Every year in Tamworth we have elections whether that be Borough/District, County, General or in recent times referendums and this means for me delivering leaflets and knocking doors. This year during April I walked 100.1 miles on the 'campaign trail', and as in every year on polling day I spoke to a voter who told me they had not had a leaflet of anyone (I delivered that street myself so I know they did). This and seeing many variations of signage on doors stating 'No cold callers', 'we do not need...', 'No junk Mail', 'posted mail only' etc made me think more and more about how people in 2017 decide who to vote for?
(This is not a politically motivated way of improving my campaigning its a genuine thing I've pondered.)
The picture has changed so much in a relatively short time, I remember electrons when some areas always returned councillors from a particular party and some parties even stopped producing leaflets for these areas. Now I feel society seems to be engaging again in politics and as a result campaigning has changed. It's not only society becoming more engaged there have also been some significant changes, the onset of 24 hour news and of course social media.
24 hour news is a great thing, well I say that. Recently I had a job where I worked nights and slept very little this exposed me to many hours of BBC and Sky news, the repetition was mind numbing and then in a way to stretch the news further there's the whole raft of opinion or editorial pieces thrown in often without clear identification. So no we have opinion and discussion drip feeding into the news and of course discussion and opinion is to an extent reliant on speculation.
Let's not forget the influence of social media!!!! Social media can be a great tool to get a message out to a large number of people. What social media doesn't do is discriminate, anyone can post anything they like via a variety of platforms and once that has been shared a couple of times it's difficult to control and becomes perpetuating, we saw so much incorrect information during the with referrendum and the US presidential election the messages of the conpaigns were often lost but this still influences people's vote.
Just 2 more points I'd like to share before finishing for now.
It is said that parents influence the vote of their offspring until on average the age of 24 where the offspring will decide for themselves.
I saw a news stand/box containing The Sun newspaper last year, on this was printed "The Sun, for Entertainment,gossip,sport". It never mention news anywhere!
I don't want to go into solution mode as I would like to know what other people's thoughts are on voting influence. What makes you vote a particular way?
Leaflets ?
A knock at the door ?
Ever read a manifesto ?
National papers ?
Radio & TV ?
Friends?
Family?
Social media?
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Friday, 4 August 2017
Thursday, 23 March 2017
22/03 Terror in broad daylight
In this blog I am going to try to look at the act of terrorism and also respond to a thought provoking tweet I received today.
Yesterday we witnessed a man deliberately driving along a footpath mowing people down, crashed the car, ran towards parliament and stabbing a police officer. As I write this 4 people have been killed, 4 families have lost someone and many more affected in this incident. Innocent people going about their daily business.
Praise, Thanks, Thoughts and Prayers go out the family and friends of Keith Palmer and the others who died yesterday. And also to all Emergency services, members of the public and Tobias Elwood who all selflessly stayed on the front line and tried to help the injured.
Earlier I was listening girl Brendan Cox, who lost his wife in a terror attack last summer, whilst I can't directly quote him, his point was we see people in isolation often characterised by their profession but everyone has a back story they are a father mother sister brother etc. what I would say about profession and isolation there of is that some people go to work to just earn money others go to work not only for a wage but because they believe in what they do.
I going to quickly refer to the tweet I was in copy yesterday.
I suppose it depends what eyes you are looking through. I've included above my narrative on what i saw through the media, but as for the story, I saw something bigger than whats suggested in the tweet. so I'm going to split this into 2 parts.
Part 1 an individual caused a number of incidents which triggered a Blue Light response, Their role includes protection of all and our way of life, cordons were put in place and then the area cleared. The area being cleared included a building with over 1000 people in some were emergency services some were administrators, visitors, researchers, MP's, Business people, managers even school children so in light of the situation just outside the building the last thing emergency services need is all these people spilling out into danger or endangering those already caught up in the incident and so lock down the building. Its not only safer for them its also a potentially large problem that can be dealt with later. I fully believe the emergency services did the right thing.
Part 2 Yes that group of people included MP's. Now in the UK we have a hatred of MP's and a feeling that these people aren't worthy of protection. MP's work really hard to try and improve the Uk or manage particular problems, despite common belief these people work very long hours and put in a great deal of effort. I know Tamworth MP not only increased the number of hours he worked but also took a pay cut when leaving his job to be an MP.
Not one politician that I know is there to cause any harm or distress to anyone they are there for the right reasons the issues become clouded when it comes to priorities and the public purse.
Despite the above, we have the right to elect and MP to represent our needs and so I do believe they should be protected as should the public and international visitors who walk around London and enjoy the freedom our democracy and services provide for us.
The Uk is no stranger to Terrorism
Wikipedia has a great page listing attacks since 1970
I remember as many of us do some of the troubles we have had, I was in Brighton when the Grand Hotel was bombed, I visited London the week after the 7/7 bombings, i remember reading about the soldiers being shot at Lichfield station.
This week we heard of the death of Martin McGuiness a few years a go we saw tributes following the death of Nelson Mandela and now we are focused on the group who attempt to hide behind Islam. for me it doesn't matter what the cause, it doesn't matter whether its instructed, lone wolf or someone just pushed over the edge. Anyone who creates fear, panic and ultimately injury and death is acting in a terrorist manner, they are terrorising other people.
The above named people moved away from violence and began to negotiate, it was only at that stage that they made progress, (I know there is a whole debate as to who called who terrorists with these)
It has been said a number times but its still true we must not give in to terrorism.
And we must not punish the innocent in the way that terrorist are trying to, we must not let ourselves be consumed by the hatred.
An Irish man I know had his vehicle vandalised repeatedly in the 1974's following the Birmingham pub bombings, it had nothing to do with him. The Muslim community talking their children to school today should not be judged because this guy in London may have been inspired by a terrorist group using their religion.
Again, a massive thank you to all who protect us and they way we live in the UK.
The tweet I referenced at the top was about the localisation of a story and the reference to the local MP not as I interpreted it. I do have to agree with the tweet in regards to the fact that this terrible incident is terrible regardless of whether it has a local angle.
Yesterday we witnessed a man deliberately driving along a footpath mowing people down, crashed the car, ran towards parliament and stabbing a police officer. As I write this 4 people have been killed, 4 families have lost someone and many more affected in this incident. Innocent people going about their daily business.
Praise, Thanks, Thoughts and Prayers go out the family and friends of Keith Palmer and the others who died yesterday. And also to all Emergency services, members of the public and Tobias Elwood who all selflessly stayed on the front line and tried to help the injured.
Earlier I was listening girl Brendan Cox, who lost his wife in a terror attack last summer, whilst I can't directly quote him, his point was we see people in isolation often characterised by their profession but everyone has a back story they are a father mother sister brother etc. what I would say about profession and isolation there of is that some people go to work to just earn money others go to work not only for a wage but because they believe in what they do.
I going to quickly refer to the tweet I was in copy yesterday.
that's the story?I have now had more information about this tweet and I have clearly Miss understood, the point was about attempts to create s local story and not as I'd assumed. please scroll to the end for update. Police officer and 2 others dead but mp locked in is the story!!!
I suppose it depends what eyes you are looking through. I've included above my narrative on what i saw through the media, but as for the story, I saw something bigger than whats suggested in the tweet. so I'm going to split this into 2 parts.
Part 1 an individual caused a number of incidents which triggered a Blue Light response, Their role includes protection of all and our way of life, cordons were put in place and then the area cleared. The area being cleared included a building with over 1000 people in some were emergency services some were administrators, visitors, researchers, MP's, Business people, managers even school children so in light of the situation just outside the building the last thing emergency services need is all these people spilling out into danger or endangering those already caught up in the incident and so lock down the building. Its not only safer for them its also a potentially large problem that can be dealt with later. I fully believe the emergency services did the right thing.
Part 2 Yes that group of people included MP's. Now in the UK we have a hatred of MP's and a feeling that these people aren't worthy of protection. MP's work really hard to try and improve the Uk or manage particular problems, despite common belief these people work very long hours and put in a great deal of effort. I know Tamworth MP not only increased the number of hours he worked but also took a pay cut when leaving his job to be an MP.
Not one politician that I know is there to cause any harm or distress to anyone they are there for the right reasons the issues become clouded when it comes to priorities and the public purse.
Despite the above, we have the right to elect and MP to represent our needs and so I do believe they should be protected as should the public and international visitors who walk around London and enjoy the freedom our democracy and services provide for us.
The Uk is no stranger to Terrorism
Wikipedia has a great page listing attacks since 1970
I remember as many of us do some of the troubles we have had, I was in Brighton when the Grand Hotel was bombed, I visited London the week after the 7/7 bombings, i remember reading about the soldiers being shot at Lichfield station.
This week we heard of the death of Martin McGuiness a few years a go we saw tributes following the death of Nelson Mandela and now we are focused on the group who attempt to hide behind Islam. for me it doesn't matter what the cause, it doesn't matter whether its instructed, lone wolf or someone just pushed over the edge. Anyone who creates fear, panic and ultimately injury and death is acting in a terrorist manner, they are terrorising other people.
The above named people moved away from violence and began to negotiate, it was only at that stage that they made progress, (I know there is a whole debate as to who called who terrorists with these)
It has been said a number times but its still true we must not give in to terrorism.
And we must not punish the innocent in the way that terrorist are trying to, we must not let ourselves be consumed by the hatred.
An Irish man I know had his vehicle vandalised repeatedly in the 1974's following the Birmingham pub bombings, it had nothing to do with him. The Muslim community talking their children to school today should not be judged because this guy in London may have been inspired by a terrorist group using their religion.
Again, a massive thank you to all who protect us and they way we live in the UK.
The tweet I referenced at the top was about the localisation of a story and the reference to the local MP not as I interpreted it. I do have to agree with the tweet in regards to the fact that this terrible incident is terrible regardless of whether it has a local angle.
Thursday, 2 March 2017
Tamworth council budget 2017, oh and there is a new play area in there
Another year and another budget is presented to full council, this is my 17th year here but once I left the meeting due to sickness and missed the vote.This year feels a little different, this years budget is a growth budget! And is happening at a time when other authorities are announcing reductions to services.
Just for information Tamworth has a council of 30 members and the vote on the budget went 19 for 1 against so a clear majority of 95% in favour of the budget. (I believe I counted correctly). This in itself is unusual and before people jump up and down about abstentions I have a clear view if you have abstained you haven't voted, you are elected to make a decision abstaining is not a decision.
The meeting was also very positive and for the first time in years I chose not to speak and influence the vote, this was mainly because with the exception of a few niggly points there were no real arguments for or against.
So on to the budget,
There's loads more in there (click here for the report) but I wanted to highlight the play area.
It was only a few days before this budget was passed that I read the BBC/LGA article warning of play areas falling into disrepair and being closed. And this reminded me of something I was involved with in 2003/4. As councillors the late Jerry Pinner and my self visited all the play areas in Tamworth logging and taking pictures of the state of the play areas in Tamworth which at the time had suffered from neglect and had items removed leaving steel stumps in the ground. We took this back to the council and began to put pressure on for play areas to be invested in.
It was long after this that we became part of the leading group at the council and immediately set about reviewing the situation. The decision was made to build new play areas and support them with repair funding, A policy on play was developed by a scrutiny committee chaired by Danny Cook and taken to cabinet paving the way for 3 strategic play areas, Wiggington park, Castle grounds and Dosthill park. there were also recommendations for a few smaller play areas in other areas to serve local communities but not the number we saw when the estates were built.
So Tamworth received a £250,000 new play area in the castle ground and as councillors we were lambasted by a minority, mostly about design. albeit at the time one of the best play areas in the area. Wigginton Park and Dosthill park had smaller investments but also had climbing rocks etc for slightly older youths. It was all about diversionary activity. If we can get teens to sit on the climbing rocks and do what teens do then they aren't doing it on the swings. I personally think we should have more swings all over the place, they are like benches but more fun for all ages. whilst on the subject lets not forget about the partnership work moving and improving the skate park
The key for me is informal diversionary activities, This is what I wrote about late last year (follow this link) http://jeremysnewsthoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/ninefoot-park-place-to-play-idea.html
I know realise that entry could do with more info. We have an opportunity here to get this play funding spent in a really good way to divert some of the irritations that young people bring. There is nothing worse than a kid kicking a ball against a garage door, they are only doing it because there is no one else out playing and on your own the ball just doesn't come back and its boring.
So that's my ideas for a play area to serve Belgrave and Wilnecote (and my street as it happens).
But as an aside, does anyone remember the radio controlled car track we had on Robeys lane, I wonder what the market demand would be like for something like that in a couple of places in Tamworth, its only takes a bit of concrete and landscaping.(blog on potholes to follow don't worry) This could be like the BMX track, used formally and informally.
Just for information Tamworth has a council of 30 members and the vote on the budget went 19 for 1 against so a clear majority of 95% in favour of the budget. (I believe I counted correctly). This in itself is unusual and before people jump up and down about abstentions I have a clear view if you have abstained you haven't voted, you are elected to make a decision abstaining is not a decision.
The meeting was also very positive and for the first time in years I chose not to speak and influence the vote, this was mainly because with the exception of a few niggly points there were no real arguments for or against.
So on to the budget,
- it balances for the 3 year term and sees a council tax increase of £3.87 per year for the majority of Tamworth residents, whilst some could see an increase of £5 per year going to Tamworth Borough Council, (any other increases are for other public services)
- £50m investment in housing including investment in new social housing regenerating tinkers green and the Kerria centre.
- Savings/Income targets for green waste being reviewed an included, (more on this when I have details but we all know who voted for the savings, its the detail that was not in the report).
- £60k spend available for a play area.
There's loads more in there (click here for the report) but I wanted to highlight the play area.
It was only a few days before this budget was passed that I read the BBC/LGA article warning of play areas falling into disrepair and being closed. And this reminded me of something I was involved with in 2003/4. As councillors the late Jerry Pinner and my self visited all the play areas in Tamworth logging and taking pictures of the state of the play areas in Tamworth which at the time had suffered from neglect and had items removed leaving steel stumps in the ground. We took this back to the council and began to put pressure on for play areas to be invested in.
It was long after this that we became part of the leading group at the council and immediately set about reviewing the situation. The decision was made to build new play areas and support them with repair funding, A policy on play was developed by a scrutiny committee chaired by Danny Cook and taken to cabinet paving the way for 3 strategic play areas, Wiggington park, Castle grounds and Dosthill park. there were also recommendations for a few smaller play areas in other areas to serve local communities but not the number we saw when the estates were built.
 |
| Photo borrowed/stolen from http://www.tamworthcastle.co.uk/castle-grounds |
So Tamworth received a £250,000 new play area in the castle ground and as councillors we were lambasted by a minority, mostly about design. albeit at the time one of the best play areas in the area. Wigginton Park and Dosthill park had smaller investments but also had climbing rocks etc for slightly older youths. It was all about diversionary activity. If we can get teens to sit on the climbing rocks and do what teens do then they aren't doing it on the swings. I personally think we should have more swings all over the place, they are like benches but more fun for all ages. whilst on the subject lets not forget about the partnership work moving and improving the skate park
The key for me is informal diversionary activities, This is what I wrote about late last year (follow this link) http://jeremysnewsthoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/ninefoot-park-place-to-play-idea.html
I know realise that entry could do with more info. We have an opportunity here to get this play funding spent in a really good way to divert some of the irritations that young people bring. There is nothing worse than a kid kicking a ball against a garage door, they are only doing it because there is no one else out playing and on your own the ball just doesn't come back and its boring.
So that's my ideas for a play area to serve Belgrave and Wilnecote (and my street as it happens).
But as an aside, does anyone remember the radio controlled car track we had on Robeys lane, I wonder what the market demand would be like for something like that in a couple of places in Tamworth, its only takes a bit of concrete and landscaping.(blog on potholes to follow don't worry) This could be like the BMX track, used formally and informally.
Saturday, 25 February 2017
Squirrels on pills
This week The Times newspaper reported an alternative way of controlling grey squirrel populations in a hope to protect the native red squirrel and also native trees for future generations, Read it here.
Its estimated there are 3 million grey squirrels in the UK compared to around 200,000 reds, oh and there might be around 25,000 black squirrels. since greys arrived reds have been squeezed out of the uk by these immigrants (I suspect as they came from the usa Brexit ain't going to bother them). i didn't realise that aside from the impact on the red squirrel greys also strip bark from native trees leaving them exposed to disease. Oh and Greys also carry Squirrel Pox !
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| Photo borrowed from BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7573535.stm |
So why have I decided to write about this ?
I suppose it links to my "End of Conkers" entry in October, The British countryside is changing !!!
The first thing that springs to mind is "oh Red Squirrels are cute with their hairy ears". Then I thought, I wonder when i last saw a squirrel, well it was the other day on the way to the school run and yes it was grey squirrel, I don't think I have ever seen a black squirrel. And this made me ask the question is it better to see a red squirrel or no squirrel at all ?
Living in Tamworth Squirrels are not uncommon and its always fun to spot them when out with my children.
So the suggestion supported by Prince Charles is not to cull but to put contraceptives in Nutella in specialised traps that will only feed grey squirrels and stop them breeding, this will reduce the population from 3 million to 300 thousand in 5 years. What the article doesn't tell us is how fast the red squirrel population will grow with the absents of greys. I'm no expert in this field either but surely greys have now to a large extent become a part of the british eco system and so I would suggest that any action must be carefully measured. The last think we need is a Myxomatosis crisis but in squirrels.
I don't know what the answer is to be honest but what i do know is human intervention brought them here and I always worry about human intervention to try to reduce any human created issue, I have way to many questions to get to a conclusion including Is there actually a problem to be solved here or a change to our country. I'm sure we have done more damage to the country side through industry than we care to measure.
I've sort of ran out of steam with this as I'm not sure of my conclusion.
There is something that doesn't feel right about this but I'm not sure what, for now I am going to enjoy looking out for squirrels (like the one below outside St. Edithas church Tamworth) and leave the debate for those who have actual knowledge and not based solely on emotion.
Monday, 20 February 2017
Housing crisis !
There are 25 million homes in the UK housing a population of 65,255,164 (at time of writing) with an average age of 40. As the population continues to grow the government aims to build 1 million more homes before 2020, which equates to a growth of 4%
So first thing, do we need more homes ? according to the ONS the answer is yes and the main reason for population growth is the birth rate being higher than the death rate.
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| Births and deaths by year |
I think there are 2 different parts to this discussion, one is about who, where and how, the other is about the type, style and build of housing.
Not a year goes by in Tamworth without the question being asked, does Tamworth need more homes? and the supplementary question where else can more houses go we have built nearly everywhere now and brownfield is running out.
The government has pushed house building for local authorities and has incentivised local councils to be pro house building. This has been a 2 pronged attack and may well have been necessary for many places but I have repeatedly said I feel Tamworth has provided above its share of new housing over the last 50 years. So what is the incentive to continue to approve housing? New Homes Bonus. This bonus is as ever not entirely simple but the council will get 6 years worth (reducing to 4 years) of council tax for each new property completed from the government as well as the council tax collected via the normal means. OK its a bit more involved than this but I'm keeping it simple. And at the same time the austerity measures we see mean that all councils no matter of geography or population will have to be self sustaining and no longer rely on an annual government grant. I personally think this is a good scheme particularly in prompting local authorities to start allowing new build, Its a fact that for the last 40 years not enough housing has been allowed and now we are in this situation of too few houses. Tamworth however has never stopped building houses and has made its contribution.
So the pressure is on to squeeze more housing in.
Late last year we saw on Sky news, and read in news papers that the government sees 100,000 pre- fabricated houses could provide some of the answers as they are cheap and can be put up in a day. I think there might be something in this as long as these prefabs are done correctly and are either given a appropriate life span to be replaced or are built in a way that does not store up the same problem for a near future time.
Pre-fabricated housing is nothing new and looking at today's media you could very easily think that the only time we have used them is during the post war 1940's and 1950's. but this is not the case, it was not many years ago that John Prescott visited Castle Bromwich to watch prefabricated timber frames for housing being put together. the company in question was Space 4 and the visit was featured on BBC west midlands . for those that aren't aware at the time Space4 were supplying timber houses to Westbury homes who built a brick wall layer around the timber house, this reduced the price and increased the speed of building and happened a lot in the early 2000's though I'm not sure if it still does.
I have often taken my family away on holiday and whilst its only been for short periods I have always noticed or even admired the efficient use of space that static caravans have. there are many people in the UK who live in static caravans and in mobile homes. if the efficiency of this type of housing could be used when building in the future we may be able to provide cheaper quality housing with more space around them in the same tight land availability. My grandmother lived in sunset close in her later years and whilst it was a great bungalow the space was certainly not efficiently used, with thick walls, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and lounge all connected through a hallway/corridor without any interconnecting rooms. This to me screams out to be learnt from when building smaller dwellings. I've stayed in caravans less that 12ft x 40ft with 2 en suites a kitchen diner, lounge and 3 bedrooms
So maybe small units with high spacial efficiency of a high quality prefab type may well be part of the answer.........but please lets not build stacks of rabbit hutches.
I have argued that if each village in the midlands were to expand in a sympathetic way, maybe 100 homes on each, they could maintain the village renaissance and address some of the housing crisis. The side benefit would be supporting local shops post offices and pubs assuming the village had not already lost theirs. This is a sensitive point and would need to be done right to maintain character.
Instead the councils of Lichfield and North Warwickshire are that afraid of development in their back gardens they are fully intent of building on our borders!!! Robeys lane to the M42 and the north of Tamworth along Lichfield's borders will become extensions of Tamworth with green space between them and the town or city they pay their council tax to. Tamworth residents are being ignored by our neighbours and so we get development times 3. .
God forbid that this point is linked to the below on as I do not what a Judge Dredd style megalopolis of the mega cities
One solution has already been tried and tested with various levels of success and that is building upwards, the success of this type of housing very much depends on where you are in the world and the assumed usages these have in many parts of the UK. In Tamworth do we have flats and maisonettes or do we offer Luxury condos with a river view. Lets face it we have flats and apartments which are often used to support the affordable housing need of a development to gain the planning permission and stay compliant.
Tamworth has it's fair share of apartment type accommodation but the demand for 2 bed properties is huge and whilst I believe an individual must be able to sit outside in the fresh air not everyone wants to have a garden.
I remember one of the early Tamworth Listens where a member of the public suggested we build along the river with luxury apartments and the ground floor ones having moorings etc. Another suggestion I heard many years prior to councils being given the right to charge market rents for housing (should they wish) and this was to one by one empty the H block in Stonydelph as people left so not re let, Then once empty redevelop these as luxury apartments with panoramic views of Tamworth, generating an income for the housing department and raising the building out of some of the problems it had at the time.
I'm not sure what the ultimate answer is but I do know we need to look at all the options available and be creative with our solutions.
So becoming a bit nimby myself, Tamworth has done its bit and its now in the situation of going over and above whilst others haven't pulled their weight.
NOW THE BIG QUESTION..
house building is one thing but infrastructure MUST be in place to serve new development.. This is a topic for a whole new entry but expansion does not offer the same opportunities as new towns.
....MORE ON INFRASTRUCTURE TO FOLLOW
Friday, 10 February 2017
Planning, Tamworth's town centre, retail and leisure
I tend not to comment on planning meeting or decisions after my points have been made in the meeting, but I feel it might be time to start doing so; well at least I'm going have my say on a few recent things not just planning committee meetings but also some of the wider issues that affect Tamworth.
It is often tempting for the public and committee members to say things like "I'd prefer to see a shop here instead of this application for a cafe" or "I think this land is better suited to shops than housing" but the committee can only consider the application in front of them for approval or not, the committee cannot refuse an application just on speculative desire, if it fits policy it's difficult to argue against.
In January we had planning meeting with 4 applications for discussion and decision. 1 was a change to existing, 1 was a new application following refusal of a previous scheme, 1 was a change to a scheme and 1 was final details about a foot bridge.
One was for a new footbridge over the Birmingham Derby railway line giving pedestrian access to the Anker Valley development keeping pedestrians off the carriageway. The main controversy on this one has already been aired and discussed with the Anker Valley development and at previous committees so was simply around final details on the bridge itself. Previously the committee had been asked its collective opinion on the style of the footbridge and what would be acceptable or not such as a high arch bridge or low profile, enclosed roof etc.
But the application that garnered the most discussion was that of the new multi-use development adjacent to the co-op garage opposite the former site of the Jolly Sailor public house. This was the 4th time the committee had been presented with information of the development. They received an issues paper, which is an opportunity to raise issues which the committee feels are important prior to application, then a planning app which in this case ignored the comments made by the committee at issue paper stage. This first application was refused as it did not meet either policy or the views given by the committee. The cycle was repeated and this time the new design and plans were approved. For the committee this was an important applications as not only does it sit next to the old Co-op garage site which will be coming forward for development at some point it is also located on the route of one of the Gateways to the town centre which the borough and county council have been investing in through the gateways project over the last 6 years. Evidence of this can be seen in the works done to Ladybridge surfacing, changes to the pedestrian crossing on Riverdrive and also the works around Tamworth Train station roundabout. The ultimate goal is to marry up the 2 different offers of Ventura Park and the town centre and walking onto the Train station.
Tamworth Borough Council and many other groups and individuals have been grappling with the challenge of keeping the town centre vibrant in an ever changing world of retail and leisure.
There are a few things than need to be stated before we go too far.
Tamworth Borough Council-
So what's the blocker for the town centre? Why aren't these shops there?
Retail has changed and is still changing rapidly, the retail units on offer in traditional town centres are simply not as suitable as they were in the past. There are different demands on vehicle access, different demands on safe pedestrian areas and the size of retail units in demand has changed significantly.
As mentioned earlier the planning committee at Tamworth often receives planning issues papers where a developer will allow early discussion of a proposal and get a feel for the bigger issues the committee will have on a development, this week we have had sight of an application for changes to car parking at Ventura and a the redevelopment of the Gungate Precinct. Yes it's another outline permission maintaining the outline permission given in the past.
So what should be done ?
In the past I have had some of my ideas reported in the Tamworth Herald including a tramway from the station along Victoria road to the town centre and a series of venues 'New Orleans' style along this route. yes maybe this was just blue sky thinking but it was still an idea.
As I have mentioned before retail is changing in a way no one predicted, or at least didn't predict well and in the longer term I do worry about all retail shops with the progression of internet shopping so what should be built in Tamworth?
I was walking through Ankerside this week looking at the shops that were open and noted a number of jewellery shops, hair and beauty outlets, and opticians. This got me thinking could Anker side move away from traditional retail and become a place to be pampered? hair salons, perfume and make up outlets, Jewellery outlets, nail bars, tanning salons etc etc, this would probably need so proactive chasing on behalf of Ankerside management but it's just food for thought.
And whilst I'm just imagining the opportunities here's another, should the Henry Boot development on the precinct be mixed retail and leisure or should it be heavily weighted on leisure and becoming a match for Star City in Birmingham, More leisure, restaurants, cafes, venues and a few retail outlets that fit the theme of the development, maybe even some nice flats and apartments similar to the top of Ankerside. Again this would take a shift in the approach of the owner.
I'm hoping the above stimulates some thought and debate outside the "another nail in the coffin" or " we need a Primark" or " too many card and phone shops". You never know the glass might be half full if we make it half full if we use the town centre for retail it may stay as a retail centre, its a bit like local pub if they are empty the pub will close.
Consumer sovereignty will prevail
It is often tempting for the public and committee members to say things like "I'd prefer to see a shop here instead of this application for a cafe" or "I think this land is better suited to shops than housing" but the committee can only consider the application in front of them for approval or not, the committee cannot refuse an application just on speculative desire, if it fits policy it's difficult to argue against.
In January we had planning meeting with 4 applications for discussion and decision. 1 was a change to existing, 1 was a new application following refusal of a previous scheme, 1 was a change to a scheme and 1 was final details about a foot bridge.
One was for a new footbridge over the Birmingham Derby railway line giving pedestrian access to the Anker Valley development keeping pedestrians off the carriageway. The main controversy on this one has already been aired and discussed with the Anker Valley development and at previous committees so was simply around final details on the bridge itself. Previously the committee had been asked its collective opinion on the style of the footbridge and what would be acceptable or not such as a high arch bridge or low profile, enclosed roof etc.
But the application that garnered the most discussion was that of the new multi-use development adjacent to the co-op garage opposite the former site of the Jolly Sailor public house. This was the 4th time the committee had been presented with information of the development. They received an issues paper, which is an opportunity to raise issues which the committee feels are important prior to application, then a planning app which in this case ignored the comments made by the committee at issue paper stage. This first application was refused as it did not meet either policy or the views given by the committee. The cycle was repeated and this time the new design and plans were approved. For the committee this was an important applications as not only does it sit next to the old Co-op garage site which will be coming forward for development at some point it is also located on the route of one of the Gateways to the town centre which the borough and county council have been investing in through the gateways project over the last 6 years. Evidence of this can be seen in the works done to Ladybridge surfacing, changes to the pedestrian crossing on Riverdrive and also the works around Tamworth Train station roundabout. The ultimate goal is to marry up the 2 different offers of Ventura Park and the town centre and walking onto the Train station.
Tamworth Borough Council and many other groups and individuals have been grappling with the challenge of keeping the town centre vibrant in an ever changing world of retail and leisure.
There are a few things than need to be stated before we go too far.
Tamworth Borough Council-
- does not set business rates
- does not own Ankerside or most of the town centre properties
- does not and did not own the land formally the precinct
- does not operate bus services
- does not maintain or build highways (but Staffordshire County Council does)
- does not have any control of what planning applications are received but all must be considered
- Retail has changed and is still changing rapidly
So what's the blocker for the town centre? Why aren't these shops there?
Retail has changed and is still changing rapidly, the retail units on offer in traditional town centres are simply not as suitable as they were in the past. There are different demands on vehicle access, different demands on safe pedestrian areas and the size of retail units in demand has changed significantly.
As mentioned earlier the planning committee at Tamworth often receives planning issues papers where a developer will allow early discussion of a proposal and get a feel for the bigger issues the committee will have on a development, this week we have had sight of an application for changes to car parking at Ventura and a the redevelopment of the Gungate Precinct. Yes it's another outline permission maintaining the outline permission given in the past.
So what should be done ?
In the past I have had some of my ideas reported in the Tamworth Herald including a tramway from the station along Victoria road to the town centre and a series of venues 'New Orleans' style along this route. yes maybe this was just blue sky thinking but it was still an idea.
As I have mentioned before retail is changing in a way no one predicted, or at least didn't predict well and in the longer term I do worry about all retail shops with the progression of internet shopping so what should be built in Tamworth?
I was walking through Ankerside this week looking at the shops that were open and noted a number of jewellery shops, hair and beauty outlets, and opticians. This got me thinking could Anker side move away from traditional retail and become a place to be pampered? hair salons, perfume and make up outlets, Jewellery outlets, nail bars, tanning salons etc etc, this would probably need so proactive chasing on behalf of Ankerside management but it's just food for thought.
And whilst I'm just imagining the opportunities here's another, should the Henry Boot development on the precinct be mixed retail and leisure or should it be heavily weighted on leisure and becoming a match for Star City in Birmingham, More leisure, restaurants, cafes, venues and a few retail outlets that fit the theme of the development, maybe even some nice flats and apartments similar to the top of Ankerside. Again this would take a shift in the approach of the owner.
I'm hoping the above stimulates some thought and debate outside the "another nail in the coffin" or " we need a Primark" or " too many card and phone shops". You never know the glass might be half full if we make it half full if we use the town centre for retail it may stay as a retail centre, its a bit like local pub if they are empty the pub will close.
Consumer sovereignty will prevail
Tuesday, 15 November 2016
Fake News, Read all about it!
Since Donald Trump was announced President Elect the media and pollsters have been running round trying to work out how it happened and whilst I do not necessarily agree that one of their conclusions was correct I do think there's something to this story. The election was affected by fake news particularly fake news shared on facebook.
I don't think it had much of an impact but every vote counts as it did with brexit. The difference was that either side were creating the brexit fake news whereas here we see something more sinister. The allegation is that due to the business model of facebook it is profitable to create and have fake news shared. Therefore anything can be said just for the sake of profit and we all know where this is going... the more sensational the story the less it relates to reality the more it will be shared and the more profit is made.
STOP RIGHT THERE!!! What about the poor gullible teenagers and young people who believe this crap. I have a daughter who often walks into a room and starts a conversation with -
"oh my god have you heard about...."
to which my reply is either
"Where have you been?" or
"Really! Where did you read that" or
"That is complete......"
And then get "it's true I read it on facebook!"
This gets me thinking again does everyone know you can't believe everything you read.
I stopped writing the blog as I was drawn into a conversation with a blogger (like proper blogger, she has 16000 comments on her blog I have 16, www.simplybeingmum.com) a barrister and a university medical lecturer. We were talking about Trump ,brexit and this story.
Can't we believe all we read, the conversation I had assumed everyone knew we shouldn't, and whilst we noted that the printed press is regulated both they and the virtual press or social media have the chance to produce some far fetched stuff. Then there's the situation of a true story but the facts are presented after many would have stop reading. The medical lecturer explained he had recently read a story that he thought simply didn't make sense (here's a link) it wasn't until he got to the last few sentences that his thoughts were confirmed as an expert stated is story was unlikely. But this was a story on the BBC so it must be real, just like the famous War of the Worlds reading or BBC program Ghostwatch.
I think this reinforces how we should be careful I do think many believe believe without question something they have read, I've heard people say it's true I read it in the paper on the letters page. Why we are persuaded by text more so than spoken word, I wonder if it's a historical trait from the great philosophers.
This blog has really gone off at a tangent!!
I think we should all reflect and consider what we read especially in the day and age of social media. And when it comes to politics elections and referendum the best hope you have is the leaflets the candidates produce. Good luck
The 'fake' news that really annoys me is the sort that is repeated so many times the masses believe it, the one in particular is the American view of the ethnic make up of the UK.
throughout the us election we heard it repeated as a fact and I have seen many videos on Youtube stating as a fact that the uk population is 50% muslim ? Firstly so what if it was. Secondly this is simply not correct and woe betide anyone who comments on a youtube video to state its not true as they will get a torrent of abuse.
I think the 2 parts that annoy me with this fake news is the fact that its spread with dark undertones of racism and has no basis, but when senior US campaigners are spreading this what chance has the average american got. The UK is a great place which has been built on diversity and acceptance a place where we have been able to walk shoulder to shoulder with people from different cultures, religions and backgrounds, It annoys me the this can be damaged by scaremongering by the ignorant and the perpetuation allows those who try to use religion as a reason for terrorism to win, Muslims are not terrorist, in the same way Catholics became alienated by the Terrorism of Guy Fawkes. Terrorist are nothing more than terrorist.
Ok getting excited there, but I will share the figures of the UK's religious breakdown just for any ill informed readers.
Detailed 2015 BSA survey on religion in the UK Affiliation % of U.K. population
Christian 42 %
Church of England 17%
Other Christian 17%
Roman Catholic 8%
Unaffiliated 49 %
Non-Christian faiths 8 %
Muslim 5%
Other Non-Christian faiths 3%
Don't know/refused answer 1%
Total
100 %
I don't think it had much of an impact but every vote counts as it did with brexit. The difference was that either side were creating the brexit fake news whereas here we see something more sinister. The allegation is that due to the business model of facebook it is profitable to create and have fake news shared. Therefore anything can be said just for the sake of profit and we all know where this is going... the more sensational the story the less it relates to reality the more it will be shared and the more profit is made.
STOP RIGHT THERE!!! What about the poor gullible teenagers and young people who believe this crap. I have a daughter who often walks into a room and starts a conversation with -
"oh my god have you heard about...."
to which my reply is either
"Where have you been?" or
"Really! Where did you read that" or
"That is complete......"
And then get "it's true I read it on facebook!"
This gets me thinking again does everyone know you can't believe everything you read.
I stopped writing the blog as I was drawn into a conversation with a blogger (like proper blogger, she has 16000 comments on her blog I have 16, www.simplybeingmum.com) a barrister and a university medical lecturer. We were talking about Trump ,brexit and this story.
Can't we believe all we read, the conversation I had assumed everyone knew we shouldn't, and whilst we noted that the printed press is regulated both they and the virtual press or social media have the chance to produce some far fetched stuff. Then there's the situation of a true story but the facts are presented after many would have stop reading. The medical lecturer explained he had recently read a story that he thought simply didn't make sense (here's a link) it wasn't until he got to the last few sentences that his thoughts were confirmed as an expert stated is story was unlikely. But this was a story on the BBC so it must be real, just like the famous War of the Worlds reading or BBC program Ghostwatch.
I think this reinforces how we should be careful I do think many believe believe without question something they have read, I've heard people say it's true I read it in the paper on the letters page. Why we are persuaded by text more so than spoken word, I wonder if it's a historical trait from the great philosophers.
This blog has really gone off at a tangent!!
I think we should all reflect and consider what we read especially in the day and age of social media. And when it comes to politics elections and referendum the best hope you have is the leaflets the candidates produce. Good luck
The 'fake' news that really annoys me is the sort that is repeated so many times the masses believe it, the one in particular is the American view of the ethnic make up of the UK.
throughout the us election we heard it repeated as a fact and I have seen many videos on Youtube stating as a fact that the uk population is 50% muslim ? Firstly so what if it was. Secondly this is simply not correct and woe betide anyone who comments on a youtube video to state its not true as they will get a torrent of abuse.
I think the 2 parts that annoy me with this fake news is the fact that its spread with dark undertones of racism and has no basis, but when senior US campaigners are spreading this what chance has the average american got. The UK is a great place which has been built on diversity and acceptance a place where we have been able to walk shoulder to shoulder with people from different cultures, religions and backgrounds, It annoys me the this can be damaged by scaremongering by the ignorant and the perpetuation allows those who try to use religion as a reason for terrorism to win, Muslims are not terrorist, in the same way Catholics became alienated by the Terrorism of Guy Fawkes. Terrorist are nothing more than terrorist.
Ok getting excited there, but I will share the figures of the UK's religious breakdown just for any ill informed readers.
Detailed 2015 BSA survey on religion in the UK Affiliation % of U.K. population
Christian 42 %
100 %
Wednesday, 9 November 2016
Triumphant Trump
So there we have it after what I would describe as the most sensational election I've ever seen Donald Trump wins to becomes the 45th American President!
I've just listened to his speech
I've just listened to his speech and immediately there seems a mellowing of retoric. America will be a nation for all, for all races. And I feel we will see more of this as Trump gets nearer and becomes president. This is not because he was trying to mislead or lie this is to me the result that we see often and damages political opinion. He we have the first American president never to have been elected to office and never to have served in the military, when he was campaigning he was genuinely making those commitments in the belief he can deliver things like the wall. Donald Trump will now have get to grips with political systems and process as well as a huge learning curve about how sometimes things have become so integrated it's incredibly hard to unpick. He will be judged on this and as he has already spoke of a corrupt system he willbe under particular pressure. This may perpetuate the 'all politicians can't be believed' myth. There are a great many hard working honest politicians out there tarred with brush of corruption, in the workplace I have been introduced to visitors by managers who have said "this is Jeremy, don't believe a word he says he's a politician".
Anyway back to the American result, shock horror the polls have get it wrong Again just as they did in the referendum just like they did in the 2015 general election, but combined with the popular press many results have been predicted incorrectly for years. Throughout the first 15 years of the 2000's we saw the BBC and others on the grass outside the Houses of Parliament the morning after local elections stating surprise wins for the Tory's, being in politics the only people surprised were the TV crews on the grass. So what's gone wrong?
Today we read the financial markets are in chaos due to Trump's success, I have a question press, pollsters, bankers etc who is running our politics? And this brings me back to my 3 paragraph with Trump's pledges. How many of the reported pledges were mere sound bites from sections of speeches without the full context. Yes I know this is an excuse abused often. Just after midnight I heard an interview of a Trump supporter, the reporter said 'we heard what Donald Trump wants to do but we have not heard how he will do it " the supporter replied "at a rally 10 days ago Donald Trump explained exactly what he will do in his first 100 days". Hmm? Something not reported.
I think we need to stay calm and see what happens, panicking ain't gonna help.
Back in July I was talking to someone fresh back from the states who said "he's going to win you know, there's a lot of Silent Trumpers!"
I've just listened to his speech
I've just listened to his speech and immediately there seems a mellowing of retoric. America will be a nation for all, for all races. And I feel we will see more of this as Trump gets nearer and becomes president. This is not because he was trying to mislead or lie this is to me the result that we see often and damages political opinion. He we have the first American president never to have been elected to office and never to have served in the military, when he was campaigning he was genuinely making those commitments in the belief he can deliver things like the wall. Donald Trump will now have get to grips with political systems and process as well as a huge learning curve about how sometimes things have become so integrated it's incredibly hard to unpick. He will be judged on this and as he has already spoke of a corrupt system he willbe under particular pressure. This may perpetuate the 'all politicians can't be believed' myth. There are a great many hard working honest politicians out there tarred with brush of corruption, in the workplace I have been introduced to visitors by managers who have said "this is Jeremy, don't believe a word he says he's a politician".
Anyway back to the American result, shock horror the polls have get it wrong Again just as they did in the referendum just like they did in the 2015 general election, but combined with the popular press many results have been predicted incorrectly for years. Throughout the first 15 years of the 2000's we saw the BBC and others on the grass outside the Houses of Parliament the morning after local elections stating surprise wins for the Tory's, being in politics the only people surprised were the TV crews on the grass. So what's gone wrong?
Today we read the financial markets are in chaos due to Trump's success, I have a question press, pollsters, bankers etc who is running our politics? And this brings me back to my 3 paragraph with Trump's pledges. How many of the reported pledges were mere sound bites from sections of speeches without the full context. Yes I know this is an excuse abused often. Just after midnight I heard an interview of a Trump supporter, the reporter said 'we heard what Donald Trump wants to do but we have not heard how he will do it " the supporter replied "at a rally 10 days ago Donald Trump explained exactly what he will do in his first 100 days". Hmm? Something not reported.
I think we need to stay calm and see what happens, panicking ain't gonna help.
Back in July I was talking to someone fresh back from the states who said "he's going to win you know, there's a lot of Silent Trumpers!"
Sunday, 2 October 2016
Lorries to be banned from London ?
Ok I may be biased or prejudiced on the matter of heavy goods vehicles but I must share my opinion on this, road safety is a priority and more must be done to protect cyclist on our increasingly busy roads. I just feel there needs to be some extra care here to make sure the outcomes are what was intended.
The figures I have used are from this sky news article, HGVs were involved in 23% of pedestrian fatalities over the last two years and 58% of cyclist deaths, the mayor's office said. Lorries account for just 4% of all miles driven in the capital. These figures are quite horrific, 58% of cyclist deaths within 4% of over all mileage. The figures that are missing are those for incidents involving cyclists, HGV's and other vehicles which do not result in fatalities. One of the tragic elements of this subject if that due to the weight, size and construction of a lorry if there is contact between one and a cyclist the outcomes are some what limited.
In London, the UK and in general people do not drive lorries just for fun, they drive them to make money by delivering goods (however that doesn't mean they can't enjoy driving).
Obviously there are different sizes of lorry but just to make this point I will assume that the ones in question are a standard artic size with trailer and I am going to avoid other complexities such as fridges, waste management, builders/maintenance etc . All shops, restaurants, cafes offices etc etc need to take deliveries have good collected by vehicle. the capacity of lorries means that a large quantity of goods can be delivered to single or multiple destination with a single limited mileage, limited trips and limited resource in all definitions. If all of these goods were delivered by smaller vehicles there would need to be significantly more vehicles on the streets of London.
Many shops use roll on roll off cages for deliveries, a double deck trailer can carry around cages, with a tail lift to lift them in and out of the trailer down to street level, a white panel van, may get 3 cages on and if fitted with a heavy tail lift or ramp this figure may reduce based on gross vehicle weight. SO, if a fleet of vans (sprinters or transits etc) were to replace a double deck articulated lorry with its limited lines of vision the fleet would need 25 vans. That's 25 drivers and 25 times the amount of mileage per lorry removed
One of the main threads of the argument for banning lorries is the lines of visibility. I am sure that this is an area that can be developed on lorries but there must also be other options such as goods vehicle permitted times, These can be investigated and do not have to follow the traditional methods of night time only deliveries, Or maybe cycle/none HGV routes and none cycle/HGV routes to segregate the different vehicles but facilitating the needs of businesses and workers.
I just feel more thought needs to go into this before the roads of London are blocked with an invasion of vans making the deliveries of a few lorries and there is even less space for cyclist to travel freely and safely.
The figures I have used are from this sky news article, HGVs were involved in 23% of pedestrian fatalities over the last two years and 58% of cyclist deaths, the mayor's office said. Lorries account for just 4% of all miles driven in the capital. These figures are quite horrific, 58% of cyclist deaths within 4% of over all mileage. The figures that are missing are those for incidents involving cyclists, HGV's and other vehicles which do not result in fatalities. One of the tragic elements of this subject if that due to the weight, size and construction of a lorry if there is contact between one and a cyclist the outcomes are some what limited.
In London, the UK and in general people do not drive lorries just for fun, they drive them to make money by delivering goods (however that doesn't mean they can't enjoy driving).
Obviously there are different sizes of lorry but just to make this point I will assume that the ones in question are a standard artic size with trailer and I am going to avoid other complexities such as fridges, waste management, builders/maintenance etc . All shops, restaurants, cafes offices etc etc need to take deliveries have good collected by vehicle. the capacity of lorries means that a large quantity of goods can be delivered to single or multiple destination with a single limited mileage, limited trips and limited resource in all definitions. If all of these goods were delivered by smaller vehicles there would need to be significantly more vehicles on the streets of London.
Many shops use roll on roll off cages for deliveries, a double deck trailer can carry around cages, with a tail lift to lift them in and out of the trailer down to street level, a white panel van, may get 3 cages on and if fitted with a heavy tail lift or ramp this figure may reduce based on gross vehicle weight. SO, if a fleet of vans (sprinters or transits etc) were to replace a double deck articulated lorry with its limited lines of vision the fleet would need 25 vans. That's 25 drivers and 25 times the amount of mileage per lorry removed
One of the main threads of the argument for banning lorries is the lines of visibility. I am sure that this is an area that can be developed on lorries but there must also be other options such as goods vehicle permitted times, These can be investigated and do not have to follow the traditional methods of night time only deliveries, Or maybe cycle/none HGV routes and none cycle/HGV routes to segregate the different vehicles but facilitating the needs of businesses and workers.
I just feel more thought needs to go into this before the roads of London are blocked with an invasion of vans making the deliveries of a few lorries and there is even less space for cyclist to travel freely and safely.
Monday, 19 September 2016
Grammar schools
Grammar schools, are they the answer to improving the British economy through improved school results?
There will be lots of debate in the next few weeks about how exclusive or dividing the selection process will be. I personally sit on the fence at the moment when it comes to the grammar school debate, but I am passionate about education and try my hardest to help my kids get good results at school.
As I've titled this about Grammar schools I suppose I must put some opinion on here. I have no problem with kids who are more academic being given the relevant support and opportunity they need to achieve their full potential just as I also believe that kids who are more vocational need the relevant support and opportunity they need to achieve their full attentional. I do not at present know whether I believe this should be based on a competitive entry with limited numbers.
I have expressed a view in the passed that it worries me that teens likely to get good gcse results, then A levels, then go on to university are often neglected and just running on a tread mill as they "do not need" additional support it is often those who struggle in education who get the assistance with carriers advice to avoid NEETs and we end up with some bright kids either making a poor decision or slipping through the net and not achieving their potential.
Where I live I have been lucky to get my children into a good primary school and having moved around the town a number of times in the last 12 years we have experienced various teaching styles and results. As i have children from 1 year to nearly 18 I have also seen the progression through the education system from start to finish. This has given me the opinion that the most important step in the education ladder is primary school education. Children must get a good solid grip of the basics when it comes to Maths and English before their minds are polluted by LEET, the language of the Internet and social media.
Two of my children have been through or are working on their GCSE's and I do not believe they ever really had a grasp of the basic and so struggle when the work gets more complex. There is a whole debate about class sizes and progression of the curriculum at the pace dictated.
The above point leads me to my opinion that whilst grammar schools are being discussed and in the same way as when academies were discussed we continue to take our eye off the primary schools. I personally feel that this is where the investment should be in regards all resources.
There will be lots of debate in the next few weeks about how exclusive or dividing the selection process will be. I personally sit on the fence at the moment when it comes to the grammar school debate, but I am passionate about education and try my hardest to help my kids get good results at school.
As I've titled this about Grammar schools I suppose I must put some opinion on here. I have no problem with kids who are more academic being given the relevant support and opportunity they need to achieve their full potential just as I also believe that kids who are more vocational need the relevant support and opportunity they need to achieve their full attentional. I do not at present know whether I believe this should be based on a competitive entry with limited numbers.
I have expressed a view in the passed that it worries me that teens likely to get good gcse results, then A levels, then go on to university are often neglected and just running on a tread mill as they "do not need" additional support it is often those who struggle in education who get the assistance with carriers advice to avoid NEETs and we end up with some bright kids either making a poor decision or slipping through the net and not achieving their potential.
Where I live I have been lucky to get my children into a good primary school and having moved around the town a number of times in the last 12 years we have experienced various teaching styles and results. As i have children from 1 year to nearly 18 I have also seen the progression through the education system from start to finish. This has given me the opinion that the most important step in the education ladder is primary school education. Children must get a good solid grip of the basics when it comes to Maths and English before their minds are polluted by LEET, the language of the Internet and social media.
Two of my children have been through or are working on their GCSE's and I do not believe they ever really had a grasp of the basic and so struggle when the work gets more complex. There is a whole debate about class sizes and progression of the curriculum at the pace dictated.
The above point leads me to my opinion that whilst grammar schools are being discussed and in the same way as when academies were discussed we continue to take our eye off the primary schools. I personally feel that this is where the investment should be in regards all resources.
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