The biggest planning issue that confronts my constituency of Wokingham is that surrounding the pace of housebuilding. The government and planning system lay down that Wokingham Borough, not the same boundaries as my constituency, has to allow the cons… read more
I visited the local Job Centre on Friday to see how they are getting on with Universal Credit. I was impressed by the office. The staff were generally positive about Universal Credit, seeing it as an improvement on the previous system. They reported a… read more
Post war planning controls were brought in to speed development, encourage the right type of development in the right places, and to protect the heritage and best parts of our landscape. Private interests owning land were to be more strongly controlle… read more
The EU spent hours arguing over migration policy, with Italy opposing the draft Council conclusions. Finally they reached agreement with a few face saving formulas for the disputants. Mrs Merkel got language into the document about countering “seconda… read more
The EU Council endorsed the new proposals for European Parliament seats after 2019. The 73 UK seats disappear, with an overall reduction of 46 seats. Germany at 96 (n/c), France at 79 (plus 5) and Italy at 76 (plus 3) will be the largest in the new Pa… read more