Doctrinaires and Human Rights
Though the Wantage Rural District Council has very properly turned down the recommendation of one of its committees that the inhabitants—or most of them—of the Berkshire village of Letcombe Bassett should for a little economy and administrative convenience be turned out of their homes and told to live elsewhere, it is satisfactory that Sir Ralph Glyn has put down a question to the Minister of Town and Country Planning on the whole business. It was, it would appear, from an official of that Ministry that the dictum that Letcombe Bassett " is not big enough to provide its inhabitants with at least a minimum of communal services which are absolutely necessary according to modern standards " emanated. Whoever it was who enunciated this doctrine, this attempted con- demnation of a peaceful and contented village to complete or partial extinction is plainly intolerable ; unfortunately it illustrates a grow- ing tendency in various official quarters to treat British citizens merely as human pawns who can be pushed here or there at will in accord- dance with some office formula. Such methods must be sharply checked.
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