Philip Clifford, London Councils, provided an overview of the Localism agenda, its actual launch, aspirations and then the reality of what is happening. The reaction of the local neighbourhoods was not as revolutionary as envisioned. This fact is backed up by statistics gathered by the London Councils in a survey of the London boroughs. 31/32 boroughs responded so it is a significant result. 
Nick Spall, Planning Director at CgMs Consulting, gave an overview of the new planning regulations, Section 106, The London Mayor CIL, new Local Authority CIL’s – three bites of the proverbial cherry! An interesting comparison was given on what was required in 1971 when submitting a project for planning and the nature of the information required in 2012. An interesting Q&A session was followed by further conversations on the subject together with the usual networking opportunities over a glass of wine!
