Did fear of a ‘urban’ -v- ‘rural’ unitary council split scupper Conservative plans for a unitary county council?

The Nottinghamshire unitary county consultation report/summary/analysis makes interesting reading, An idea that was obviously gaining ground was that the more urban councils should split from the more rural councils.

There was less support for one county-wide unitary council than two councils. To quote from the report:

‘Overall, there was much more support for two unitary councils than for one (64% favoured two, while 36% favoured one). There was also more support for two in all seven of the districts/boroughs. The views of local authority staff were somewhat more evenly divided: 47% preferred one and 53% preferred two unitary councils.’

Also:

‘A North-South split would be distinctly unpopular with political leaders across the districts. A West-East split would be much more politically acceptable because it would reflect the aspirations of local political leaders and create two ‘harmonious’ unitary authorities. A single UA – though much the best solution in terms of service delivery and financial viability – might have difficulty in achieving effective political majorities or working arrangements between the different parties The east of the county would be fearful that it was ‘subsidising’ the poorer west.’

Broxtowe depends on Nottingham and now the county’s plans are dead Nottingham can happily back off and there will be no more talk of mergers with surrounding councils by the city, although the county’s more urban councils might still like to be free of the county’s more rural councils.

Perhaps a Broxtowe-Ashfield-Gedling (eventually unitary) ‘partnership’ council might emerge from all this, able to work with the city, given they share so many common interests. We shall see.

In the meantime a link to the consultation report:

http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/media/1727147/opinionresearchservicesreport.pdf


The following two tables from the Report may be of interest (click on images to enlarge):

Notice that some of those responding lived in Nottingham. Some Voluntary sector participants were of the view that district and parish councillors were more supportive of their activities than county councillors — hence the opposition to one unitary Nottinghamshire council.

Notice to low level of participation in the survey by younger people. Older folk are cursed for participating and blamed for determining the future of young people. In truth, younger voters hold the future in their own hands. They had every bit the same opportunity as a 70 year old to participate. Maybe we need to wear badges saying 'I'm voting. Will you?

A different look at Beeston HMOs.

The following two tables have taken a few days to compile and may well be out of date already as they are based on the copy of Broxtowe Borough Council's Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Register I received on 4 December 2018.

Anyone can submit a Freedom of Information request to Broxtowe Borough Council if they wish to obtain an up-to-date copy. As I have commented in previous posts I am surprised that HMOs and Council Tax exemption records are not presented to all councillors annually. 

I intend this year to be my last year of summarising the available data, with one final report at the end of this month. In the meantime, examine the data for yourself. I will also make a map version over the next two weeks.

Remember to click on the tables to enlarge.

Oh no here we go again — unless pro-EU MPs take charge!

From The Guardian today:

A pledge to spend the “dividend” secured by staying in the European Union on nationwide regeneration is being drawn up by senior Remain strategists ahead of a possible second referendum. In anticipation of a fresh poll, they are developing plans for a grassroots campaign that will operate without a traditional figurehead.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/dec/08/remain-leaders-and-rivals-gear-up-for-second-referendum-campaign-with-new-pledge-on-nhs-funding?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Good friends dating back to my Young Socialist days in Wembley in the early-1960s, all of whom are still in the Labour Party and voted against Brexit, as did Susan and me, and all are committed Europeans. One’s daughter is now a French citizen with a French husband and family, another has a sister living in Paris the past 40 years and third married a German. All of them oppose a second referendum, believing it will be more damaging than the first. Susan dreads the repetition of the 1st referendum and until a couple of hours ago I hung onto the idea that a 2nd referendum was our best chance to save us from ourselves.

Wembley South Young Socialists at Southend-in-Sea in 1961. From left: Perry, Robert (me), Sam and Dave. I was 17.

This evening the above article and opening paragraph changed my mind. It speaks for itself and reminds me of the ‘Leave’ bus with its £350million NHS message. To reduce the EU to money reveals a complete lack of understanding of the European ideal that so many of us have spent a lifetime aspiring to.


The European ideal is strong enough to survive Brexit. It is time for MPs to earn their keep and make the decision, then face the voters and for those MPs to be given a clear run (ie. pro-Europe voters unite behind one candidate). I believe such honesty and courage will win enough support to carry the day and see off the Brexiteers.

As I have said in this blog more than once, I have an Irish father and I am proud of the fact despite not knowing him.

The story of four wartime boys from Wembley, Sudbury and Harrow who became friends when they joined the Labour Party as Young Socialists is nothing special. I just wish so many others like us, now in their 70s, looked at their own lives as closely, than perhaps, just perhaps, they might join us in seeing the madness of Brexit and why we have to look beyond ourselves, however hard that might be.

A slovenly indictment or a measure of pressure? — Broxtowe Borough Council's Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Register

This HMO table has become a holding operation. I’ve decided to compile a new version based on years in chronological order so that Beeston residents can see how HMO registration has (or not!) progressed. The more I see the more I feel the need to map the obvious - that Broxtowe Borough Council has never taken changing housing needs in Beeston seriously and continues to have no policy/strategy.

Regular readers will know this is something I’ve been going on about for a few years now. 

In the meantime I will be back with a Beeston HMO map, a list of anomalies and some concerns I have. In the meantime you might like to examine my 2018 Beeston HMO Table based on the copy of the Register I received earlier this week after submitting a Freedom of Information request (click on the table to enlarge):

For the record ALL Broxtowe’s HMOs are in Beeston, except for one in Nuthall.

One final point for now. I can’t understand for one moment why HMO registrations are so low when all the evidence suggests the total should be much higher. More about this when I add to this post on Sunday/Monday.

Where do all the cars on Wollaton Road come from, especially Friday and Saturday mornings?

First, a fun pic of sorts of the little wool / knitting shop on Wollaton Road close to The Cricketers pub by the traffic lights at the road's junction with Albion Street.

Today has been Broxtowe Borough Council's 'Small Business Day' and I love the KnitBits Wool shop simple seasonal display. Having been in a few times with Susan I know that the owners are friendly and helpful — which, in my now considerable experience, is typical of Beeston's many fine small shops.

Below is an extract from my 2018 Beeston map showing you where KnitBits is:

This morning was wet, cold and miserable but I still had to go shopping for a few odds and ends. I try to avoid supermarket shopping on Fridays and Saturdays and I can't remember a Saturday when Wollaton Road from Wollaton Crescent down into Beeston has not been a solid line of traffic. Most times I usually beat the cars but today I had an L10 as my marker. It met me as I turned out of the Crescent onto Wollaton Road and only passed me for the last time as I turned onto Albion Street. I took this two pics:

Here the L10 has stopped outside the Thistle Teahouse. In some ways it has to be one of the best ways to begin a visit to Beeston. Off the L10 or L11, a cup of tea or coffee, then a leisurely walk into town.

And here it is again, front view this time, as I overtake it by the Abbey Road / Wollaton Road pedestrian crossing. This poor L10 was trapped in a solid line of traffic the whole time we were together and the driver had yet to negotiate the Station Road / Middle Street traffic lights which, because of the tram, can catch this little bus for ages. I have long been of the view that buses should have priority at traffic lights just like the tram. The L10 rarely leaves Beeston on time and I know this fact well because it is the bus Susan and I use most times we travel into Nottingham and it is rarely on time. The reasons for this are another story for another day.

The question I want to ask right now is 'Do Broxtowe and Nottinghamshire councils know where all the cars pouring into Beeston via Wollaton Road come from, especially on Saturdays?

I ask because with modern number plate reading technology it should be easy enough to plot where all these vehicles come from and if, as I suspect, this is mostly local traffic, why can't we have a more frequent bus service along Wollaton Road to reduce the need for car use?

On wet, cold, miserable days like today I understand why folk use their cars, but if we want people to get the bus habit then you have to provide high frequency daily bus services throughout the Beeston area. Once upon a time Wollaton Road and Dennis Avenue both had frequent bus routes and lost them for reasons not to do with lack of use. Again another story for another day. Right now I want to flag up the need for a traffic survey mapping where all the Wollaton Road traffic comes from, then for new or revised bus routes to be introduced which take account of where road users actually live.

Finally, consider this fact. If it wasn't for Nottingham City Council Wollaton Road and Dennis Avenue wouldn't have the limited Monday–Saturday daytime buses they presently enjoy — another good reason why I'm a fan of Beeston joining with Nottingham and not the county should the Conservatives retain control of Broxtowe come next May's borough council elections and support the borough becoming part of a unitary county council.

And as I walked back home up Wollaton Road, having done my shopping, this L11 was sitting in traffic waiting to have its photograph taken. It was already close to mid-day and running late. It had come all the way from Arnold and kept good time only to end up late because of all the cars on Wollaton Road.

The tram was created to serve a network of long-stay car parks around Nottingham for the benefit of drivers and their passengers (if they have any) whilst those who rely on buses are left standing in the rain and wind waiting for buses made late by other road users. There is something wrong with a logic that says it was worth spending hundreds of millions on a tram when the same money could have created a low fare, high frequency 24/7 bus network across our conurbation to the advantage of all. We have the tram, so we should make the best use of it we can. The same people who argued for the tram argue for HS2 and the arguments are as spurious now as they were then.

In the meantime bus routes are axed and services reduced. Next week a story from 1947 when the old Beeston and Stapleford Urban District Council was busy complaining about bus services in Beeston and along Wollaton Road among others.