Local Council Candidate Raises Concerns Over State of Road

A local campaigner, Mike Prendergast, has raised concerns over the conditions of the road surface along a busy stretch of road, in Birkdale, Southport, Merseyside.  In an email to us he said:- "The route along Westbourne Road, on to Grosvenor Road, in Birkdale, up to the level crossing in at Crescent Road, is about a mile long. Most of this stretch of road is blighted with potholes and a severely damaged road surface, in places there appear to be potholes in the potholes! This obviously has the potential to damage vehicles and is a hazard for cyclists who very often have to swerve round some of the potholes. I am campaigning and working with local Councillor Sir Ron Watson CBE to see if we can arrange for Sefton Council to resurface this stretch of road, or at the very least get some of the potholes filled in. The condition of the road in this part of Dukes Ward is very poor and as well as being an issue about the state of our local infrastructure it also presents road safety hazard as well. All Local Authorities are under a statutory duty to maintain the highway and local residents pay some of the highest Council Tax rates in the borough so it's not unreasonable to expect that a busy road and bus route is maintained to a decent standard. It's hoped that a successful outcome can be achieved for the benefit of local residents."

COMMUNITIES could have missed out on nearly 30,000 affordable homes in the past 5 years if proposed Government planning reforms were in place, new analysis has been revealed by the Local Government Association. As part of its wide ranging proposals for the planning system, the Government is considering removing the requirement for developers to build affordable housing on small sites. It is currently consulting on whether to apply this to sites where the number of homes is under either 40 or 50. Analysis by Glenigan, commissioned by the LGA, shows that between 2015/16 and 2019/20, there were 119,505 private homes built on sites of 10 to 49 units. Based on an average of developers being required to make 25% of new housing affordable, this would have included 29,876 affordable homes being built for either rent or purchase. These homes would not have had to be included in developments under these plans, including:- more than 5,000 affordable homes, within the South East and almost 4,000 in the North West.

The LGA, which represents Councils in England and Wales, is concerned this plan could see the overall amount of affordable housing significantly reduced across the country. It also warns that such a threshold could encourage developers to:- "game the system" by putting forward proposals of 39 or 49 or fewer homes respectively, on sites which are able to take more, to avoid affordable housing requirements. For example, under these proposals:-

► If the affordable housing threshold had been 40 units, Lewes District Council would have seen a 32% reduction in affordable homes delivered. A higher threshold of 50 units would have resulted in a 37% reduction.

► Elmbridge Borough Council could see affordable housing almost halved. With 486 affordable homes either built, under construction or with planning permission, this could be reduced to 271 if the proposed 40 or 50 unit threshold is introduced.

► Cornwall Council has estimated that the impact on the delivery of affordable homes could potentially be up to 300 fewer affordable homes per year.

The LGA says this goes against the Government's ambitions to make changes to the planning system to:- "deliver at least as much; if not more; on site affordable housing as at present." It is calling for Councils to be able to determine local affordable housing thresholds, rather than being decided centrally, which fails to take into account the wide variation in housing markets across the country. It comes as latest figures show more than a million households are on Council waiting lists and almost 93,000 households are living in temporary accommodation, because of a lack of suitable low cost housing. To help address the housing crisis, the LGA has set out how the Government can use the forthcoming Spending Review to empower Councils to be able to build significantly more Council housing and boost the supply of low cost homes to rent and buy across the country."

Cllr David Renard, Local Government Association housing spokesperson, said:- "Proposals to exempt developers from having to build affordable housing on certain small sites are of huge concern. With rising housing waiting lists and record numbers in temporary accommodation, we desperately need to be building more affordable housing, not less. We need to build homes that are affordable to local people and help to reduce homelessness, rather than contributing additional funds to developers' and landowners' profits. These current proposals risk allowing developers to game the system by only putting forward schemes for fewer than 40 or 50 homes, and so avoid building any affordable homes at all. We want to work with Government on reforming the planning system, which ensures that it is improved and strengthened, delivering beautiful homes and places for communities. But this also needs to see the requirement for affordable housing retained as a key element, by giving Councils the power to determine what is right for their local area."

RESPONDING to an NHS Providers survey of trust leaders, which found that 83% were worried that insufficient investment is being made in social care in their area, Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association's Community Wellbeing Board, said:- "Social care services will play an absolutely vital role in relieving pressure on the NHS this winter, especially as we look to minimise the 2nd wave of Coronavirus. Councils and care providers have been working constantly throughout the pandemic to support our elderly and most vulnerable people, despite also facing rising demand and significant financial burdens. Social care deserves parity of esteem with the NHS, with the pandemic highlighting the incredibly valuable role of social care in its own right. The upcoming Spending Review must urgently provide Councils with the extra funding they need to help shore up social care ahead of winter, while also using this as the basis for future reform of social care to place it on a long term, sustainable footing."