Now to Cash In

The Sheffield Moors Partnership's Master Plan duly got its approval from Sheffield's Cabinet yesterday. In reality that was secured months ago and the appearance on the Cabinet agenda was for purely formal reasons. The organisations trusted with management of public land now have the go ahead to rake in lots of subsidy monies from Higher Level Stewardship and Single Farm Payment by treating all the land as if it is farm land with grazing sheep and cattle. Despite the voluminous report going to Cabinet on the consultation there has in truth been no debate on this aspect of the plan , though people were not discouraged from writing comments on post it notes. If consultations like this are now an essential part of the democratic process in an advanced country then God help democracy.