Friday 3 October 2008

Flint out Beckett in!!!

News just in, Margaret Beckett is to become housing minister, replacing Caroline Flint... Yep its official - Flint is off to the Foreign Office as Europe minister. Beckett is a highly respected and experienced minister, so what happens from here is anyones guess... I think Mr Brown is planning a Hallowe'en party!!!

MORE TO FOLLOW

CAFE hand in 10,000 signatures to Downing Street

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7648898.stm

A small group of us went up to London today to hand over the petition signed by 10,000 people from the communities around the proposed Eco Town site. I caught the 10pm news on the Beeb, and saw the piece about the handover. I guess they weren't to know, when the date of 2 October was set, that there would be a lot of TV crews outside No 10 waiting for news of a cabinet re-shuffle. But it won't have hurt - and the press release includes a great picture of the group outside Gordon's house. Let's hope for some good publicity tomorrow!

No 10 Petition

Well the 'original' petition I started on the Number 10 website, before CAFE got together, ended yesterday - and reached 1000 - an amazing number really, given the focus on the CAFE petition!

So that one is in Gordon's in-box now - I wonder what he'll say?

Thursday 2 October 2008

Green and unpleasant

Pity the residents of what New Labour politicians think of as the strong and joyful ecotowns, one of which might yet blight a stretch of landscape near you by 2020. Not only will they have to live in developer-built dormitory suburbs given a fashionable name, they will also be the subject of unprecedented scrutiny by quango folk who, in a holier-than-thou spirit, will check on just how "eco" ecotown folk will be. Click for more...

Thanks Jez for alerting me - occasionally I miss those buried ones...

Wednesday 1 October 2008

Crunch time for green housing

Just 12 months ago, eco-towns were at the forefront of the government's plans to build more new homes and reduce carbon emissions. But now, with the credit crunch biting hard and the housing market in real trouble, their future direction looks uncertain. Ministers should shift their green focus to existing buildings — both residential and commercial — which together account for around half of the UK's carbon emissions. Click here for more...