Nick Cuff: There are alternatives to expanding Heathrow

On the day that Gordon Brown will give the go ahead for a third runway at Heathrow Nick Cuff argues that expansion of smaller regional airports - Southend, Lydd, Shoreham, Biggin Hill and Kent International - should be considered as alternative strategy. Nick is a Councillor in the London Borough of Wandsworth.

There is no doubt that the South East needs to expand its airport capacity following the sharp growth of air travel.  This increase is set to continue, with the Department of Transport anticipating UK demand to grow from 228 million passenger movements in 2005, to 490 million by 2030. 

However, forecasts can be disputed, after all economics is not an exact science.  Many would argue that the Government’s figures are wildly optimistic.  However, most would not dispute that air passenger volume will continue to rise.  Like it or not, we cannot ignore the economic need for further expansion if the economy is to remain competitive.

The problem with current policy is not its support for aviation growth.  The problem is where that growth should be directed within the South East.  The 2003 White Paper on aviation boxed the Government into further expansion at Heathrow and Stansted. 

The Paper spent a good deal of time ruling out all other alternations.  In the South East, the creation of a new hub airport from scratch was rejected because capital costs were thought to be prohibitive. 

The Paper also briefly considered increasing the volume of traffic at smaller regional hubs.  Whilst it supported expansion in principle, little detail was given - the clear focus was elsewhere.  In essence the Government’s line was: great if it happens, but not too bothered if not.

Chris Skidmore, Nick Cuff and Charlotte Leslie: The Invisible Children

"Invisible Children" is the first part of the Bow Group’s "Invisible Nation" series. The research report, to be published in full tomorrow, uncovers the thousands of ‘The Invisible Children’ who never make it to the league tables.

It is ten years since Tony Blair made education his priority in government. An entire generation of pupils have passed through school under Labour’s watch. Pupils who were in the first year of primary school in May 1997 finished their GCSEs last summer. So, has every child mattered?

It is well known that over half of all pupils do not gain five good GCSEs including a grade C in either maths or English. This is the standard that the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority advises pupils need to function as citizens.

Nick Cuff: A nasty dose of centralism

Nick Cuff is a Councillor in the London Borough of Wandsworth and works in public policy. 

The New Labour Project can be diagnosed as having contracted a nasty case of constitutional imbalance.  Among its symptoms are a series of recent political controversies concerning schoolteacher appointments, prisoner releases, and frayed lines of accountability in the NHS. Aneurin Bevan once claimed upon creating the NHS that "not a single bedpan should fall on a hospital floor without the clatter being heard in Whitehall".  In today’s Whitehall, add to that claim the dropping of a school book, the shutting of a prison gate, and the siren of a panda car and you have a good picture of how centralised governance in this country has become. 

In 2000/1, the Public Administration Select Committee published a report: Mapping the Quango State.  This showed 5,338 officially recognised local public bodies, in comparison with 4,732 in the mid-1990s.  This was in addition to the 295 new task forces and 2,295 new partnerships, boards of zones and cross-sectoral bodies which they documented.  At the same time, adding and complementing this proliferation of executive agencies was the creation of hundreds of Whitehall targets compelling Town Halls to meet pre-determined goals. 

This state of affairs has a withering effect on the vibrancy of democracy and in particular, local democracy.  It harms lines of accountability and transparency which impacts negatively on voting participation.  It is both costly and bureaucratic and finally, it attacks the very principle of small Government that Conservatives hold dear. 

In a recent YouGov survey commissioned by the LGiU, 66% of the public said that councils’ main priorities should be decided by elected, local representatives.  When asked whether a council’s performance should be judged by local voters or by government inspectors, three quarters opted for the former and only 13% were comfortable with Government inspectors scrutinising services.  People want a say over the services they receive at the ground level.  They want clear lines of accountability and transparency.  And yet, the Government’s response is to consider a reorganisation of councils into much larger units.