My Personally Speaking Column in the Sentinel (28 August 2025) Where we live, whether there are enough school places for our children, if GP surgeries and NHS services can meet local demand, how we improve transport connectivity across the community and how we protect the green spaces that make Newcastle-under-Lyme special – all of these things are shaped, in part, by the Local Plan. Earlier this year, Newcastle-under-Lyme District Borough Council submitted its draft Local Pl

Full interview with Susan Hanks on Radio Stoke Yesterday, I joined BBC Radio Stoke to talk about the news that Deakin’s Yard, the new student accommodation development in Newcastle-under-Lyme, will not be opening as planned this September. In the interview I explained how I first became aware of the situation, the steps I have taken since, and why serious questions now need to be answered about planning, oversight, and the developers’ responsibility to deliver the project saf