Richard Hebditch
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richard.hebditch.org
Richard Hebditch
@richard.hebditch.org
880 followers 510 following 2.2K posts
I'm a board member of London TravelWatch & coordinator of the Better Planning Coalition. Previously: charities streets transport heritage environment philanthropy
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richard.hebditch.org
Government is asking its industrial strategy council for advice on '“creative destruction” of lower-productivity firms" and shift to its favoured sectors in the industrial strategy. Bad luck hospitality sector!
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/696794...
January 14, 2026 at 2:10 PM
richard.hebditch.org
Government promising to introduce legislation to bring international aviation (and shipping) into UK carbon budgets by this summer.
(From its response to EAC report on aviation, published today)
January 12, 2026 at 8:25 AM
richard.hebditch.org
Interesting preference from Labour voters to forming coalition with Lib Dems over Greens. Presumably many left-wing Labour voters already switched allegiance and backing Greens.
January 8, 2026 at 10:40 AM
richard.hebditch.org
Reform are ahead but not my much and most parties in close range of each other so coalition v likely.

But YouGov today shows unpopularity of all combinations.
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...
Chart showing Britons more likely to oppose than support any of the potential coalitions polled
January 8, 2026 at 10:35 AM
richard.hebditch.org
Next election and government formation could be chaos.

More in Common MRP poll on Monday suggested that "most constituencies are won with less than 35 per cent of the vote".
www.moreincommon.org.uk/latest-insig...
A creaking first-past-the-post system The projected scenario would upend the political status quo - with six parties having meaningful representation in Westminster. Remarkably, Reform’s projected majority is based on winning just 31 per cent of votes nationally - the most disproportionate result in modern history - and most constituencies are won with less than 35 per cent of the vote. While the Liberal Democrats and Green Party are projected to take roughly the same share of the vote, the Liberal Democrat vote is distributed more efficiently - taking four times as many seats as the Greens. However the Greens may soon rise to the point where a flat vote share is beneficial. Nearly half of Reform's projected seats would be marginals. Like the voter base that put Labour in government currently, this coalition would be broad but shallow - and potentially fragile.
January 8, 2026 at 10:35 AM
richard.hebditch.org
5+ years on from the DfT consultation on pavement parking, looks like the Government are finally publishing their response to it (from Thursday's order paper)
January 8, 2026 at 12:04 AM
richard.hebditch.org
Well, at least issues around SUVs are mentioned in the road safety consultation if not much indication that this is a problem (also about weight of vehicles, terrible sight lines, etc).
Ensuring vehicles are designed to protect other vulnerable road users There are concerns that larger vehicles, particularly the emerging trend for increased bonnet height in SUVs, may have a detrimental safety impact on vulnerable road users, particularly pedestrians, cyclists and children. Cardiff is the first city in the UK to charge SUVs and other large vehicles a higher fee to be able to park. This was for safety and environmental reasons as part of a 10-year parking plan approved by the council in October 2025. It also includes the principle of an additional charge for residential permits for vehicles weighing over 2.4 tonnes61. The government will collaborate with stakeholders and vehicle manufacturers to further understand safety concerns regarding increasing vehicle size.
January 7, 2026 at 12:20 PM
richard.hebditch.org
And here's the consultation: www.gov.uk/government/c...

2035 smaller diesel truck sales phase-out still there
This consultation considers regulatory options to: reduce emissions from new heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) support phasing out the sale of new non-zero emission heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) weighing up to and including 26 tonnes by 2035 phase out the sale of all new non-zero emission HGVs by 2040
January 6, 2026 at 9:06 AM
richard.hebditch.org
Obviously a general election is a long way off, but More in Common modelling of impact of centre-left tactical voting is interesting. Could also be matched on the right, with Reform (as the larger party) benefitting most.
MRP poll published yesterday.
Graph showing that If just one in five voters who intend to vote for Labour, the Greens, or the Liberal Democrats voted tactically within this bloc in seats where their preferred party was less likely to win, they could take an extra 46 seats. If twice as many voted tactically - far from inconceivable given the Caerphilly result - Reform would no longer be projected a majority.
January 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM
richard.hebditch.org
The Death of Diesel cars - over 12 million diesel cars a few years ago but now expectation that within 5 years will be down to less than half that, with only a couple of hundred thousand by mid-2030s.
New from @mattfinch00.bsky.social & @newautomotive.org
storage.googleapis.com/public_downl...
Chart showing the number of diesel cars on the roads will fall by a further 47% by the end of the decade, to just over 5 million. Furthermore, after 2030, due to a) virtually no new cars entering the fleet, and b) the bulk of cars bought in the years up to peak new diesel sales (2010-2015) being scrapped, numbers fall substantially to less than a quarter of a million by 2035
January 5, 2026 at 1:34 PM
richard.hebditch.org
Go west (A35, Christmas Eve)
December 27, 2025 at 5:49 PM
richard.hebditch.org
"Between July to September 2025, district level planning authorities in England received 78,800 applications for planning permission, down 3% from the same quarter a year earlier"
Perhaps other factors than the planning system itself might be behind the level of house building? Just a thought.
December 18, 2025 at 10:18 AM
richard.hebditch.org
New from @newautomotive.org: Europe is on track to become the world’s second-largest battery producer by 2030 but the EU's move away from a firm endpoint for new petrol & diesel cars introduces more uncertainty and risks slowing investment
storage.googleapis.com/public_downl...
December 17, 2025 at 2:05 PM
richard.hebditch.org
Planning and Infrastructure B̶i̶l̶l̶ Act latest
December 17, 2025 at 11:50 AM
richard.hebditch.org
Contrast to what Steve Reed says in press release (build baby build, all the fault of planning and blockers that housing isn't built) with what he says in letter to stakeholders and local authorities (it's a bit more complicated & about demand side + cost inflation):
I recognise that housebuilding has faced significant challenges over recent years – including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, increased construction costs, high interest rates, regulatory changes and wider economic conditions. These challenges have been especially acute in London, necessitating the emergency package announced in partnership with the Mayor of London on 23 October 2025. They have also contributed to challenges in the delivery of Section 106 affordable homes, which is why the Government continues to progress work on a holistic policy package to address both the legacy problem of existing uncontracted Section 106 units and prevent the problem recurring
December 17, 2025 at 9:08 AM
richard.hebditch.org
Friends of the Earth: "Constantly moving the goalposts to favour housebuilders risks unbalancing the social, environmental and economic foundations of well-planned communities.”
friendsoftheearth.uk/nature/plann...
“The problem is not that the planning system is blocking homes – last year over 75% of housing applications were approved. The real issue is that private developers alone cannot deliver this scale of housebuilding. Continually tinkering with national policy while under-resourced councils are pushed to approve applications will not fix stalled delivery.
December 16, 2025 at 6:25 PM
richard.hebditch.org
16 new inquiries from the Commons' Public Accounts Committee. Including environmental regulation, regulating for growth and unlocking land for housing. Should be a busy new year for consultation response writing with new NPPF as well...
committees.parliament.uk/committee/12...
The inquiries are as follows: Affordability of the Defence Investment Plan An analysis of the asylum system Environmental regulation Financial resilience of government-sponsored museums and galleries Government compensation schemes: update* Large business tax compliance NAO financial audit insights 2024-25 New Hospital Programme update Regulating for growth Restoration and Renewal of Parliament: Costing and governance Supporting people with frailty outside hospitals The Access to Work scheme The Bank of England’s Real-Time Gross Settlement Renewal Programme The MoD’s tackling of economic crime and misconduct The Work of the COVID Counter-Fraud Commissioner Unlocking land for housing
December 15, 2025 at 9:23 AM
richard.hebditch.org
December 15, 2025 at 9:01 AM
richard.hebditch.org
Ticked off the southern side of the Thames Path and the London Loop. Now to make a start on the North Downs Way on a very grey December day.
December 12, 2025 at 10:12 AM
richard.hebditch.org
In the end, this is not simply a battle over legislative wording, it is a test of whether the UK can marry its economic ambitions with genuine environmental responsibility. On a small, crowded island, where land, water and sea are under relentless pressure, learning to make that balance work is not optional, it is essential.
December 11, 2025 at 9:30 AM
richard.hebditch.org
This is a good article from Lord Krebs and Baroness Willis about their approach to winning concessions on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Main concessions below.
greenallianceblog.org.uk/2025/12/10/t...
1. Limited scope at the outset Initially, the use of EDPs will be restricted to cases addressing nutrient neutrality. This prevents premature expansion into broader environmental contexts before the process has been tested. 2. Independent evaluation The first wave of EDPs will be subject to transparent and independent evaluation, potentially by the Office for Environmental Protection, to assess their effectiveness and integrity. 3. Parliamentary scrutiny The outcome of that evaluation must be brought before parliament for debate before any further rollout or expansion takes place. 4. Consultation on guidance Peers will be consulted on drafting official guidance for developers, ensuring that the system’s rules and relationships with existing legal frameworks, Habitats Regulations, Biodiversity Net Gain, are clearly articulated and workable in practice.
December 11, 2025 at 9:26 AM
richard.hebditch.org
I was talking to a Conservative friend at their conference last Oct about how conference was going. Despite all the negative vibes, I was struck by the basic level of competence within the party. This is a party that wins 2 out of every 3 elections. So perhaps not a total surprise to see a recovery.
December 10, 2025 at 6:13 PM
richard.hebditch.org
Children and young people feel increasingly connected to nature - gone up every year since Covid lockdowns (2021: 41%. 2025: 65%)
Black/Black British kids feel most connected (79%). White kids least (63%).
December 10, 2025 at 9:51 AM
richard.hebditch.org
93% of children and young people agree say that ‘being in nature makes me very happy’
(from Natural England's Children’s People and Nature Survey for England, out today)
www.gov.uk/government/s...
December 10, 2025 at 9:46 AM
richard.hebditch.org
No expense spared launch of Great British Railways visual identity at London Bridge this evening. Am liking the understated nature of a bored bloke standing next to Hornby layout represent the new era for the railways.
December 9, 2025 at 4:37 PM