There is much to unpack from yesterday's House of Commons Public Accounts Committee hearing discussing UK rail reform. The Committee heard from the top brass in Network Rail and the Department for Transport (DfT) about their plans to transform the governance of the UK railways, primarily through the Great British Railways transformation team - although … Continue reading Actions not words needed on rail accessibility
A common theme running through tragedies such as Horizon, Grenfell and Hillsborough is the nauseating confidence and casual indifference shown by those responsible. So from where does this confidence originate? I believe it is a confidence emboldened by several factors: 1: Unequal access to the law - those with the deepest pockets win, and the … Continue reading Fixing the system
From recent evidence, it seems that Central Bedfordshire Council views road markings as a 'nice to have', rather than a vital aspect of road safety. This blog sets how I believe they are misinterpreting research in this area and how their current approach reduces the safety of the roads across Central Bedfordshire. I first raised … Continue reading White Lines (Don’t Do it) feat. Central Beds Council
Hillsborough, Grenfell, Horizon, Windrush, Orgreave, Daniel Morgan Murder, Shrewsbury 24, Undercover Policing, Contaminated Blood Scandal, Phone Hacking, Blacklisting. The list of miscarriages of justice and the abuse of power in the UK is a lengthy one. The victims may not be connected, but this blog will set out the common threads linking these scandals. I … Continue reading From Hillsborough to the Post Office Scandal
The 'Access for All' scheme to improve the accessibility of the UK's train stations was introduced in 2006. To date, it has enabled around 200 stations to become step-free as well as providing other smaller-scale improvements to many more stations. Funding for the rail network is broken down into Control Periods and every five years … Continue reading Access for All – mind the equality gap
The weight of history weighs heavily on the situation in the Middle East. The actions taken by Hamas during their attack on Israel on 7th October were abhorrent. My thoughts are with both the Israeli and Palestinian families who have lost loved ones. There is no valid justification for the killing of innocent civilians or … Continue reading A statement on the Israel – Gaza war
Following my research into how funding received from housing developers is spent in our communities, I posted The secret world of S106 funding blog on my social media. Of course, while social media can be a useful tool, it is no substitute for actually getting in touch with the decision makers directly. As the planning … Continue reading S106 Funding – an open letter to Central Beds Council
One of the most frequent issues that came up on the doorstep while campaigning during the Mid Bedfordshire by-election was the number of housing developments lacking associated infrastructure. Having walked around numerous housing estates over the last few months it seems that developers are permitted to lazily lob in a generic play area and completely … Continue reading The secret world of S106 funding
Rishi Sunak believes that a General Election is "not what anyone wants". After the Tories' disastrous Conference in Manchester, he is in a vanishingly small minority. For Sunak to stand behind a lectern in Manchester emblazoned with the slogan "long-term decisions for a brighter future" while announcing the shelving of the HS2 route to Manchester, … Continue reading Sunak comes off the rails in Manchester
This summer has seen extreme temperatures across the globe, with the UK having the warmest June ever recorded (smashing the previous record by 0.9ºC) and extreme heat across the US, China and Europe, with the ongoing heatwave providing a nightmare vision of the future and wildfires resulting in the evacuation of thousands of UK holidaymaker … Continue reading What lies ahead if we fail on net zero
Julian Vaughan 