Lord Hunt's NHS wake-up call

There's a new post by Lord Philip Hunt on the Labour Lords site.  A timely reminder that, with the Tories sinking ever lower in the polls, this is a battle we can yet win.

Local council re-takes control of its housing

Congratulations to Charnwood Borough Council, who are about to re-take control of their own housing services.

Charnwood felt obliged to set up one of the ubiquitous "arm's-length" housing bodies after auditors (whose primary purpose was to encourage these spurious hybrids) scored the in-house service a big fat zero, which was always nonsense.  Now, apparently, 75% of tenants want their council back in charge - and elected members plan to invest no less than £60 million in their housing stock over the next five years.  You can read the full story here.

Harborough, we can safely assume, plans to invest something closer to the aforementioned big fat zero.

Charnwood have also refused planning consent for the former hospital site in Baxter Gate which doesn't conform with their Town Centre Master Plan.  Again, not something I can see happening in Harborough.  Oh for a Lutterworth Town Centre Master Plan!