Mary Elkington 💙💛🇺🇦
@maryindevon.bsky.social
Town Planner and Geographer (MRTPI). Used to work at NASA - planning IS harder than rocket science. We can do better.
Pinned
Redit discussion on flag shagging neighbours impacting house sale/price is very very lively
100s comments, fairly unanimous that England Flag Flyers are a red flag
'Course flag flyers may be flying to discourage anyone other than right wing (other than white) buying in as neighbours?
100s comments, fairly unanimous that England Flag Flyers are a red flag
'Course flag flyers may be flying to discourage anyone other than right wing (other than white) buying in as neighbours?
Amazing there was no sign on the side of a bus
Cornwall goes from £100m eu funds to nada
www.cornwalllive.com/news/news-op...
Cornwall goes from £100m eu funds to nada
www.cornwalllive.com/news/news-op...
'Choices have consequences' as Brexit bites after Cornwall's EU cash ends
Cornwall has been said to have gone from receiving around £100 million of funding a year from the European Union over five years ago to 'effectively zero' this year as the Government's post-Brexit rep...
www.cornwalllive.com
February 6, 2026 at 7:02 PM
Amazing there was no sign on the side of a bus
Cornwall goes from £100m eu funds to nada
www.cornwalllive.com/news/news-op...
Cornwall goes from £100m eu funds to nada
www.cornwalllive.com/news/news-op...
It's only a local authority seat.
Clost run with GRN/LDM almost handing it to reform.
Clost run with GRN/LDM almost handing it to reform.
Clevedon South (North Somerset) Council By-Election Result:
🌹 LAB: 29.0% (-25.4)
➡️ RFM: 27.7% (New)
🌳 CON: 18.6% (-27.0)
🌍 GRN: 16.3% (New)
🔶 LDM: 8.3% (New)
Labour HOLD.
Changes w/ 2023.
🌹 LAB: 29.0% (-25.4)
➡️ RFM: 27.7% (New)
🌳 CON: 18.6% (-27.0)
🌍 GRN: 16.3% (New)
🔶 LDM: 8.3% (New)
Labour HOLD.
Changes w/ 2023.
February 6, 2026 at 9:27 AM
It's only a local authority seat.
Clost run with GRN/LDM almost handing it to reform.
Clost run with GRN/LDM almost handing it to reform.
Not everyone will see this as a good news story.
(But it is)
#planning
www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/2582906...
(But it is)
#planning
www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/2582906...
Local plan in trouble as housing minister intervenes
The Three Rivers local plan which aimed to protect the green belt around Watford has been frozen.
www.watfordobserver.co.uk
February 6, 2026 at 8:42 AM
Not everyone will see this as a good news story.
(But it is)
#planning
www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/2582906...
(But it is)
#planning
www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/2582906...
Reposted by Mary Elkington 💙💛🇺🇦
"im gonna vote for an English Nationalist party in WALES so that I can do 4̶0̶ 30 mph in a WOKE 20 mph zone."
yeah seems like a fair trade, you fucking pricks.
yeah seems like a fair trade, you fucking pricks.
An anti-20mph social media group with thousands of members that once praised Welsh Conservative efforts to oppose the default speed limit in Wales has shifted its support to Reform UK ✍️Emily Price
Anti-20mph online group rejects Welsh Tories in favour of Farage
Emily Price An anti-20mph social media group with thousands of members that once praised Welsh Conservative efforts to oppose the default speed limit in Wales has shifted its support to Reform UK. Th...
wp.me
April 24, 2025 at 9:04 AM
"im gonna vote for an English Nationalist party in WALES so that I can do 4̶0̶ 30 mph in a WOKE 20 mph zone."
yeah seems like a fair trade, you fucking pricks.
yeah seems like a fair trade, you fucking pricks.
American elections for sale...
Billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson is styling himself as a political outsider in the mode of Donald Trump as he jumps into the race for Georgia governor.
Republican outsider’s $50M bet remakes Georgia governor’s race
www.ajc.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:22 PM
American elections for sale...
Planning consults in rural/suburban land:
Locals: "everyone's dream is a listed cottage with land away from everyone"
Me: "not my dream & I like having neighbours"
Locals: "you're only saying that because your getting paid"
Me, dreaming: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/1...
Locals: "everyone's dream is a listed cottage with land away from everyone"
Me: "not my dream & I like having neighbours"
Locals: "you're only saying that because your getting paid"
Me, dreaming: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/1...
Check out this 4 bedroom house for sale on Rightmove
4 bedroom house for sale in Sandstone Place, Upper Holloway, N19 for £1,000,000. Marketed by Dexters, Dartmouth Park and Tufnell Park
www.rightmove.co.uk
February 5, 2026 at 8:56 AM
Planning consults in rural/suburban land:
Locals: "everyone's dream is a listed cottage with land away from everyone"
Me: "not my dream & I like having neighbours"
Locals: "you're only saying that because your getting paid"
Me, dreaming: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/1...
Locals: "everyone's dream is a listed cottage with land away from everyone"
Me: "not my dream & I like having neighbours"
Locals: "you're only saying that because your getting paid"
Me, dreaming: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/1...
Reposted by Mary Elkington 💙💛🇺🇦
America is also losing jobs in the homebuilding sector as the number of units under construction rapidly drops, leading to a massive slowdown in overall construction employment growth.
The US has added only 52k construction jobs over the last year compared to 191k the year prior.
The US has added only 52k construction jobs over the last year compared to 191k the year prior.
January 6, 2026 at 10:36 PM
America is also losing jobs in the homebuilding sector as the number of units under construction rapidly drops, leading to a massive slowdown in overall construction employment growth.
The US has added only 52k construction jobs over the last year compared to 191k the year prior.
The US has added only 52k construction jobs over the last year compared to 191k the year prior.
Radio 4 asks "is something going on with politics that we seem to be going through PMs rapidly?"
after hours of political chat and talking heads working themselves up with excitement of maybe changing PMs
after hours of political chat and talking heads working themselves up with excitement of maybe changing PMs
February 4, 2026 at 5:58 PM
Radio 4 asks "is something going on with politics that we seem to be going through PMs rapidly?"
after hours of political chat and talking heads working themselves up with excitement of maybe changing PMs
after hours of political chat and talking heads working themselves up with excitement of maybe changing PMs
Tesla sold < half the number of battery-electric vehicles recorded by BYD in UK last month; UK car sales of Tesla plunged more than 57% over the year earlier to 647 vehicles in January.
www.reuters.com/business/aut...
www.reuters.com/business/aut...
Tesla UK sales plunge in January as Chinese rivals race ahead, New Automotive data shows
Tesla sold less than half the number of battery-electric vehicles recorded by Chinese rival BYD in the UK last month, data from New Automotive showed on Wednesday, pointing to mounting competitive pre...
www.reuters.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:12 PM
Tesla sold < half the number of battery-electric vehicles recorded by BYD in UK last month; UK car sales of Tesla plunged more than 57% over the year earlier to 647 vehicles in January.
www.reuters.com/business/aut...
www.reuters.com/business/aut...
Reposted by Mary Elkington 💙💛🇺🇦
No hint of compromise from Moscow ahead of Abu Dhabi talks. Russian gov'nt paper: “We’ll continue strikes till Kyiv signs peace deal on our terms.” Other papers on the economy: “India cuts Russian oil imports 3 ½ times,” “systemic banking crisis”, “car sales down.” #ReadingRussia
What are the Russian papers saying about peace talks on Ukraine?
YouTube video by Steve Rosenberg
youtu.be
February 4, 2026 at 10:24 AM
No hint of compromise from Moscow ahead of Abu Dhabi talks. Russian gov'nt paper: “We’ll continue strikes till Kyiv signs peace deal on our terms.” Other papers on the economy: “India cuts Russian oil imports 3 ½ times,” “systemic banking crisis”, “car sales down.” #ReadingRussia
"Suggesting that we can just get rid of leasehold overnight is the kind of irresponsible thinking that even Liz Truss would wag a finger at"
via @alextoal.bsky.social
housingalex.substack.com/p/why-zack-p...
via @alextoal.bsky.social
housingalex.substack.com/p/why-zack-p...
Why Zack Polanski is wrong to call for leasehold abolition
And some wins which campaigners could actually push for in the Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill
housingalex.substack.com
February 4, 2026 at 11:42 AM
"Suggesting that we can just get rid of leasehold overnight is the kind of irresponsible thinking that even Liz Truss would wag a finger at"
via @alextoal.bsky.social
housingalex.substack.com/p/why-zack-p...
via @alextoal.bsky.social
housingalex.substack.com/p/why-zack-p...
Tech Bros are Maslow's Heirarchy of Greed
The haematological consultancy called Maslow's Hierarchy of Bleeds.
The land registry office that’s called Maslow’s hierarchy of deeds
February 4, 2026 at 9:41 AM
Tech Bros are Maslow's Heirarchy of Greed
Reposted by Mary Elkington 💙💛🇺🇦
Can you share this video about why banning teenagers off social media won’t work and why it is really about us all handing more personal information to tech corporations? www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTX9...
Siobhán shares why banning teenagers from using Social media won't work!
YouTube video by Uplift Ireland
www.youtube.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Can you share this video about why banning teenagers off social media won’t work and why it is really about us all handing more personal information to tech corporations? www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTX9...
Not sure I agree with the headline here -
interesting stat "half the people who bought with Tory Help to Buy scam & subsequently sold have sold for a loss" (wld like source for that)
Not surprising; new builds do not appreciate in value like resale market.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/w...
interesting stat "half the people who bought with Tory Help to Buy scam & subsequently sold have sold for a loss" (wld like source for that)
Not surprising; new builds do not appreciate in value like resale market.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/w...
Reality Check
Business News Podcast · Updated weekly · Reality Check cuts through the spin and explains the numbers behind the noise. In each episode, The Spectator’s economics editor Michael Simmons and in-the-kno...
podcasts.apple.com
February 3, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Not sure I agree with the headline here -
interesting stat "half the people who bought with Tory Help to Buy scam & subsequently sold have sold for a loss" (wld like source for that)
Not surprising; new builds do not appreciate in value like resale market.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/w...
interesting stat "half the people who bought with Tory Help to Buy scam & subsequently sold have sold for a loss" (wld like source for that)
Not surprising; new builds do not appreciate in value like resale market.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/w...
Reposted by Mary Elkington 💙💛🇺🇦
Not the first time I have seen publicly funded institutions wasting prodigious £s (here £500k!) lobbying against sustainable transport projects www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambrid...
College spends 'shocking' £500k on objections to C2C busway
A resident who requested a Freedom of Information (FOI) request on the college's spending said he found the total amount to be 'unbelievable'
www.cambridge-news.co.uk
February 3, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Not the first time I have seen publicly funded institutions wasting prodigious £s (here £500k!) lobbying against sustainable transport projects www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambrid...
SCRAPP and SHOCK
No confidence, cause planners plan for more than just our club wanting no changes (but always wanting more 'infrastructure')
New homes drive a younger demographic. Rural areas losing schools and services. Hmmm?
www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/2581769...
No confidence, cause planners plan for more than just our club wanting no changes (but always wanting more 'infrastructure')
New homes drive a younger demographic. Rural areas losing schools and services. Hmmm?
www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/2581769...
Residents express 'no confidence' in Somerset Council's planning decisions
Somerset Communities Raging Against Poor Planning (SCRAPP)'s inaugural meeting brought together 50 representatives from 22 different areas
www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk
February 3, 2026 at 9:21 AM
SCRAPP and SHOCK
No confidence, cause planners plan for more than just our club wanting no changes (but always wanting more 'infrastructure')
New homes drive a younger demographic. Rural areas losing schools and services. Hmmm?
www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/2581769...
No confidence, cause planners plan for more than just our club wanting no changes (but always wanting more 'infrastructure')
New homes drive a younger demographic. Rural areas losing schools and services. Hmmm?
www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/2581769...
Tolkien to the Taxman about Poetry
(Billy Bragg's best album IMO)
(Billy Bragg's best album IMO)
Everybody’s Tolkien, obviously
Is there a podcast for Lord of the Rings fans called Tolkien Heads? I for one wouldn't listen to it, because it would be fucking insufferable, but still. Tolkien Heads.🔥
February 2, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Tolkien to the Taxman about Poetry
(Billy Bragg's best album IMO)
(Billy Bragg's best album IMO)
Something else the media (which feels increasingly right leaning in what it reports) isn't talking about, amidst the "labour is adrift" narrative the talking heads keep telling themselves:
www.gov.uk/government/p...
www.gov.uk/government/p...
A National Plan to End Homelessness
www.gov.uk
February 2, 2026 at 10:25 AM
Something else the media (which feels increasingly right leaning in what it reports) isn't talking about, amidst the "labour is adrift" narrative the talking heads keep telling themselves:
www.gov.uk/government/p...
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Peak Torygraph
February 1, 2026 at 9:25 PM
Peak Torygraph
Another reason to not travel to USA - that casual camera snap at immigration may come back to bite you
A Minnesota woman observing ICE agents in her car was cornered on one-way streets. An agent approached, called her by name—citing facial recognition. Days later, her Global Entry and TSA privileges were revoked, with no explanation.
How ICE Already Knows Who Minneapolis Protesters Are
www.nytimes.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:04 PM
Another reason to not travel to USA - that casual camera snap at immigration may come back to bite you
Reposted by Mary Elkington 💙💛🇺🇦
Half of all rail journeys that Great British Railways will ultimately be responsible for will be on services run by publicly owned operators from Sunday, as London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway services join the fast-growing family of operators "owned by the public for the public."
London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway services return to public ownership
Services to return to public ownership this Sunday, bringing the country one step closer to a simpler, unified rail system under Great British Railways.
More than 8,500 publicly owned rail services...
dft-newsroom.prgloo.com
January 30, 2026 at 10:46 AM
Half of all rail journeys that Great British Railways will ultimately be responsible for will be on services run by publicly owned operators from Sunday, as London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway services join the fast-growing family of operators "owned by the public for the public."
Reposted by Mary Elkington 💙💛🇺🇦
Just discovered this most amazing tool: Antirender!
antirender.com
Also gives me a chance to share an all-time fave passage from a book - courtesy Ben Elton Gridlock (its alt texted, but best bit ⬇️)
#architecture #urbanism #planning
antirender.com
Also gives me a chance to share an all-time fave passage from a book - courtesy Ben Elton Gridlock (its alt texted, but best bit ⬇️)
#architecture #urbanism #planning
January 30, 2026 at 9:35 AM
Just discovered this most amazing tool: Antirender!
antirender.com
Also gives me a chance to share an all-time fave passage from a book - courtesy Ben Elton Gridlock (its alt texted, but best bit ⬇️)
#architecture #urbanism #planning
antirender.com
Also gives me a chance to share an all-time fave passage from a book - courtesy Ben Elton Gridlock (its alt texted, but best bit ⬇️)
#architecture #urbanism #planning
Just discovered this most amazing tool: Antirender!
antirender.com
Also gives me a chance to share an all-time fave passage from a book - courtesy Ben Elton Gridlock (its alt texted, but best bit ⬇️)
#architecture #urbanism #planning
antirender.com
Also gives me a chance to share an all-time fave passage from a book - courtesy Ben Elton Gridlock (its alt texted, but best bit ⬇️)
#architecture #urbanism #planning
January 30, 2026 at 9:35 AM
Just discovered this most amazing tool: Antirender!
antirender.com
Also gives me a chance to share an all-time fave passage from a book - courtesy Ben Elton Gridlock (its alt texted, but best bit ⬇️)
#architecture #urbanism #planning
antirender.com
Also gives me a chance to share an all-time fave passage from a book - courtesy Ben Elton Gridlock (its alt texted, but best bit ⬇️)
#architecture #urbanism #planning
Council reorganisation and elections
Essex goes ahead
I'm calling it now for reform
(course ppl voting reform don't want grown up governance - just happy to spaff stretched public purse on posturing jingoism)
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/697b37...
Essex goes ahead
I'm calling it now for reform
(course ppl voting reform don't want grown up governance - just happy to spaff stretched public purse on posturing jingoism)
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/697b37...
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
January 30, 2026 at 8:23 AM
Council reorganisation and elections
Essex goes ahead
I'm calling it now for reform
(course ppl voting reform don't want grown up governance - just happy to spaff stretched public purse on posturing jingoism)
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/697b37...
Essex goes ahead
I'm calling it now for reform
(course ppl voting reform don't want grown up governance - just happy to spaff stretched public purse on posturing jingoism)
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/697b37...
Reposted by Mary Elkington 💙💛🇺🇦
