PRINCIPLES IN PLANNING
I WAS very interested to read your article on the planning applications in Halton been one of the highest in the UK.
Could you please upload your article on Facebook as a post so people can comment, as I know a lot of upset people in this town who would like to air their views on it. What do I have on my mind?
People not buying the Widnes Weekly News might not have seen this article. People who did might have missed it?
It claims in its content that Halton comes highest in the country for PASSING plans. 97% of all bids applied for are passed!
Now why does that not surprise me?
The company Research Without Barriers must not have included the population satisfaction in these areas.
I know for a fact that HBC planners will rewrite a document to get plans passed.
They put barriers in the way for evidence to be submitted.
I was an objector to a set of plans that didn’t allow evidence by disc or video. Most of my evidence was on IT. An application for an increase in tonnage for a waste recycling plant, 200 yards from a McDonalds and social housing estate.
Smells and flies and seagulls flying and defecating on all below and the company said in their defence that there was no upset.
Of course the HBC department backed this up.
If this Consumer Research Company would like to come and see me and some of the people in the area, they might get another story.
Homes built in areas of 17th century (Farnworth) replaced with homes that wouldn’t look out of place on Sandbanks, and buildings without rainwater relief?
No, there are no accolades for the Halton Council planning department from the residents in Halton, a school sat on ground that is contaminated.
They even passed Lilycross with its numerous serious problems including no sewerage for 120 people, warnings about fire safety from the fire brigade, and objections from neighbouring councils and thousands of residents!
I won’t mention the small Parish of Halebank in Halton, who are always fighting for a better deal.
Come on down RWB and we will meet.
Let’s make your sample of 1,008 home owners into 1,009, plus. Get out of the Westminster bubble. That is what is on my mind, thank you. Planning Pay Commission (LPC) on minimum wage rates, ahead of the LPC making recommendations to the Government about National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates to be introduced on April 1, 2020.
We are providing the Low Pay Commission with evidence from our extensive survey of over 10,000 members, which exposes the extent to which workers are struggling to make ends meet.
We are calling on the LPC to recommend a substantial minimum wage increase to tackle the cost of living crisis.
Going to work should mean a decent standard of living for all workers, not least young workers.
Under 27s are more likely to be paid less than older colleagues, even when doing the same job.
They also often work hours that are not guaranteed in their contract, so they really need fairer and better pay alongside protection against insecure work.
Usdaw has campaigned for years to abolish youth rates.
As a result of our efforts, youth rates no longer exist in companies like Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Co-op and Morrisons.
Usdaw is campaigning for a national minimum wage of at least £10 per hour for all ages and calling on the Government to tackle insecure employment contracts. Usdaw’s detailed evidence calls for: A National Living Wage of £10 per hour or more and next year’s increase should at least be in line with the planned target of 60% of median earnings.
The National Living Wage to be paid to all workers, with an immediate first step of lowering the unjustifiable 25-year-old threshold to 21.
In the interim, youth rates for 16-17 year olds and 18-20 year olds must have a percentage increase at least in line with the National Living Wage, to make up ground lost in previous years.
The Apprenticeship Rate should be immediately raised to the same level as the youth rate and abolished in the longer term to reduce the risk of exploitation.
The Americans started the Vietnam War based on a lie. It was called the ‘Gulf Of Tonkin incident’ in which two puny North Vietnam boats attempted to attack a US aircraft carrier.
But, it if it was the Iranians who did this, we ought to remember that it was not them, but the Trump administration, who unilaterally walked out of the Iran nuclear deal.
But we have to be clear, Iran’s military is not a failing, sanctionsdamaged, military like Saddam Hussein’s was.
This is a military that has accurate missiles that can hit American bases, US warships and Israel.
But, most importantly, Iran has geographical checkmate on the Strait Of Hormuz.
The strait is a choke point which, at its narrowest, is only 21 nautical miles wide and on the Iranian side there is a mountain range over 10,000ft high, perfect for hiding thousands of artillery pieces and missile systems.
Over a third of the world’s oil and gas is shipped through these waters, and, for the Iranians, sinking oil tankers, US and British Naval vessels, if we so choose to be involved, will be like shooting ducks in a barrel.
Given that Trump almost started this war a week ago, perhaps he ought to listen to the Pentagon who have war-gamed this scenario so many times and have concluded that there are no good outcomes for America.