[Part of my report into that strange day - 26th June 2007 - index]

Enquiry in Public into the Regional Spatial Strategy

You'll probably look at that title and say "Eh?" and "WHAT?". The Regional Spatial Strategy has been prepared by the South West Regional Authority as a plan for where the part of the country from Swidndon to Penzance, and all points between, should be going for the next 20 years. With a wide variety of opinions, the Enquiry in Public is being held in Exeter, with a panel of 4 examiners taking inputs from pre-signed-up interested parties, the SWRA representative having a chance to come back at the end of each sub-section to comment.

The RSS document itself is a hefty tome, and appears to be so generalised as to be incomprehensible at times. But in fact it's full of tightly worded paragraphs which I have no doubt may be quoted back and referred to as policy in the coming decades ... as in "we can't do that because it's not allowed by the regional policy" to some sensible ideas. So distant, general and obtuse but perhaps worth some effort.

But what an expense and effort is the "EIP"! Some 100 people were in that room in the Poshest Hotel in the centre of Exeter. Around 30 were seated at the square table - the examiners across one end, and other bodies down the sides and across the opposite end. And rows of seats behind allowed other briefers to observer and talk to their representatives during sessions.

I was there at the invitation of the a group who are opposed to current plans for a bypass to the east of Westbury (their informaion) to answer a single question, worded as follows: "Does the draft RSS give adequate weight to the contribution that the existing rail network might make to the reduction in car travel, particularly in the Bristol area".

There were 7 such questions scheduled for the afternoon, and this was the third one. And the afternoon already started 20 minutes late after a morning over-run. Two questions had been discussed and there was just a few minutes left until what I had been assured would be the finishing time, but the session chair carried on never the less, asking everyone to be brief, and postponing the remaining questions to the following day.

How did I do? Frankly, I don't know. It's one of those scenarios where everyone is looking to score points with the inspectors. I do know that nearly everyone one who spoke - every single person but with one exception - stated that the RS draft did NOT make such adequate weight. How could it possible do so when three of the regions's railways (including that from Swindon via Melksham to Westbury) had been left off the maps? When talk of investment in the plan was non-explicit in transport modes and talked about improvements as if they were to be road only? But the technical / transport stuff is a subject for elsewhere. (draft of my comments)

I was struck by the organisaion and cost of the enquiry. This was just one afternoon on 10 weeks of public hearings - 50 days. So that's 5000 man-days. About a half of those were civil servants / public sector employes of some sort, paid for out of my taxes and yours. Few of them (if any) will live very close to the hotel in Exeter, so many are commuting long distances or staying over. Let's say that a civil servant "place" costs 200 pounds a day for his / her salary, plus a further 150 a day for hotel and subsistance or travel. So that's the best part of a million pounds for the civil servant part of the audience.

But that's only a tiny part of the cost, isn't it? The civil servants are all prepared and briefed, aren't they? I would guess at one day in their office / preparing for each day at "the show". And I would estimate that there's a further team member back at base, putiing in the same time, for each one on the stand.

I wonder how much that room costs to hire? I know I paid 1.50 for a cup of instant coffee during the afternoon break so it was NOT all a freebie (but I have no doubt that those present at public expense will claim back!). And looking wider, the drawing up, printing of the RSS and all the other activities probably make this EIP pale in cost into insignificance. I really hope it's worth it; I utterly appreciate the need for a strategy going forward, but I really wonder at the methodology.

Partial list of organistions attending ...

Government Office South West
Regional Development Authority
Highways Agency (but no rail equivalent noted)
South West Regional assembly
South East Strategic Authorities
North East Strategic Authorities
West of England Strategic Authorities
Somerset and Devon Strategic Authorities
Pensinsula Stratrgic Authorities
Confedearion of British Industry
Pegasus Planning
Poole Harbour Commissioners
Bristol Ports Authority
Campaign for the Protection of Rural England
Transport 2000
Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways
Westbury Bypass Alliance
Bristol Civic Society
Friends of the Earth
Natural Enland
SW Chamber of Rural Transport
Campaign against South Bristol Ringroad
(written 2007-06-27)

 Z300 - Politics and Religion
  [216] Cheap purchase - votes paid for with selfish promises - (2005-02-15)
  [257] Politics gets nasty. Must be an election coming up. - (2005-03-25)
  [280] Spotted - the local MP - (2005-04-15)
  [289] MP for Devizes, Wiltshire - (2005-04-23)
  [301] General Election day, UK - (2005-05-05)
  [313] Making bona fide international marriages more difficult - (2005-05-16)
  [326] UK Tax payment totals and where the money is spent - (2005-05-27)
  [335] Sad priorities - (2005-06-03)
  [377] A Strengthened City - (2005-07-14)
  [384] Managing conflict and disappointment - (2005-07-20)
  [415] Campaign Drift and efficiency. - (2005-08-15)
  [469] Yesterday was Kiss and Ride - (2005-10-19)
  [505] Would you steal ... petrol? ... a training course? - (2005-11-26)
  [539] rich and famous - (2005-12-23)
  [602] MP face to face - (2006-02-12)
  [607] On being British - (2006-02-14)
  [671] Both ends of the animal - (2006-04-05)
  [674] Wiltshire to get an extra MP - (2006-04-07)
  [682] Iran has enriched uranium ... - (2006-04-12)
  [696] Is than an uphill or downhill task? - (2006-04-23)
  [750] Almost everyone loses - (2006-06-07)
  [780] Separation and Integration - (2006-06-27)
  [875] Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones - (2006-09-22)
  [967] Realistic on line shoot'em up - (2006-12-05)
  [1003] Room at the Inn, Guy at the station - (2006-12-21)
  [1060] What a relief from the tax office. - (2007-02-01)
  [1109] False imprisonment - a contrast from the news - (2007-03-15)
  [1135] Government pressure on me to shut up after I make the papers - (2007-04-05)
  [1175] Local elections - choosing who to vote for - (2007-05-03)
  [1260] An inspirational business talk from one of our prospective MPs - (2007-07-06)
  [1350] FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) Western Region - (2007-09-13)
  [1386] New software product for warmblooded programmers - (2007-10-10)
  [1428] Travel Across Wiltshire - the game - (2007-11-11)
  [1526] Carers at work - court case changes - (2008-02-01)
  [1573] Budget tax increases hit vehicle market - (2008-03-14)
  [1579] Rome, and the faith of Rome - (2008-03-17)
  [1729] Back from the future - (2008-07-30)
  [1769] July child ponders on August children - (2008-08-23)
  [1872] Barack Obama wins US Predidency - (2008-11-05)
  [1881] Wiltshire Council says - part 1 - (2008-11-13)
  [1882] Wiltshire Council says - part 2 - (2008-11-14)
  [1987] One Cheer for Local Democracy - Asda in Melksham - (2009-01-11)
  [2012] The Wiltshire Police - (2009-01-29)
  [2028] Things people say on the phone - (2009-02-06)
  [2075] Supporting Parkinsons and Trains - (2009-03-11)
  [2178] Melksham Candidates for Wiltshire Unitary Election - (2009-05-12)
  [2206] Spot the odd one out - (2009-05-29)
  [2257] Ramblings on church and state linkage in Melksham - (2009-06-25)
  [2270] Wiltshire - a chance to improve life for everybody - (2009-07-05)
  [2279] Understanding the new local government structure in Wiltshire - (2009-07-11)
  [2288] Wiltshire Community Area Partnerships - (2009-07-15)
  [2353] All change - Wiltshire Parliamentary - (2009-08-13)
  [2640] How is your tax pound spent? - (2010-02-18)
  [2689] Can my dog eat potatoes? Doggie Dietary Research, and political sleaze! - (2010-03-23)
  [2712] A more informed decision than ever before - (2010-04-08)
  [2740] Melksham Hustings at George Ward School - (2010-04-26)
  [2752] Voting day - UK General Election - (2010-05-06)
  [2757] Bodicea, Lincoln, and our new MP - (2010-05-09)
  [2792] Should Government compete with private industry? - (2010-06-03)
  [2824] A pint of Black Rat, and a lazy barman - (2010-06-25)
  [2856] Two sides of the coin - (2010-07-06)
  [2864] Changing with weather and seasons - (2010-07-10)
  [2870] Old prices - what would the equivalent price have been in 1966? - (2010-07-14)
  [2948] Melksham shamefully makes the national headlines - (2010-09-07)
  [2971] Should the public sector compete with businesses? and other deep questions - (2010-09-26)
  [3051] Positively reforming the system - could it be done? - (2010-11-14)
  [3264] Alternative Vote (AV) - explaining and an example - (2011-04-25)
  [3313] What does our MP do on a Bank Holiday? - (2011-05-30)
  [3323] Is Melksham town centre dying? - (2011-06-11)
  [3325] The Olympic Torch, and Melksham House - (2011-06-14)
  [3438] Melksham to become a part of Trowbridge? - (2011-09-13)
  [3592] Are we one man, one vote? No, and we never have been. - (2012-01-26)
  [3676] Rising prices, changing habits and society - (2012-03-31)
  [3806] 2011 Census results - initial figures for Wiltshire. - (2012-07-17)
  [3845] Good cause giving - getting the charity beggars off the street - (2012-08-21)
  [3905] How should we choose our Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner? - (2012-10-27)
  [3921] On rememberance, on war, and on preventing the war cycle - (2012-11-11)
  [4079] Melksham Area - Unitary Council results, May 2013 - (2013-05-04)
  [4223] Democracy - alive and well with the beauty pagent starting up again - (2013-12-16)
  [4275] Eurpoean Elections, and other elections ahead. Some thoughts on campaigns and policies - (2014-05-08)
  [4286] Reaction in Radstock to new First bus prices - (2014-07-12)
  [4343] Politics and the railway the connects Wiltshire - (2014-12-06)
  [4354] Wiltshire Police - assuming someone is guilty just on the say-so of a member of the public? - (2014-12-16)
  [4476] Upcoming election - Chippenham Constituency - the major candidates compared - (2015-04-29)
  [4485] Misusing statistics? - the seedy side of election campaigning - (2015-05-04)
  [4489] Election results - what if we had a party list system? - (2015-05-08)
  [4548] Melksham - two small townships, or one big one? - (2015-10-22)
  [4597] Not standing as your local councillor - (2015-12-18)
  [4614] PC Plod - alive and scaremongering in Wiltshire? - (2016-01-04)
  [4625] Where does Wiltshire bus subsidy money come from? - (2016-01-19)
  [4720] Celebrating our diversity rather than discriminating for it - (2016-11-02)
  [4725] Writing Python 2 such that Python 3 is easy - (2016-11-06)
  [4729] The oldest part of Los Angeles - (2016-11-23)
  [4734] Thoughts on the new Blackmore Ward of Melksham Without Parish - (2017-02-22)
  [4735] Revisiting - should I stand for Melksham Without Parish Council in May? - (2017-02-24)

Back to An oddball day. Strange experiences!

Previous and next or Horse's mouth home

Forward to How NOT to oversell a hotel

Substitute operator / modifiers in Perl
Business speed networking - a place tonight!
Is this how to run a business for businesses?
How NOT to oversell a hotel
An afternoon at a public enquiry
An oddball day. Strange experiences!
Ensuring that our tutor answers YOUR questions
FolksFest Bristol - German beer, Bratwurst and music
Heavy duty hole punch
Speaking at St. Catherine's College, Oxford University