Tag Archives: grant shapps

Opinion: Boosting housing supply

By Alex Marsh | Published 5th October 2011 - 11:50 am

The Conservatives’ proposal to resuscitate the Right to Buy through increasing discounts appears to be an attempt to bask in some of Mrs Thatcher’s reflected glory. Unlike the 1980s version, though, Mr Cameron and Mr Shapps are emphasizing that each property sold will be matched with a newly built property at “affordable” rent. This is an attempt to head off criticisms that the Right to Buy reduces the supply of “social” housing. So, it would appear, this initiative could lead to a net increase in the housing stock.

Of course, things are never as they first appear. It is not yet …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged david cameron, housing, mike slade, national planning policy framework, right to buy, social housing | 7 Comments

Opinion: Pulling the plug on swimming pools?

By Mary Reid | Published 30th October 2010 - 12:55 pm

Over the last week, we’ve all focussed on welfare issues, tuition fees and housing. The impact of the 7% pa cut in local government funding has yet to register with most of us.

Each council will make its own decisions on how to deal with a total grant reduction of 28% over four years. Coverage will be local, so the public will inevitably blame councillors rather than ministers when popular services disappear.

The media have been, inaccurately, talking about a 28% cut in council budgets (rather than in funding) – it’s not quite as bad as that, although it will still be …

Posted in Local government, Op-eds | Also tagged guest editor | 13 Comments

Councils to be banned from lobbying at party conferences

By Mark Pack | Published 2nd October 2010 - 12:25 pm

PR Week has the story:

‘We are setting out clear rules banning councils using taxpayers’ cash to lobby government and this includes publicity stalls at conferences,’ [Local Government Minister Grant] Shapps said. He also called for councils to disclose how much taxpayers’ money is being spent on overall comms.

Posted in News | Also tagged knowsley council | 9 Comments

Jason Kitcat: update on the councillor facing censure for using YouTube

By Mark Pack | Published 9th September 2010 - 9:00 pm

A quick update on my post about Brighton Green councillor Jason Kitcat, who is facing disciplinary action over putting footage of a council meeting up on YouTube. He’s posted the latest news over on his blog, and it is good to see that he is getting support from across the political spectrum:

ConservativeHome’s local government blog had yesterday posted a supportive piece which Local Government Minister Grant Shapps MP then tweeted a link to, adding his own view:

Surely no justification for reporting a Cllr who seeks to promote openness to the Standards Board

Indeed! The comments on the ConservativeHome piece are

…

Posted in Local government, News, Online politics | Also tagged brighton and hove city council, jason kitcat, john hemming, standards board | Leave a comment

‘Tory new boy apologises for Lib Dem baby rapist comparison’

By Mark Pack | Published 19th March 2009 - 6:20 pm

Headline from the Welwyn & Hatfield Times pretty much says it all, though long-term LDV readers may also be interested in Grant Shapps’s involvement:

A FORMER councillor who branded Liberal Democrat policy as a bigger danger to children than a baby rapist has said sorry.

Sam Smith had caused uproar after posting comments on an internet forum run by Tory MP Grant Shapps.

Posted in Opposition watch | 1 Comment

Grant Shapps plays a by-election blinder

By Mark Pack | Published 20th June 2008 - 2:47 pm

Sit back, kick off your shoes and enjoy a quality piece of political timing.

Day One: Conservative by-election candidate and county councillor John Howell misses two key votes on a proposed so-called eco-town in Oxfordshire.

Day Two: Conservative MP Grant Shapps speaks out against eco-towns in Parliament saying what an important issue it is.

But presumably not important enough for John Howell to turn up and vote on the topic?

Classy timing from Grant Shapps don’t you think?

Posted in Parliamentary by-elections | Also tagged henley by-election | 1 Comment

Eleven Conservative Shadow Ministers benefited from secret donations, including Grant Shapps

By Mark Pack | Published 16th May 2008 - 7:25 am

Hey ho, here’s the story from The Times:

The scale of secret cash links between senior Conservatives and wealthy backers was revealed yesterday after George Osborne was told that he should have declared how his office was being funded. The Shadow Chancellor was the subject of a parliamentary investigation after it emerged that he failed to register almost £500,000 in donations. Donors had given the money to the Conservative Party but asked that it be used to bankroll Mr Osborne.

Ten other Shadow Cabinet ministers have also been benefiting from money channelled from Tory headquarters, the final report of the investigation

…

Posted in Opposition watch, Parliament | Also tagged electoral commission | 18 Comments

I’m not blogging about Grant Shapps…

By Mark Pack | Published 28th April 2008 - 11:44 am

… because I’ve nothing really to add to Alex’s excellent piece, other than to say, “Oh dear BBC, you really did get your story horribly wrong, didn’t you?”

Posted in Online politics | 6 Comments

I wonder if they’ll be asked about their approach to setting computer passwords?

By Mark Pack | Published 12th February 2008 - 10:45 pm

See here.

Posted in Online politics | 2 Comments

Lib Dems surge in Shapps’ constituency

By Sal Brinton | Published 4th January 2008 - 7:50 pm

Watford PPC Sal Brinton brings an account of the excellent Lib Dem performance in Welham Green.

The first by-election of 2008, and the first under Nick Clegg’s Leadership has given us a swing to the Liberal Democrats of 22%, and a very strong second place, in Welham Green, part of Welwyn Hatfield District Council (Grant Shapps MP’s local seat).

The full results were –

Conservative: 539 votes; 41% (67% in 2006); -26% change
Labour: 88 votes; 7% (19% in ’06); -12% change
John Elvy (Liberal Democrat): 484 votes; 37% (15% in ’06); +22 % change
BNP: 214 votes; 16% (n/a ’06); +16% change

John was a strong candidate …

Posted in News | 9 Comments

Has Grant Shapps been coaching Caroline Spelman?

By Mark Pack | Published 29th September 2007 - 4:40 pm

I only ask, because Caroline Spelman has just been on News 24 claiming the Conservatives won eight of the last nine by-elections held on Thursday.

One small problem.

They didn’t.

Make that two, rather than eight.

Another one to add to the list of untrue comments made to the media by the Conservatives (who have, of course, also admitted that you can’t believe what their own candidates say).

Posted in Opposition watch | 1 Comment

Did Grant Shapps lie to Iain Dale?

By Mark Pack | Published 4th August 2007 - 8:55 am

If I were Iain Dale, I’d be feeling either rather foolish or rather cross with Grant Shapps. Why? Well it’s because of the allegations about Liberal Democrats and election poster displays which Grant Shapps persuaded Iain Dale to run on his blog.

Iain wrote at the time:

There must be some rather compelling evidence for Grant Shapps to make this direct accusation.

However, no evidence has ever been provided – although numerous people personally involved in Lib Dem poster campaigns have denied the story (and, to be fair to Iain, several of these denails were published in comments on his blog).

But scratching under the …

Posted in Opposition watch | Also tagged iain dale | 7 Comments

Grant Shapps: another history lesson

By Mark Pack | Published 2nd August 2007 - 12:26 pm

Right, let’s keep this brief. The Welwyn & Hatfield Times (his local newspaper) reports of Grant Shapps MP:

The Welwyn Hatfield MP said it [the Ealing Southall by-election result] was not a total whitewash as the Tories had slightly improved their share of the votes, something which the party had not been able to do for years in a by-election.

Cheadle, 2005; Blaenau Gwent 2006: can you guess what happened to the Conservative vote in both of those? I mean 2006 – that, oh, years and years ago isn’t it?

PS I offer very competitive rates for personal history tuition lessons. Do get in …

Posted in Opposition watch | 10 Comments

It’s official: Tory spokesman admits you can’t trust what their candidates say

By Mark Pack | Published 31st July 2007 - 9:45 am

This has to be one of the most bizarre rebuttals from a Conservative spin doctor in a long, long time (well, at least since the Grant Shapps password incident).

When questioned about David Cameron’s less than flattering comments about gay rights back in 2000 (when he wasn’t yet an MP), a Tory spokesman responded to the New Statesman thus:

But a spokesman tried to brush off the comments. “It was only as a candidate. If you know how politics works you’ll see why being a candidate is different to being an MP,” he said.

In other words – doesn’t matter what you say …

Posted in Opposition watch | 2 Comments

The Sunday papers on the Conservatives

By Mark Pack | Published 29th July 2007 - 7:55 am

Things aren’t getting better:

Anxious Tories turn heat on Cameron

PRESSURE is growing on David Cameron to embark on a shake-up at his party headquarters amid plunging opinion poll ratings … “Nothing is going right at the moment and it is difficult to see a way out of it,” said one insider.
Sunday Times

As Brown soars in the polls, a split opens up between Cameron and his Shadow Chancellor

The first signs of a split between David Cameron and George Osborne emerged as the Conservatives blamed each other for Gordon Brown’s surge in the polls … But there was undisguised fury …

Posted in Opposition watch | 11 Comments

Tag Archives: grant shapps

Anxious Tories turn heat on Cameron

As Brown soars in the polls, a split opens up between Cameron and his Shadow Chancellor

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