The value of matrimony

“Political change can itself introduce barriers in the operation of the planning system,” said the Royal Town Planning Institute’s latest State of the Profession report. Who knew? Local authority planners and politicians have had a long and turbulent marriage ever since the 1947 Act took them to an austerity registry office wedding. Now, after three-quarters of a century of bickering, […]

An “inflection point”

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves rounded off yesterday’s Mais Lecture by saying that, as in the late 1970s, we stand at an inflection point. Her speech made a case for widespread reform – to stimulate investment, remove barriers to productivity, fashion a new economic settlement and create growth that is broad-based, inclusive and resilient. OK, that all sounds good, though a […]