I/others have talked a lot about this but it hasnt cut through, so here's a thread on why mandating all new build housing to have solar panels is virtue signalling, when there are far better options that deliver far greater decarbonisation results. #Solar #PV #EnergyCrisis
🧵 First, planning.

Often, builders buy an outline permission from a landowner, meaning they have to satisfy X, Y and Z to get on site. Often, this means the site isn't viable at the terms the landowner achieved.
Builders take that risk but sometimes govt changes regulations.

Here we go, follow @michaelgove taking questions from @luhc committee, right now!
Watch here!
parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/23…

First question from Clive Betts: What does levelling up mean?

Gove says -
Making opportunities more equal across the country. continues....We hope to publish a white paper before Xmas some metrics on how the Government can be judged.

Betts asks - Your department is being tasked with levelling up, can it achieve it?

Gove - Levelling up can only succeed with different solutions in different places.

I'm seeing some express the view that retrofitting old homes may be a false economy as cheap renewable energy, with low/zero carbon heating/cooking solutions will mean it wont matter too much how much energy we use, as long as it's zero carbon.
Let's explore that.
1/14 First, the best energy strategy is lower use; however, as we are moving to an energy future where we stop using fossil fuels, technically, we could not worry about how much we use.
But we still need to, as it will still take some decades to achieve this global ambition.
2/14

The rules state planning should be decided in 13 or 16 weeks, yet this period is rarely met in practice & instead planning can take years; as a Lichfields review examples.
Yet politicians/councils often say planning isnt a barrier to housebuilding so let's test that theory.
1/15 To do this, I'll use 22 Southwark Council projects, citing how long they expect them to go from planning to completion. First, 2 baselines.
Completed - Gatebeck House - 9 social homes - 4 years
In construction - Harper Road – 8 social, 2 genuinely affordable – 3 years so far
2/15

Opposition Day Debate - 'Local involvement in planning decisions' is about to start and can be watched, here: parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/51…, as well as on the BBC Parliament channel.
A thread about what members have said (and some opinions)
#HousingCrisis Steve Reed MP is up, suggesting that local government and local people will lose the ability to object to planning applications (not true btw & nothing released yet).
An intervention sees Mr Reed cite 1million unbuilt homes. (he's wrong).
builtplace.com/digging-deeper…

If you're using #ToryRacism, this thread may be for you.
It won't tell you the hows/whys of good policy, which is how we end injustice (party politics won't) but it might help you think more deeply about your POV.

I'll begin by using my own ignorant hashtag. #LabourRacism
1) When looking at English & Welsh arrests per 1,000 people, a clear trend has emerged since 2006/07.
All ethnicities have seen a considerable drop, particularly in the black community, which has seen 34,201 fewer arrests.
Welcome statistics.
2)