The Levelling Up Secretary has announced he is stepping down from Parliament – which automatically means he will not be in his current post irrespective of the general election result
He made more than a few adversaries along the way up the career ladder, as journalist and education policy specialist Laura McInerney wrote:
Above – Laura McInerney 24 May 2024
I’ll spare you the gory details of his constituency resignation letter which actually read more like a ministerial resignation letter from someone who had made an ‘error of judgement’ (Rather than being sacked) in that it was his list of what he thought were his achievements in ministerial office. It was a bit too much: Look at me! rather than about the importance of, and the shared achievements within his constituency.
“What happens to the Case for Cambridge?”
It goes with Gove. It was a personal priority for Michael Gove, and as with all other secretaries of state who attach personal importance to particular projects or policies, they run the risk of evaporating along with the political careers of their ministerial sponsors. Especially in a government that has run out of time.
“No really – what does it mean for all of that growth?”
As far as Michael Gove’s vision – which I described here as a utopian fantasy back in March 2024, that document is a good as gone.
What remains in place however, is the existing structures and systems of the local development planning process – because that has legislation underpinning it. Therefore the timetable and the updates from Cambridge City Council & South Cambridgeshire District Council (along with their huge concerns about water supply) also from March 2024, remain in place. Again, as it should be.
If I were a local councillor or a senior local council officer receiving media queries on this, I would put out a simple press release stating that they note the statement from the Secretary of State, re-state that the local development planning process continues as normal, and that it will be up to the next government that comes to power after the general election to decide what its policies are for the future of Cambridge.
I’ll leave it to the general election candidates to make their statements about both the Levelling Up Secretary’s legacy, and what they think should happen next. From a public policy perspective, there will be questions around the destabilisation of the local planning processes set out in law and guidance, alongside the amount of resources used up in the creation of the initial policy in the first place. Especially one published so late in the parliamentary cycle. That said, Gove isn’t the first secretary of state to have done this and he won’t be the last either. This is not a fault unique to Michael Gove or even the Conservative Party. The chaos of being part of a party in government that chomped through three prime ministers in two years on the other hand…exactly.
“What are the policies of the other parties on the future of Cambridge?”
That’s for you to start a conversation with the general election candidates standing where you live. See https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/ and type in your postcode. Then get in touch with the candidates and put your questions to them. And judge accordingly the responses that you get before casting your vote either on polling day, or by post if you are otherwise unable to vote on the day.
Food for thought?
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Below – People and politics: Could you facilitate a local discussion on the future of transport in/around Cambridge for your neighbourhood? This wartime discussion guide from 1943 shows you how – see the link here.
The Cambridge Town Owl 