Bed of nails

My MP, Greg Clark, is a splendid fellow. He might have expected to receive a post in the cabinet had the Conservatives won the general election.  Following the emergence of the coalition he had to make do with a more junior position. He has pressed on with the localism agenda and has been a staunch advocate of the 'Big Society'.

In July he was appointed Minister for Cities, a tough job.  Now a bomb has exploded over his head in the form of the proposals to simplify planning law.  He faces the sternest test of his career, hostility from within the Conservative Party, a Daily Telegraph campaign and assorted charities/pressure groups.

It is the proposal that there should be a presumption in favour of sustainable development, that has set pulses racing.  Two competing factors are in play: the desire of the government to decentralise power and the need to kick start the construction industry and hence the economy.

Beneath his mild exterior there is a combative politician.  It was Clark who advised the Conservatives in 2006 to think less about Churchill and more about Polly Toynbee.

Bruising encounters ahead.  The planning process is contentious: there is an abundance of nimbyism and self-interest . There is a huge amount of documentation: planning law, guidance notes and local plans.  The test for Clark is to secure consensus on the balance between localism and  public/social policy.  A bed of nails.

See also:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14772680