[Boiler]

We're getting a resurface here!

You lucky so-and-so! When we got bypassed the road through the town was demoted to a "B" road and it seems it requires no maintenance in the eyes of LCC. It really is truly dreadful, but in a way it acts as a 20mph limiter.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Lincolnshire, isn't it? I think there's a longstanding problem with sparsely populated counties in England. Herefordshire and Shropshire are dire too.

[Oboogie]

I think there's a longstanding problem with sparsely populated counties in England. Herefordshire and Shropshire are dire too.

Yep, lots of mileage to maintain but few taxpayers to pay for it.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Seems to be a lot of spending announced but the very constricting “no tax rises on working people” promise remains. How are they going to pull this off?

The only area they could take money from is health, which is improving steadily anyway (albeit from terrible to struggling).Budget would still be rising in real terms, and would free up some money for other things.

Probably some more tax rises like the ones we got last time too, ie on particular things with generous tax treatment like farmland, But hard to raise that much like this.

[Boiler]

I think there's a longstanding problem with sparsely populated counties in England. Herefordshire and Shropshire are dire too.

Yep, lots of mileage to maintain but few taxpayers to pay for it.

Inspired by Oboogie's post, I looked up some figures.

Population of Lincolnshire: 1.1 Million.
Population of Peterborough: 218,000.

So the last city before you reach the Lincs. border is by itself a fifth of the size of the whole county to the north of it.

Quite telling.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Yeah. And we’re even more sparse here. Unthinkable to build another 27,000 homes though, per some of the Greens.

[Youngian]

I think there's a longstanding problem with sparsely populated counties in England. Herefordshire and Shropshire are dire too.

Yep, lots of mileage to maintain but few taxpayers to pay for it.

Inspired by Oboogie's post, I looked up some figures.

Population of Lincolnshire: 1.1 Million.
Population of Peterborough: 218,000.

So the last city before you reach the Lincs. border is by itself a fifth of the size of the whole county to the north of it.

Quite telling.

Half of the English population live in London and the South East. Those outside of that area rather like as it is. Compared to swathes of Spain, France, Italy or even Scotland which are dying, rural England is holding up rather well.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Pit villages are a bit of an exception to that, but yeah.

[Boiler]

Half of the English population live in London and the South East. Those outside of that area rather like as it is.

I know I love the fact I'm no more than two minutes in the car from open country. People do keep trying to put up big developments though...