Tory Party Conference: 'Friendly' politics and a chat with Pickles

Put one Labour politician with two Conservative politicians in close proximity to each other (with microphones) and one may expect political point scoring in a less than warm atmosphere.

Not so at last night's welcome reception for the Conservative Party Autumn Conference in Birmingham, hosted by Centre for Cities and Marketing Birmingham in the Round Room at the city's museum and art gallery.

Current council leader Sir Albert Bore extended a warm welcome to the city to the Tory Party and guest of honour at the reception,secretary of state for communities and local government, Eric Pickles MP. Relationships appeared to have also thawed between Bore and Mike Whitby, the ex council leader who managed to wangle a last minute spot on the microphone post Bore and pre- Pickles.

Once the speeches had finished, I managed to swiftly nab Pickles before his exit and ask him what relevant announcements the property industry can expect this week.

He confirmed that the government will announce that it is going create an 'instant' stop notice with an unlimited fine to aid planning authorities in halting development that breaches regulations.

He also said that the government will be publishing it's CIL (community infrastructure levy) regulations imminently (he refused to be pinned down to a date here) outlawing what he called 'double dipping' between section 106 agreements and CIL.