County planning committee, against strong officer recommendation, voted by eight to zero not to approve the application by Langmead Farms for an anaerobic digester at Runcton. The AD Campaign Group plus the County Councillor for this division contributed four excellent speeches that refuted claims that the application satisfied the planning policy rules controlling a Horticultural Development Area, that the plant was needed for waste disposal and that it would not be visually intrusive.
My congratulations to the Campaign Group and its chairman, who is also chairman of MARRA who contributed enormously to the campaign, the two parish councils for their strong representations and all the 145 or so residents who wrote in, many of them twice, with their objections.
The applicant of course may appeal but I am confident on non compliance with planning law, if for no other reason, the inspector will uphold the decision.
Marsh Lane Watch
Marsh Lane flooded on the night of November 8. A resident alerted the Environment Agency that opened sluice gates diverting flow from the rife to the alleviation canal. The EA, I discovered following up the incident, will only divert flows on its own initiative when the Lavant Course is in spate. On this occasion the Lavant was dry. At other times they depend on alerts from residents. Fair enough. They can hardly be everywhere.
Attended WSCC Conference for Governors, 21st century governance. A motivational event with good or goodish speakers, useful workshops and chance to network among the 146 present. Impressive to see gathered together such a large number of dedicated volunteers, with periods of governance up to 26 years. Chance to reflect on role of governors and things one can do better back at one's own school. Rather disarming to learn from a professor from Bath that correlation between effective governance at primary school is strong but at secondary school weak. What do we need to do to change that.
Education Secretary David Gove announces plans, to be consulted on, to fund all schools direct, sidestepping local authorities. At present local authorities retain some of the funding to provide services to schools such as HR, teaching advisory service, property services, which benefit schools in a variety of ways. Asking schools to take over these functions may work but they will need to recruit more administrative staff and business managers, and heads will have less time to attend to teaching and learning.
University fees doubled and trebled to a maximum of £9K per annum. This is the wrong approach. The government cuts funding of universities and gets students to pay instead. Students will be saddled with repaying loans over their working life in the case of those who earn average salaries. The wealthy will be able to pay up front and have no loans to pay off. The bankers earning 70K at 23 will have no problems. Fair? Hardly. The LibDems have supped with the devil and will pay the price come the 2011 elections. They were going to abolish fees before coming into office and at all costs resist any increase. Politicians!
Not only a mistaken policy on tuition fees, the government is poised to withdraw funding for degrees in humanities and the arts in favour of STEM subjects seen to be of more direct benefit to economic growth. This is another error. You need business managers, marketing directors, creative innovators, planners for business. You need humanities for many other walks of life where analytical skills and people skills are needed. The FT quoted an IBM graduate recruitment manager, herself a medieval historian who takes in people without regard to the subject of their degree. A former CEO and other senior managers I knew had classics degrees. Narrow thinking, this government.
North Mundham Parish Council. No progress with affordable housing. Clerk maintains having trouble fixing initial meeting for the members of the working group. Yet the Council's relevant housing officer has provided a large number of possible dates. It's not exactly a meeting of the G20. It was decided way back on July 6 to proceed to next stage. Since then nothing. Disappointing.
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