Overcrowded England

[Shabbychic]

Did anyone read this article (http://www.scottishsundayexpress.co.uk./posts/view/230005/-Overcrowded-England-must-send-people-to-Highlands-) in the Scottish Sunday Express? What is going on in this country that things like this can even be suggested? Do people not have a right to live where they want to live any more?

Looks like this Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution looks on the highlands as an overspill housing scheme. Charming.

[Corrie 3]

No mention of the abundance of well paid jobs for these people to come to!!
I am sick that taxpayers money has been used to produce a ridiculous report!!

C3....:(

[Corrie 3]

No doubt that these will be the people that they will be sending up here. What a way to live !!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12517436

C3.

[David from Stockport]

I for one am looking forward to my forced move from the overcrowded Manchester area to the Highlands , this is happening anyway its called white flight ,England is overcrowded (like many areas of the world) and there does need to be some joined-up thinking on this as our MP s etc send out mixed messages ie they are happy to have an open -door immigration policy allowing hundreds of thousands to come here then complain that the roads are to busy so we need a congestion charge ,landfill sites are full , they moan when people want to build on even more green belt areas ,risk of powercuts as we dont have enough power capability ,the list goes on .
Id start by stopping any new child benefit claims in 12 months time (so it does not effect any child already here or on the way)
children should not be paid for by the state ,if people are finding it hard to feed there children they could stop having the newest mobile phone ,sky tv etc (and if child benefit was stopped we d be able to pay pensions and pay less tax) child benefits is also what makes the UK such a draw for immigrants who traditionaly have larger families . Yes people should have the right to be able to move around the world and live where-ever they please (if they dont expect the state to pay) .
Countries around the world should be encouraged to put a brake on populations ,we cannot as a world keep increasing the population ,China made a start ,you may not agree but something needs to be done .

[porshiepoo]

Do none of them stop to think that there are perfectly genuine reasons people are leaving the Highlands in their droves?
A person cannot make a living of beautiful scenery, fresh air and little else.

When I first moved up here I was all for absolutely no changes to Caithness. I'd moved from Boston which was a lovely quiet town when we first moved there but over the years had grown in to a massive, over crowded town with, dare I say it, seemingly the whole UK's quota of immigrant population.
So when we moved here I was against any kind of change to the area. I love the quiet roads, the feeling of space and the slower pace of life up here - so what's changed? TBH my kids are now almost 20 and although they attend college, the prospects up here for them once they leave are pretty slim though they don't want to have to leave the area and it's made me so much more aware of just how little opportunity there is up here. The only way we can assure jobs and career prospects for the younger generation in Caithness is to encourage growth to the area.

The problem with people just moving up here indiscriminately is that the shops and businesses do not appear to be moving with them. The area cannot sustain a mass migration of of Brits up here at the moment.
Wick airport is a perfect example of how resources are not made the most of. Prices in and out of Wick using the airlines available are just beyond most peoples budget. However if investment was made to upgrade the airport to enable the bigger jets in it would enable other airlines in. This would obviously have an effect on prices and would make the Highlands & Islands more accessible to those who currently feel it's too inaccessible.

If the UK is becoming so over populated that there are discussions afoot about forcing nationals to migrate to other areas of the UK then maybe the government needs to take yet another look on how many immigrants this country allows through its borders. I'm not suggesting we stop all immigrants all together (I've chilled on that idea too lol) but if this country is struggling to support the population as it is, 10 years down the line things will only be worse.


While I would now encourage growth to the area for the benefit of it's population I'm still at odds with the side effects of such growth but realise we cannot have one without the other.

[ducati]

It's very simple in my opinion. Unless and untill there are proper 21st century communications in and too Caithness, we will remain a backwater. Presumably it has been looked at, I'm talking about a Motorway and a high speed (well ordinary speed) as apposed to 4 hours to do 100 miles, rail link. In my opinion again, it is pointless spending cash time and energy trying to (re)generate the area, these things need to come first.

Also in regard to the article, most Londoners I know would rather lose an arm than move out of London never mind to the Highlands

[Gronnuck]

I found the report here (http://www.rcep.org.uk/reports/29-demographics/29-demographics.htm) The issues are a bit more complex than the article in the Sunday Express suggests.
Key to this proposal is the quote from Sir John Lawton, Chairman of the Commission, who said, “The demand for housing and related development as a result of demographic change will increasingly come up against environmental constraints in some parts of the country. The constraints can be managed but at a significant environmental and economic cost. The government should compare these costs with the cost of enhanced incentives to encourage development in areas facing fewer constraints.”
So this report calls for the grubbiement to invest in the development of employment and infrastructure in the Highlands. Clearly if they aren’t going to get/win any extra votes by doing so it ain’t going to happen. I can’t see any major influx of people to the Highlands in my lifetime.

[ducati]

I found the report here (http://www.rcep.org.uk/reports/29-demographics/29-demographics.htm) The issues are a bit more complex than the article in the Sunday Express suggests.
Key to this proposal is the quote from Sir John Lawton, Chairman of the Commission, who said, “The demand for housing and related development as a result of demographic change will increasingly come up against environmental constraints in some parts of the country. The constraints can be managed but at a significant environmental and economic cost. The government should compare these costs with the cost of enhanced incentives to encourage development in areas facing fewer constraints.”
So this report calls for the grubbiement to invest in the development of employment and infrastructure in the Highlands. Clearly if they aren’t going to get/win any extra votes by doing so it ain’t going to happen. I can’t see any major influx of people to the Highlands in my lifetime.

I agree, can you use a bigger font G I'm struggling a bit here :lol:

[Ricco]

Wye aye, man. Let 'em all in. Any Tom, Dick or Harry. Give 'em £1000 just for coming into the UK. Set them up with every benefit possible - heck make up some new ones just so we can give 'em more money! Not enough kids? Well, encourage them to have some more. Brothers and sisters abroad - bring them over as well!

Let's face it this is the kind of approach that the gov't has had since the end of WW2. Also, any amount that it costs will be a mere fraction that we have squandered on saving a number of banks... who have turned around and said "Ta" and kept on paying themselves heaps of bonuses. And what about the money squandered by MPs - our local bunch went on a jolly to Australia to examine how they deal with vandalism or something at a cost of £1000's. Why not send an e-mail?[evil]

[lasher]

Time to get that big wall back up then!

[Garnet]

Have they realy thought it over or is it a case of NIMBY? then there's the monetary side of it ie: extra housing, huge drain on the NHS and prescriptions, nursing homes just to name a few, then there's the 'change' to the whole of the county and Caithness will no longer be Caithness as such...it has already changed over the last 40 years and not all for the better. the crime rate may/may not increase, accents and dialects may also change and we may end up all sounding the same, me personnaly love the Irish the Welsh and the Geordie accents, but I do object to wasting all that taxpayers cash on rubbish like that.

[oldmarine]

I enjoyed my three trips to Caithness. I did have a paid job during those times and was there on business. That included going through London each time and I did enjoy the brief times spent there. Since then I have seen views of London with demonstrations going on by Islamic Muslims for various reasons. I would like to visit Caithness again but I would want to avoid London.

[bobandag16]

It's very simple in my opinion. Unless and untill there are proper 21st century communications in and too Caithness, we will remain a backwater. Presumably it has been looked at, I'm talking about a Motorway and a high speed (well ordinary speed) as apposed to 4 hours to do 100 miles, rail link. In my opinion again, it is pointless spending cash time and energy trying to (re)generate the area, these things need to come first.

Also in regard to the article, most Londoners I know would rather lose an arm than move out of London never mind to the Highlands
i came to thurso 1960 . work dounreay, health daughter chest fresh air wife isle of bute we had 61 years of marriage. iam 91 years old this year .i agree with all you say . we cannot keep them out. the irish have the same problem going to the colonies in droves.

[oldmarine]

i came to thurso 1960 . work dounreay, health daughter chest fresh air wife isle of bute we had 61 years of marriage. iam 91 years old this year .i agree with all you say . we cannot keep them out. the irish have the same problem going to the colonies in droves.

Looks like another person on this forum older than me. I doubt if you would want Caithness much larger than it is. You probably have seen enough changes during your 50+ years in the area. With the time you have left enjoy what you now have.

[sweetpea]

Highlands & Islands Enterprise had one of their key targets to increase the population of the Highlands (by a certain amount/time, can't remember what they were). I'm not sure if this is still the case but a quick google will probably find it.

[bekisman]

Interesting statistics*1:

People born in Scotland but living in England 794,577

People born in England but living in Scotland 408,948

Makes you think.. and for those who think we've got too many Poles here (I'm not one of em):
"By the 17th century there were an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 Scots living in Poland"* 2

Now there's a thought.

*1 http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files1/stats/op11-tab9a.pdf (http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files1/stats/op11-tab9a.pdf)
*2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_people

[tonkatojo]

Interesting statistics*1:

People born in Scotland but living in England 794,577

People born in England but living in Scotland 408,948

Makes you think.. and for those who think we've got too many Poles here (I'm not one of em):
"By the 17th century there were an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 Scots living in Poland"* 2

Now there's a thought.

*1 http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files1/stats/op11-tab9a.pdf (http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files1/stats/op11-tab9a.pdf)
*2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_people


These are very interesting stats, but I doubt many north of Berwick will want to know them for obvious reasons.

[Duncansby]

What reasons?

Scots are pretty numerous throughout the entire world, and although difficult to quantify there are estimated to be at least 40 million people world wide that claim Scottish descent. Scottish people have travelled widely and settled in diverse locations, granted not always of their own volition.

[orkneycadian]

People born in England but living in Scotland 408,948

People born in England but living on the outer isles in Orkney - Lots!

[sandyr1]

Who would pay the Social Assistance, the Welfare Benefits or whatver it is called.
I am sure The North is already strapped with that huge bill.