 2008 11:14amNo cynicism - simply short and very much to the point.
cuffleyburgers
June 25th, 2008 2:08pmTaking Mr Cridland's argument to its logical extreme since there are experts out there who know a great deal more about everything than voters (or parliamentarians) then perhaps the whole country should be run by committees, accountable only occasionally and even then to a gerrymandered bureaucracy.
Actually come to think about it that's pretty well what has happened anyway, the Lisbon treaty just makes it worse, and reduces the prospects of things getting any better.
Danvers
June 25th, 2008 2:21pmWhy not do away with parliament altogether and just appoint "experts" on all subjects and then we'd never have to vote again.