Claire Perry MP, recently re-elected as Conservative Member of Parliament for the Devizes constituency with an increased share of the vote, seems to have slipped off the promotion ladder.
With many more women brought into the Cabinet, Mrs Perry remains one of the Department for Transport’s three Parliamentary Under Secretaries – responsible for the railways.
She has tweeted (afternoon of May 12) that she is delighted to retain her post “especially as this government is making the biggest investment in our railways in generations.”
The investment plans were drawn up by the last government and it remains to be seen whether her Department will escape the coming round of cuts.
From the state of Mr Cameron’s government building on Tuesday (May 12) at 5.00pm it looks as though the Department for Transport has been slimmed down a little, but more appointments may be coming down the track.
Many readers in the Devizes constituency will be more interested in the comings and goings at the Department of Communities and Local Government where Eric ‘The Champion of Localism’ Pickles has left the government and is replaced by Greg Clark. Brandon Lewis remains as housing and planning ministers.
This news comes as it has been announced that a court has quashed Pickles’ decision not to allow a development of 350 homes off the Coate Road in Devizes. His decision had over-ruled an inspector’s report in favour of the development.
It is understood the Department has consented to the judgement – which means it will be up to the new Secretary of State to decide on the future of the plans.
The developers Mactaggart & Mickel ‘are actively promoting’ the scheme on behalf of three landowners at the 50 acre greenfield site. They say the planning enquiry is now likely to be reopened later this year.
This is the third appeal involving plans for new homes in a neighbourhood plan area that went against Mr Pickles in the run-up to the election.
The planned development became a political issue. When Pickles denied planning permission for the Coate Road site, Mrs Perry hailed his decision. She wrote: “This week my postbox brought some very good news for those of us who passionately believe bin localism.”
“Wiltshire Council had turned down the original application but an appeal was made and I took the decision to ask the Secretary of State to take over the decision-making, a process called ‘recovering’ the appeal, and after many meetings, a final decision was made.”
She did this because, she said, “a matter of national policy was at stake, namely how much weight should a local or neighbourhood plan carry?”
It is expected that a statement by the Department on the Coate Road development will be made soon.