Having just caught up with the Queen's Speech, some thoughts:
- Enshrining the #LevellingUp missions in law is the right approach, but that's one thing and ensuring that the conditions are in place to embed them is another. Legislation is only one piece of the puzzle.
- Enshrining the #LevellingUp missions in law is the right approach, but that's one thing and ensuring that the conditions are in place to embed them is another. Legislation is only one piece of the puzzle.
- It's not entirely clear whether banning authorities from adopting strategies that involve boycotting, as Lancaster has done to Israeli goods, will have an impact on council action in relation to Russian services. I suspect it won't but authorities may need clarity.
- Giving communities a say over street names is a third order priority, but names are symbolic signifiers of place in my view. They tell stories and provide a 'spatial membership'. I quite like the idea but it's going to do zilch for the cost of living crisis or #LevellingUp.
- Names are also socially constructed and temporally bound. I see two implications with this. First, a small minority may wield a disproportionate amount of power over street naming. Second, the meaning behind such names will be lost as people move in and move on.
- My final thought is that I remain sceptical about the high street reforms. They're appealing, but similar initiatives have demonstrated that cracking the high street question requires a multi-pronged approach.
It's also worth flagging that despite a good deal of criticism, alfresco dining is popular amongst locals. This is from Westminster City Council last year: 
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
