Latest letter about Boris takes the biscuit It is the planning system is at fault

WE’VE all had to listen to the Colonel Blimp style rantings of Steve Vickers on an almost weekly basis through the medium of The Hinckley Times. His latest round of guff about Boris Johnson being Churchillian and ably supporting the Queen just takes the biscuit.

Boris Johnson has presided over the death of over 100,000 people in this country. He has dithered and mismanaged with his Governments incompetence throughout this pandemic. The PPE shambles that clouded over the first few months of lockdown. The lockdown that the vast majority of experts agree came too late, the lack of border closures that even Priti Patel now says should have been enacted.

The mixed messages that destroyed public compliance with safety measures due to the Dominic Cummings PR disaster.

Then Christmas and the relaxation which has resulted in a situation; and as an Intensive Care Nurse I have first hand experience and knowledge of this; hundreds of critically ill patients being transported around the country to relieve the dangerously busy ICUs in London and the south, Birmingham and the West Midlands and various other towns and cities throughout England. I’m sorry Mr Vickers but colleagues of mine in ICUs throughout this country could not compare Johnson to Churchill, he’s more like a general during the trench warfare of 1914 to 1918: blindly ignorant and arrogant in the way he pays no regard to what impact his actions and inactions have had on tens of thousands of bereaved families and thousands of healthcare staff who have been broken by what they’ve been through.

Robert Bruce, Burbage

VERY few, from the Prime Minister down, understand the planning system, yet make promises on development.

It is more than 30 years since I was first on the planning committee until the last election. Not once have I regretted which way I voted. In all that time I was never abused or intimidated by a developer, yet members of a planning committee are abused or intimidated by Joe Public if a development is in their back yard.

The criteria of a planning committee is to provide housing and employment sites for all, and to be as neutral as a jury in a court case.

All planning officers’ costs are met by the developers, yet objectors pay nothing.

Neighbourhood plans are usually drawn up by those who already have their requirements.

Schools, doctor’s surgeries, roads, sewage works are overloaded because of the lack of forethought by these businesses. It should not be for the new home owners to bear the cost of improving all these services.

It should be realised that the Government of the day gains more than anyone when development takes place, for doing nothing.

If a plot of land is sold for £1,000,000 the Government gets Capital Gains Tax off the seller of approximately £250,000+, in addition to 4 per cent stamp duty from the buyer = £40,000

If 10 houses are built and sold to individuals at £500,000 the Government gets 4 per cent stamp duty i.e. 10 x £500,000 houses - stamp duty is 4 per cent of £5,000,000 - £200,000.

Then the Council gets nearly £3,000 per house council tax = £30,000 per year.

The cost of obtaining planning permission can be a six figure sum.

The present system is not working, and it is impossible to provide housing at a cost that suits the original landowner, the developer and the first time buyer.

Too large a percentage of development land is in the hands of a few because of the costs of getting planning permission, and therefore, rules out competitive house prices.

Brian Sutton