Cornovii Developments Ltd is Shropshire Council’s wholly owned housing company, set up in 2019 amid talk of housebuilding, quality control and financial return. It was presented as a bold instrument of delivery and a sensible bit of municipal enterprise. It has since acquired the more familiar local-government aroma of opacity, mission drift and soothing quarterlyContinue reading “Cornovii and the Comfort Blanket Committee”
Tag Archives: poetry
Shropshire Council’s Financial Strategy: How to Look Solvent While Running Out of Road
The Calm Voice at the Edge of the Cliff There is a particular tone councils adopt when the numbers stop adding up. It is not panic.It is not honesty.It is reassurance. Shropshire Council’s Financial Strategy for 2026–31 is written in that tone. Calm. Managerial. Responsible. The kind of document that wants you to feel thatContinue reading “Shropshire Council’s Financial Strategy: How to Look Solvent While Running Out of Road”
Cowards of the County: Planning by Fear, Silence by Design
This Is What Cowardice Looks Like There is a new planning doctrine stalking Shropshire. It is not written down. It has not been voted on. It comes with no consultation, no mandate, and no courage. It is called Pre‑Emptive Surrender. Its guiding principle is simple: if a developer might win an appeal, fold early, avoidContinue reading “Cowards of the County: Planning by Fear, Silence by Design”
WHY SCRAPPING THE PCC WON’T SAVE US
There comes a moment in every great British farce when you realise the people in charge are no longer even pretending to steer the ship — they’re simply rearranging the deckchairs and congratulating each other on their boldness. That moment arrived the second Westminster announced its latest stroke of governance genius: abolish the one electedContinue reading “WHY SCRAPPING THE PCC WON’T SAVE US”
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”
Rubber Dinghy Diplomacy: Britain’s New National Pastime
Lest we forget: Moral fibre is no longer optional. Courage is no longer negotiable. And silence is not neutrality—it’s complicity. Welcome, one and all, to the United Kingdom — the only country on earth where illegal entry comes with complimentary room service, a welcome pack, and a taxpayer-funded smartphone. You see, some people — let’sContinue reading “Rubber Dinghy Diplomacy: Britain’s New National Pastime”