Our twitter account TTMarlb is being followed by @localworks

It was very flattering to see we are catching some attention of the sustainable community action groups... Our twitter account http://twitter.com/TTMarlb was "followed" by http://twitter.com/Local_Works

See http://www.localworks.org/ which is Promoting and campaigning on the Sustainable Communities Act, possibly the most radical new law that our country has seen in over a century. A 1100 Town and Parish Councils have signed up to this set of principals, as a local town councillor I will be taking this to our next planning meeting for discussion, tell me what YOU think! The proposal is a modest and reasonable suggestion for the government to amend planning guidance in a way that would help locally elected decision makers.

In summary, the proposal is to require applicants of major developments to:

- attend a meeting of the local Town or Parish Council, or of a duly called Town Meeting, to answer questions on the application for development; and

- fund the council or duly called town meeting to commission an independent report on the application and critique of any reports that the applicant has submitted in support of the application for development.

The rationale is that local elected representatives and local people should be making their decision on whether an application should go ahead based on the best evidence, and this would help ensure that evidence was available.

Read the full proposal and rationale here.

As a community we can use this act to ensure any new development is sustainable and fitting for the town. As I said have read and tell me what you think!