Congratulations to Peter Exton, a Housing Development Consultant and a triathlete, who wins the Thorncliffe Spring Quiz. For those who attempted it and who want to know the answers, here they are:
- Under what circumstances should a planning applicant submit ownership Certificate D?
When submitting an application on a site where the applicant only owns part of the land and does not know the identity of any of the other owners.
- Name either of the two towns (one in England, one in Scotland) that were previously Cities but are no longer.
Elgin (Scotland) and Rochester-upon-Medway (England).
- The three longest serving Labour council leaders in London, Robin Wales, Steve Bullock and Claire Kober, are all retiring at this May’s elections. Name one of the four Labour council leaders who have been in post since May 2010 who are likely (unless deposed) to be the joint longest serving Labour borough leaders.
Julian Bell (Ealing), Doug Taylor (Enfield), Stephen Alambritis (Merton), Peter John (Southwark).
- Who is the longest-serving Conservative council leader in London at the moment?
Ray Puddifoot (Hillingdon)
- Link the council to the scandal which forced its leader’s resignation:
5.1 Council awarding contracts to the leader’s personal physiotherapist
Cheshire East
5.2 Agreeing unlawful payments to the chief executive’s pension pot
Carmarthenshire
5.3 Forcing officers to change a bypass route to make the leader’s land more valuable
Lincolnshire
5.4 Failing to solve a three month strike of bin workers
Birmingham
5.5 Failing to audit applicants for new taxi licenses
South Ribble
- Which city has a boundary which extends many miles outside the urban area along the banks of a river – including just the river and no land?
Norwich, down the River Yare. It’s a legacy of centuries of mediaeval disputes between Great Yarmouth and Norwich about river traffic; the right of Norwich to control the river was confirmed by a Charter of Queen Mary in 1556.
- Name the TV series which feautured these fictitious local councillors.
7.1 Freddie Patterson
An Independent Man
7.2 K. Edwards and Vijay Shah
Little Napoleons
7.3 Augustus Bent and Mrs Smallgood
Swizzlewick
7.4 Austin Donohue
Our Friends in the North
7.5 Cox and Evans
The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer
- What factor links the following councils in recent years? Rotherham, Isle of Anglesey, Northamptonshire, Tower Hamlets, Doncaster?
All have been partly or wholly run by appointed commissioners due to failures by the political leadership.
9. In what way did the Local Government Association take over from the Labour Party, and the European Parliament take over from the Conservative Party?
They have taken their Smith Square headquarters buildings. Transport House (18 Smith Square), formerly the Labour Party HQ, is now the headquarters of the Local Government Association. 32 Smith Square, formerly Conservative Central Office, is now the London base for the European Parliament.
10. Since 2016 the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition are both former members of local authorities. When was the last time that both main parties had leaders who had served in local government?
May 1940, when the Conservatives were led by Neville Chamberlain (former Birmingham City Councillor) and Labour by Clement Attlee (former Mayor of Stepney, although never elected as a councillor).
