PLANNING inspector Roger Clews is now being referred to around these parts by some politicians as 'God', such is the unwieldy power he holds.

As funny as that is, The Source is beginning to wonder if this South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) is now becoming 'pasta joke', as the Italians would say.

Last year this county narrowly avoided being shafted after Mr Clews ignored a bizarre Birmingham bid to get the land earmarked for jobs in the plan, some 30,000, shaved down.

Planning experts in Brum and the Black Country decided the SWDP was too prosperous for their liking, saying it threatened the wellbeing of their towns and cities, but thankfully this strange attempt to make this area even more of a commuter belt failed.

Mr Clews has rather ominously decided he won't be looking at the new-look SWDP, now containing land for 28,370 homes, until the middle of 2015, ironically saying he's far too busy looking at Birmingham's own development plan to help us out any sooner.

Let's hope this doesn't give those meddling Brummies time to conjure up more objections, eh?

* TWO weeks ago we told you about Worcestershire County Council revamping its website.

Thanks to the quirks of the web it now means loads of important internet links to old council documents, previously a rich source of information, are broken left, right and centre.

An exercise in transparency this is not. Is this County Hall's attempt to extend the 'Right to be Forgotten' ruling already?

* WHISPERS are growing that West Mercia Police's forecast of £30 million needing to be cut between next year and 2018 will prove to be hopelessly optimistic.

All sorts of figures are quietly suggesting that reduction is now being viewed upon as a best case scenario. Enjoy your Christmas, old boy.

* TAKING the mickey out of Labour's Rochester Twitter-gate storm, city MP Robin Walker went out canvassing last week and snapped himself outside a house proudly sporting a Worcestershire flag.

The Source is trying to manufacture some reverse-outrage and sell it to The Sun.