Deep in the Government’s new integrated transport strategy is a truth at odds with the rhetoric you hear in the media: driving a car has gotten cheaper in real terms, while public transport has gotten more expensive. The Government is also clear that this will mean more traffic and more congestion.

Just need to start getting a move on to tackle emissions from transport and heating. Heating bit more of a challenge but we should be going all out to electrify surface transport as rapidly as we can (the Govt has weakened regs on supplying EVs, and is yet to get going on regs for HGVs).

Last guidance on Local Transport Plans (which are statutory) was (I think) in 2009: webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/201105... Quite a wait...

A good year for us to have chosen a holiday in Scotland by sleeper train this summer. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Government's new transport strategy has been published, including publication of long long delayed local transport plan guidance. Very much Louise Haigh's thing but hopefully will still create change on the ground. www.gov.uk/government/n...

This news story makes me think of this piece that me and @rosegrayston.bsky.social published a few weeks ago that looked at the current govt's housebuilding agenda and whether it's approach is working

Council housing must be at the heart of any strategy to fix the housing crisis. Chris Hinchliff MP writes for the APPG for Council and Social Housing on why the Group has launched a new inquiry 👇

"That’s deregulation for you. It’s yet another instance of successive governments’ bizarrely lopsided version of “fiscal discipline”, which counts the costs of action, but not the costs of inaction." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

£100+m for organisations enabling more walking and cycling from Active Travel England - including £1m for active travel schemes for ports and airports. www.activetravelengland.gov.uk/news/cycle-t...

This is a good comprehensive look at how dual-door buses speed up bus networks: clondoner92.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-... Bus use is growing in cities outside London but need to look at issues like this to keep growing beyond the initial gains from cities taking over control of the network.

Report from the last government's call for evidence on traffic penalties is out today (part of their Plan for Drivers). Most councils don't really make much surplus on these - except for "moving traffic offences" (eg school streets), and even there emphasis on warnings first before using PCNs.

Interesting walk earlier following in the footsteps of Charles Booth's investigators around Deptford/New Cross, led by drjohnprice.net. Some remnants remain from the 1890s - this stable building on Stanley Street just about remaining standing

Our banner from today's Together march. Felt like it had a very disparate set of messages to keep every group on board, and turnout didn't seem quite as big as I expected. But a start at least...

Stage 3 of north downs way today. Box Hill's 275 steep steps up from Dorking a good workout to clear out any lingering Covid and cold bugs from your lungs

Putting Sadiq in the Lords would be a bit weird when the Government is currently legislating to ban Mayors from also sitting in Parliament (in English Devolution Bill).

Spring at last

Proposed trail hunting ban - will be interesting to see how Labour use this in any campaigning against Reform UK, given Farage's pro-hunting views. (Farage in 2015: "The countryside is farming, hunting, fishing, shooting, conservation") www.gov.uk/government/c...

"To help restore people’s pride in their communities, the government is today also giving the green light to a further 16 road schemes" Nice new by-pass top of my list for what would make me proud of my community, obvs. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Headline doesn't quite match the content: "Where policy impacts a wide range of complex groups, consultations are necessary and helpful, and government will always ensure that proposed plans come under the necessary scrutiny." www.gov.uk/government/n...

Tomorrow is last day before parliamentary recess, plus central govt purdah kicks in during Easter holiday. So a busy day of announcements. Written statements below (including likely "blocker bashing" from ministers on mega-solar, new roads, stopping cllrs rejecting planning applications).

Should all contrails be avoided? A new study argues it’s less effective to avoid all contrail formation, and instead, action should be taken to target the percentage of flights that are expected to cause significant amounts of warming contrails. 1/3 www.greenairnews.com?p=8724

The first of four amendments to the English Devolution Bill on improving how new strategic authorities consider rural areas was debated in the Lords yesterday. Pretty big defeat for government.

The English Devolution Bill is back in the Lords today for its report stage. After missing the committee stage due to the focus on the National Planning Policy Framework consultation, I've written a briefing for peers from the Better Planning Coalition. Main points...(1/)

CPRE quoted in a Government press release. World turned upside down. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Panorama on tough times for hospitality sector. Included a chef who is leaving working in a cafe to retrain as a bus driver, which is pretty much what govt is after in its economic strategy. Not so good for your local town centre though. www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

Interesting reading through the list of new towns and the much longer initial list of possibles. Chancellor's quote in the press release again has a go at the planning system but the barriers to delivery are mix of issues like funding transport infrastructure (hello, HMT!) and very hard constraints.

Thread from @luketryl.bsky.social on More in Common's polling to support the new Nature=Future campaign from @nationaltrust. Rachel Reeves is probably the Cabinet member most clearly positioning development v nature.

"Built for the future from the ground up". As opposed to built for the past from the roof down? What does this actually mean?! www.gov.uk/government/n...

National Trust's asks from their new Nature=Future campaign

Great to see the Nature=Future campaign being launched today by the National Trust. First big public campaign* by NT since the campaign against the initial proposals for the NPPF back in 2011. www.itv.com/news/2026-03...

"It is clear that coastal erosion is not simply an environmental or planning issue. It is a crossgovernment challenge [and needs] a coordinated response" (New Defra select committee report) Climate change is already impacting UK society. committees.parliament.uk/committee/52...

Charities - how are your reserves looking? news.sky.com/story/iran-w...

Pretty disappointing from Conservative shadow minister in climate change debate: Yes, climate change exists. No, we're not going to propose doing anything about it. And we'll oppose anything that gives a priority to tackling emissions. hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026...

This is the 1926 Act that repealed final bans on public expressions of Catholic faith, prompted by an attempt to stop a celebration of Corpus Christi in Scotland. Maybe 100 year anniversary could be an opportunity to bring faiths together? @sundersays.bsky.social en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_C...

"This is a country that has always tolerated minority faiths". Hmm. Much of this attitude to Muslims praying in public is similar to attitudes to anti-Catholicism in C19. Priests weren't allowed to wear vestments in public and in 1850s government tried to enforce a ban on Catholic processions.

Planning applications down by 4% since the Government's changes to the National Planning Policy Framework and new higher housing targets in 2024. www.gov.uk/government/s...

My briefing back at the start of the English Devolution Bill parliamentary process called for changes to the Bill to strengthen scrutiny, so pleased to see this now picked up in Govt amendments at almost the last stage of the Bill. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Some good news this morning. Impressive achievement, including allowing for the path to adapt to coastal change (accelerated by climate change) www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

STICK IT ON A FIVE POUND NOTE

Just on this... These principles aren't (yet) part of how sub-regional spatial development strategies or Local Plans so won't be part of how those plans are actually assessed. Would be good to see the final NPPF more clearly incorporate these principles.

And here is the land use framework: www.gov.uk/government/p...

Very welcome headline measure from the land use framework. Look forward to seeing what the rest of it says when published later today. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Costs of mortgages rise - likely to push down on willingness to pay and therefore effective demand for new homes. Plus we've had rising construction costs. Housebuilders prioritise margins and constrain supply of new homes to maintain price & avoid risks. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

"A great economy cannot be built upon a weak society." Will Hutton on his new Escaping the State We’re In pamphlet observer.co.uk/news/columni...

2026 version Reeves' Mais lecture: "The reality [is] that globalization as we once knew it, is dead"

Great to see our analysis for @greenpeaceuk.bsky.social cited in the Times. If we'd acted post crisis to break the link between gas and electricity our bills could be £5.8bn lower this year, factoring in the American attack on Iran. www.thetimes.com/article/b6e3...

No hares! Bats at only 4%! What's wrong with people?

Defra issued new strategic policy statements for the Environment Agency & Natural England last week, pushing them to prioritise economic growth. There are a number of questions to raise on this...(1/)

Ten year pipeline for zero emission buses - more than 23,000 over next ten years. Hopefully should help UK bus makers plan for the opportunities from decarbonising public transport. (from www.gov.uk/government/p...)

Reading Government's response to the Fingleton Review again. Much seems to be about transferring various risks from nuclear industry and developers to the state. Obvs industry would love that but doesn't necessarily follow that the state itself is always best able to manage those risks. Discuss...