There comes a moment in every local local government saga when the spreadsheets begin to twitch, the meeting minutes start to shift uncomfortably in their folders, and the once-confident PowerPoint warriors develop an unexpected fondness for the phrase “commercially sensitive.” For Cornovii, that moment is now Because while Shropshire Council continues its noble tradition ofContinue reading “Cornovii Part 3 – When the Paper Trail Starts to Sweat”
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Cornovii: Behind Closed Doors
Transparency? Not under this council’s watch It began, as all grand civic delusions do, with a glossy brochure, a slogan, and a promise too good to question. Cornovii was to be Shropshire Council’s redemption — a home-building miracle that would prove local government could outwit the private sector. What it became instead was a textbookContinue reading “Cornovii: Behind Closed Doors”
Cornovii: Building Success? Or Just Building Debt?
Cornovii: The Council That Built a Company, Hid the Books, and Lost the Architects Since 2020, Shropshire Council’s Housing Supervisory Board has met more than a dozen times to discuss Cornovii. Each meeting began with the same ritual: “That the press and public be excluded.” Now the doors are still closed, the loans still rising,Continue reading “Cornovii: Building Success? Or Just Building Debt?”
The Elephant Has Company: Cornovii and the House of Cards
Welcome to Shropshire, where the houses are public, the risks are private, and the only thing commercial is the branding. Let me introduce you to Cornovii Developments Ltd, Cornovii Investments Ltd, and STAR Housing — a trilogy of publicly owned entities with overlapping leadership, shared liabilities, and a striking ability to shuffle assets faster thanContinue reading “The Elephant Has Company: Cornovii and the House of Cards”
Lions Led by Donkeys in Shropshire
Article 4: The Safety Catch They Refuse to Pull Shropshire residents dared to believe their Council might actually protect them. They asked, quite reasonably: “Please, use an Article 4 Direction to stop our town being carved into overcrowded HMOs.” Article 4, for the uninitiated, is dead simple: it takes away the automatic right for landlordsContinue reading “Lions Led by Donkeys in Shropshire”
Snouts First, Public Last
When Pain Was Shared, Not Shelved In 2011, Council Leader Keith Barrow stood at the despatch box and told Shropshire councillors that “there is going to be pain and we should all take our share of it.” He promptly sliced councillors’ allowances by 5%, cut mileage rates, and asked officers to consider reducing the totalContinue reading “Snouts First, Public Last”
Commissioner Watch (3): The Complaints Carousel
Picture this: you’ve been wronged. You summon the courage to complain. You expect justice, or at least daylight. Instead, you’re ushered onto a fairground ride — the Complaints Carousel. It goes round and round, operated by the very people you’re complaining about, while a man in a hi-viz jacket assures you this is accountability. WelcomeContinue reading “Commissioner Watch (3): The Complaints Carousel”
Commissioner Watch (2): The Commissioner’s Purse
If money talks, then in West Mercia it positively shouts. The Police and Crime Commissioner’s office costs a fortune — and for what? Let’s count the purse strings. The Quarter-Million Pound Question Here’s the top of the food chain — the first dip into your council tax purse: • Gareth Boulton – Chief Executive –Continue reading “Commissioner Watch (2): The Commissioner’s Purse”
Police Commissioner – The Biggest Quango You Never See?
Remember the days before 2012, when police oversight was handled by something called the Police Authority? Most people didn’t know who sat on it, but at least it was a committee of councillors and lay members who turned up, shuffled papers, and kept vaguely within budget. Then came the great reform: one elected Police andContinue reading “Police Commissioner – The Biggest Quango You Never See?”
From Dinghy to Dormitory: How our Government and Councils Sold Us Out
The Clown of the Year Moral fibre is no longer optional. Courage is no longer negotiable. And silence is not neutrality—it’s complicity. Welcome to Great Britain — Now With 22 Beds Per Room and No Questions Asked You there — yes, you with the mortgage, the council tax bill, and the quaint belief that localContinue reading “From Dinghy to Dormitory: How our Government and Councils Sold Us Out”
The Alternative Council 