Business gets a friend in the South

Dec 24 2010 Constructing Excellence with Catriona Lingwood, The Journal

FOR a South of England born and raised MP, representing a southern constituency and having served as a London Assembly member and on the Greater London Council, Bob Neill could easily be mistaken for someone who may not have much of an eye for the North.

But the planning minister’s comments in defence of the Localism Bill suggest otherwise.

Indeed, fears that incentives such as matching council tax benefits and allowing local authorities to keep business rates raised would not be enough incentive for more affluent councils were discharged with a nod to the North.

His response was that the legislation may have the “benign effect” of spurring development in the North, rather than the South, and that it was “just one of a number of things that will help remove barriers to development outside of the South East”.

Mr Neill also said “provincial centres” would be put in the driving seat by such things as the Local Enterprise Partnerships and the Regional Growth Fund.

What is this? A Tory who could end up more popular with businesses in the North than in the South East?

Let’s not get carried away, though. I doubt the Conservatives would sweep to outright victory on the back of a Northern revolution if a General Election was called tomorrow.

There is a refreshing feel about it all, though, even if some of the detail, such as what exactly will be the definition of “neighbourhood”, is still a bit sketchy or simply disliked.

“Neighbourhoods” will be charged with agreeing what gets built in their areas and developers fear that this will burden small projects with the sort of in-depth, detailed consultation that is currently only required on major regeneration schemes.

The additional cost of having to talk with community organisations is a particular point of annoyance.

Some critics say the Bill will not, or is unlikely to work. Others have described it as “naive”, while some say localism would not be the panacea that Government thought.

The Localism Bill is not going to be universally seen as a Government masterstroke any time soon.

However I, for one, have to at least applaud the suggestion that the North is being put before our cousins in the South East.

Let’s see if it works out that way in the long run.

Catriona Lingwood, chief executive of Constructing Excellence in the North East