Urmi, Olivia and I would like to wish everyone including our friends and family near and far a
very Happy Christmas.
It has been a very busy, but enjoyable year including celebrating Olivia’s first birthday and graduating from University with a Law Degree.
Hoping that you all have a wonderful Christmas as we remember the true meaning of Christmas and give thanks for what we have and think of those less fortunate.
One area of housing that is frequently overlooked and that could help significantly with the urgent and pressing housing crisis – is local connection housing.
What is local connection housing you may ask? Typically it is development on what is known as an ‘Exception Site’ and provides an opportunity for landowners and developers of affordable housing to build houses in areas where planning permission for such development would not usually be considered. Those with a local connection are placed at the front of the queue.
Such developments usually consist of about 10 to 25 dwellings and which is determined by local need. Local planning authorities are increasingly relaxing their policies in respect of exception site development. This is being influenced by guidance contained within the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which the Government issued recently.
Local connection is all about your links to an area. Typically to be able to apply for local connection housing you must meet one of the following criteria;
(1) You live in the area.
(2) You have close family in the area.
(3) You work in the area.
But can also including having a connection with the area for another special reason.
The last government put protections in place through secondary legislation to ensure that members of the Armed Forces were not disqualified from social housing through a local connection or a residency test.
Many people trapped with no realistic hope of having a local home. Trapped because they cannot afford to buy or rent and at the same time do not have a sufficient priority on the council housing waiting list. All too many people fall through this gap in provision and why I believe local connection housing is so important.
In my own District Ward of Waterbeach we have seen two local connection housing schemes come forward in recent years. One through a Housing Association. The other was significant as it came about due to South Cambridgeshire District Council setting up a limited company called Ermine Street Housing.
I say this is significant as it now means councils can be an additional provider of local connection homes. This of course means that local connection housing can be provided without always the need for an ‘exception site’ be required.
I saw for myself the dream come true for many in my community and we must make sure local government takes advantage of these opportunities wherever possible.
Today is Small Business Saturday. The idea of Small Business Saturday was first conceived
in the United States of America by American Express three years ago. So the idea has crossed the pond and not a moment too soon.
Why is it so important? With the growing competition from supermarkets, high street chains and online; times have never been tougher for independent business. Pictured left: Opening Waterbeach Post Office.
An interesting fact is that shopping locally keeps more of your spend in the local economy. Research shows that for every £100 spent in a local business, £68 is likely to stay in the community, as opposed to just £43 when spent in a chain.
In my community of Waterbeach this message is so important. Since the barracks closed we have worked hard to put the local economy back on the right track. Personally I have always been committed to doing everything I can to help. Including the ‘Shop Local’ scheme. Pictured right: with Lucy Frazer MP and Janice from JB’s Hair Salon.
In addition to chairing the ‘Shop Local’ business summit at South Cambridgeshire District Council (as pictured) The external business organisations commented on how unique it was to see such a
sustained ‘Shop Local’ campaign in a community. From the summit the District Council made Waterbeach a pilot for their rural economic strategy.
Small business and shops are a vital part of a community – so don’t forget – support your independents today!
I was delighted to formally open Waterbeach Post Office at the Village Stores at the
weekend. The new owners of the Village Stores has rejuvenated the shop and the addition of the Post Office will only surely help.
The Post Office move was prompted by the national modernisation programme that is taking place across the country. One of the fundamental aims is to ensure that smaller Post Offices survive by merging with an existing shop. The Village Stores coming forward to run the Post Office was very welcome as it was becoming clear that the Post Office on its own would not
be viable.
The Post Office network have over 11,500 branches across the UK. During this and the last Parliament nearly £2billion was committed to make sure there is no programme of Post Office closures and to update branches;
The transformation is to also ensure modern, easily accessible Post Office branches with longer opening hours.
The very best of luck to the new home of the Waterbeach Post Office.
