Global Temperature Anomaly

Don't wish to scare anyone, but if you take the data from the recent JA-55 temperature anomaly graph for 2023

and curve fit with an exponential, you get a pretty good fit and an exceedingly worrying prediction!

HDC finally declares a climate and ecological emergency

At its first full working council meeting on 21 June 2023, HDC finally accepted that there is a Climate and Ecological Emergency (at 55 minutes in, despite the vocal protestations from the Tory opposition)!  Evidence for my 'not fast enough' view comes from Climate Emergency UK's scorecard for Horsham District - we should have done better.

As I said in May, we hear what the new administration is saying, now for the hard bit...

Doesn't time fly when you're having fun?

Or in this case, canvassing!  Seems to have worked though, as we now have two new councillors in Steyning and Ashurst ward, so three in total in the Bramber Castle county division.  This 'gang of three' is now part of an 8 member Green group on Horsham DC (joining Joan, Claudia and Emma in Storrington & Washington ward, with Len and Jon in Pulborough, Coldwaltham & Amberley).

How things have changed since 2019 when Bob & I first journeyed to Horsham for our first council meeting!  The balance of power is now firmly with the LibDems (28 of the 48 seats) and it was a pleasure to hear the new leader saying that tackling the joint challenges of the Climate Emergency and associated Biodiversity Crisis will be an immediate priority, and an 'ever present consideration in all that we do'.  Words that he will be held to in the months and years to come.

A decade of green growth?

As a counterpoint to some of my gloomier posts, I was given a pictorial reminder yesterday of just how keenly nature is intent on undoing mankind's infrastructure.

The context was cutting back a roadside fallen dead tree (previously it had just been cut back to the edge of the tarmac following its demise), and its accompanying shrubbery (mostly privet and brambles).  

As work progressed I noticed an upright metal pole appearing out of the depths, and then another:

Eventually the penny dropped and I realised I was looking at a ex-road sign from a decade ago - the actual metal sign having been liberated, presumably when it fell off the posts.
  

There is, of course, a political aspect to this, as WSCC are responsible for this land, as part of the public highway, and Highways revenue budget has been more than halved in real terms over the last decade (it might have picked up a little very recently).  You get what you pay for (and I didn't mention potholes once).

Local Plan stumbles again!

This time it's political: from an HDC press release dated Tuesday 10 January 2023:

Senior councillors of Horsham District Council have voted to pause the development of the Horsham District Local Plan until later this year. The planned meetings of Cabinet and full Council on 18 January 2023 have therefore been cancelled.

The Plan, which was set to go to a Regulation 19 consultation in February 2023 sets out how the District will deliver the required number of homes in a sustainable way, supporting the requirements to be water neutral and the delivery of community infrastructures, transport links and opportunities for local employment.

This translates as 'the Tory majority group got together and decided that, in the face of increasing verbal opposition from some of their supporters, it would make their chances at the upcoming May elections less dire if the plan were delayed for the new administration to sort out'.  I appreciate the irony of my commenting in this way, having proposed a delay in June 2021 (to see what the post pandemic environment would be like), but I think we have a much better idea now, and water neutrality will restrain development for the next few years, so a plan would be better than no plan?

A further twist emerged on Tuesday in a message from HDC's chief exec:

'I have today received a letter of resignation from Councillor Jonathan Chowen from his role as leader of the Council with immediate effect.  Councillor Tony Hogben, as Deputy Leader, will act as Leader until full Council is able to appoint a new Leader at its next meeting.'  

Which made for an interesting week, and it's only Thursday!  (It's almost as if the local Tories are trying to outdo the national party, in that the next incumbent will be the fourth Leader in as many years!) 

Back to the 'decision to delay' made by 'senior councillors'.  It doesn't strike me as very democratic, in that the debate was behind closed doors.  There has been a second press release sent to the WS County Times, but again that's not been made public (until WSCT's next edition).  I suppose I'm being naïve (undoubtedly I am, politically) but, regardless of the Tory group vote, a documented decision at a cabinet meeting (maybe the one planned for 18 January?) would have made the decision accountable in a formal way.  

Passivhaus for Scotland

 This could be big!  How refreshing to see a government with some foresight.

To plan, or not to plan? That is the question.

As noted in earlier blog pieces, Horsham District's revised local plan (the Horsham District Local Plan 2022 – 39) Regulation 19 submission is edging closer towards public scrutiny.  Were it not for the intervention from the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities intervention on 5 & 6th December, the plan would have been published in the papers for cabinet on 15 December, where it was expected to be be approved, coming to full council on 11 January 2023.

However, all that we have for now is a statement from the council leader in response to a question that I asked at full council on 14 December (starts at 2h 01m in).  As the leader said in his response to my follow up question, decisions will be made in January 2023, so it's make your mind up time!  

On balance, for the reasons the leader stated, I think it is important to get a plan in place, especially as the Water Neutrality problem will significantly reduce planned housing numbers compared with those mandated by central government's Standard Methodology.  Whilst the drafts I have seen are, to my taste, not tough enough with regard to housing build standards (relying too much on central government methodology) and sustainable travel provision, I believe that there is enough there to work with and take forward.