Eric Pickles - Quarterbridge

In April this year the shiny new CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) emerged from a union of the former Office of Fair Trading and the Competition Commission. People are watching it closely: Initial shock revelations include someone has been price-fixing galvanised steel water tanks and online review websites are not trustworthy. Well there’s a surprise. Whether or not the CMA gets around to reviewing something worthwhile such as supermarket tactics to bankrupt independent retailing remains to be seen.

Review websites often ‘lose’ poor feedback in return for sponsorship

According to the CMA some 25 million shoppers use review websites such as Amazon and TripAdvisor to ‘inform’ their purchases but many of the reviews are rigged. Review websites often ‘lose’ poor feedback in return for sponsorship, whilst manufacturers offer rewards for favourable reviews and post criticism of competitors. None of this comes as a surprise to anyone over 8 years old but encourages genuine shoppers to post outrageous comments about some products. I recommend Amazon’s eye-wateringly funny review of ‘Veet for Men Hair Removal Gel Cream’ at www.amazon.co.uk/Veet-Men-Hair-Removal-Cream/dp/B000KKNQBK

Someone who does believe in frankness and honesty is the (Canadian) Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney

Someone who does believe in frankness and honesty is the (Canadian) Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney. Last month he gave a highly critical after-dinner speech to city bankers to coincide with publication of the ‘Fair and Effective Markets’ review by HM Treasury. His speech left the audience squirming uncomfortably on their well-padded behinds as they remembered how the (now disbanded) Financial Services Authority failed to reign them in prior to the financial crisis. Carney was not averse to a bit of self-criticism either, describing how the Bank of England allowed the crisis to develop. ‘The Bank’s contribution fell short…and neither identified the scale of risks in the system nor spotted gaps in the regulatory architecture’ he said. Arcane governance had blurred accountability and more would now be done to strengthen control. He added: ‘and that includes 10 years in Wormwood Scrubs for any of you guys with your hand in the till’ - or something like that. Former Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King, former FSA boss Hector Sants and former Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown chose not to comment.

The Treasury review proposes extending criminal sanctions from investment bankers to foreign exchange traders

Chancellor George Osborne also spoke at the dinner. He publicly supported Carney with: ‘The public rightly asks: Why is it after so many scandals so few individuals face punishment in the courts? Individuals who fraudulently manipulate markets and commit financial crime should be treated like the criminals they are.’ The Treasury review proposes extending criminal sanctions from investment bankers to foreign exchange traders plus harsher penalties, something shareholders in RBS and Lloyds would doubtless like applied to reckless executives. City of London Lord Mayor, Alan Yarrow said upholding professional standards should be the norm. ‘It’s like a supermarket with no security cameras – if someone takes something without paying, it’s still theft. There is no escape. People should uphold professional standards irrespective of whether the regulators are there or not.’ Well, actions speak louder than words Alan. We’re waiting.

Pickles made few friends amongst local councils whilst spearheading local government spending cuts

Meanwhile, having won a clear majority in the general election the Prime Minister reshuffled his cabinet without needing to consult his coalition partners. Eric Pickles, plain-speaking head of the Department of Communities and Local Government was promoted to the House of Lords with a Knighthood and an ‘anti-corruption role’ which sounds a bit South American. To replace him David Cameron promoted Greg Clark (47) to become Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Described as a ‘soggy left’ Conservative from Middlesborough, the former Financial Secretary to the Treasury has a hard act to follow. Pickles made few friends amongst local councils whilst spearheading local government spending cuts and the 2011 Localism Act which gave community groups the right to take over council-provided services. His enthusiasm for the ‘Big Society’ agenda bolstered a reputation as a vocal critic of local government, particularly after the child sexual exploitation scandal in Rotherham and local governments’ ineffectual response to the 2014 floods. Greg Clark faces an equally tough time at the DCLG as he now has to implement a second round of even deeper cuts to reduce the governments spending deficit.

Canadian lobsters are now in the front line thanks to Smartphone technology

And finally: Another Canadian product has also been in the news – Lobsters. In the struggle to attract consumer spending Canadian lobsters are now in the front line thanks to Smartphone technology. Shoppers in Newfoundland can now use smartphones to scan live lobsters in fishmongers tanks to discover where their seafood is from and who caught it and when.

Tracing food back to source is not a new idea but using QR code tags to provide customers with this level of detail is

The traceable lobster program is part of thisfish.info, an initiative of Ecotrust Canada, an environmental charity. Each lobster caught by a participating member is tagged with a unique QR code which customers scan for information about the catch – when and where it was caught and by what method, plus a biography of the fisherman. Tracing food back to source is not a new idea but using QR code tags to provide customers with this level of detail is. Some Newfoundland restaurants have been serving QR-coded seafood for a couple of years and boosting sales by linking into wider consumer trends. A spokesperson said: ‘Customers love a glimpse into the lifestyle of the person who provided their supper that night. Where they live, how old they are and how long they’ve been fishing. Consumers are focusing more on where their food comes from, if it is sustainable and healthy and whether the people who catch it are paid fairly’.

No lobsters were available for comment.

‘Free’ supermarket carparks are high on the list of must-do’s if High Streets are to be revitalised.

So can you park your van close to your stall – and as importantly can your Customers park near the Market? Sorting out a sensible car parking policy is high on the list of ‘things to fix’ for the Councils who won £100,000 each in the DCLG/Portas competition. Parking policies which attract shoppers back from ‘free’ supermarket carparks are high on the list of must-do’s if High Streets are to be revitalised. But car park charging even affects residents who don’t drive so the Councillor lucky enough to be in charge of parking policy is guaranteed a full mailbox.

The basic problem is there are just too many cars concentrated into too few spaces. St. Ives in Cornwall is delightful apart from the lack of parking space at any time, let alone the summer. Three parking spaces sold last year for £160,000 which is a bit steep but not as rich as the single 11ft by 12ft space in London’s Hyde Park Gardens which is up for sale at £300,000. That’s about twice the price of the average house in England and Wales and you don’t even get a roof over it. But I suppose you could live in your car.

Meanwhile Eric Pickles, Conservative Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has stuck the knife into the efforts of Labour-controlled Nottingham City Council to reduce car congestion caused by Commuters. Their initiative was to levy a ‘workplace parking tax’ on Employers who provide parking for staff. This has proved unpopular with local residents as the £334/space charge is usually passed straight onto workers who not surprisingly park along residential streets instead.

Rather than helping tackle congestion Eric said, ‘ it is clear that the Labour Council…is doing more harm than good, by clogging up the roads and causing parking problems to spread.’

You might think adding extra parking spaces would reduce congestion, but experience suggests otherwise.

At the same time he launched into those Councils who charge residents for allowing them to rent-out their driveways for Commuter parking. This is a growing business in London but because it involves a so-called Change of Use from residential to commercial it requires approval under town planning legislation. You might think adding extra parking spaces would reduce congestion, but experience suggests otherwise. The Department of Transport recently admitted that building new motorways doesn’t reduce traffic congestion but simply encourages more motorists to use the new ‘uncongested’ roads. Providing extra carspaces simply encourages more people to drive into town and does nothing to reduce congestion.

So Nottingham City is now considering on-street parking charges (residents can park for free) with all the associated cost of machines, enforcement staff, Traffic Regulation Orders, signage and roadmarking etc. They could have opted for the CCTV-controlled roadcharging as used in London but it’s far too expensive to implement and the ‘workplace levy’ was seen as an affordable alternative.

Nottingham Tram: Part funded by the ‘workplace levy’ The congestion on Nottingham’s residential streets has been worsened by works for their new Tramway system, part-funded by the levy. Theory says this is the right long-term solution i.e. make public transport cheap and plentiful whilst removing parking spaces – but in the meantime the Council needs to pay for parking enforcement and the capital cost of public transport. The wages of Parking Pataweyo and his enforcement mates can be replaced with the questionable practice of using CCTV cameras but then you get into all the arguments about ‘I didn’t know I’d committed an offence until the letter arrived in the post’ etc . The Traffic Penalty Tribunal (they handle appeals against parking tickets) thinks likewise and recently voiced their concern to the Parliamentary Transport Select Committee. Apparently only 1% of issued penalty notices are ever contested because motorists think it’s a waste of time so just can’t be arsed.

Given that the NHS relies on day treatment centres to reduce costs it seems logical that patients should, at least get free parking.

Eric had something to say about that as well. He accused many Councils of ‘bending the law to fill their coffers with taxpayers’ cash’ – an accusation levelled against CCTV enforcement as well as many NHS Trusts. The latter have come in for a lot of criticism for charging all users of their carparks, not just visitors. Given that the NHS relies on day treatment centres to reduce costs it seems logical that patients should, at least get free parking. Macmillan Cancer Support runs a campaign with that objective. To support them go to http://www.macmillan.org.uk

One way or another we’re all affected by parking policy, even if you don’t drive. Having recently paid through the nose for hospital parking, a £30 CCTV parking fine and a £130 London Congestion Charge fine (don’t lend you car to your daughter) I’m not feeling sympathetic to anyone who complains about being charged £10/day to park their van next to the Market. My suggestion is: Blame the Commuters and tell customers that’s why your prices have gone up.