Is there a North/South divide?
It depends perhaps on whom you happen to talk to. But for many of us it has been obvious for some while that this divide exists for the Government and for the deputy Prime Minister in particular.
Look at some examples. Take funding for local councils as a start point.
There is something called formula funding, which is basically a way the government intends to allocate money to councils. At the moment nothing has been finalised, but there is a signalled intention to give less money to the 'rich' south, and more to the 'poor' north.
The fact that Medway - like so many other councils in the south - is already underfunded has little bearing on things it seems. More money is needed for the north, and as huge areas of the north vote Labour...................
Only the cynic would suggest that a Labour government is intending to give more money to the labour heartlands in the north and less to the predominately conservative south!!
But what would that money be spent on? Not housing it seems.
Another plan from the Deputy PM is to increase housing build in the south-east by some 200,000 properties, whilst leaving vast numbers of empty homes in the north to remain derelict.
An allocation for the southeast of anything like 200,000 extra homes will need greenfield sites to be built on. This means that in an increasingly crowded and frantic southeast our precious green spaces will disappear ever faster.
But what of the empty homes in the north?
Well the deputy PM also has a plan for that it seems. Homes will be knocked down and green spaces will be created in their place!
So here it seems we have the plan for the social re-engineering of this country. More homes and people in the south - with fewer green spaces and less government money.
Fewer people sharing more money, and with more green spaces in the north.
It is a bizarre little story, and if created by a fiction writer it would be amusing. The sad thing it is not fiction, but a reflection of the latest intelligence going the rounds in the financial and planning circles of local government.