The future of LARS
There is a report on the DETR's wesite at the moment regarding the future of LARS - it recommends that LARS is expanded so that there are dedicated freestanding units in busy areas (ie. units that aren't primarily radar approach control at aerodromes).
However the cost of providing these will be high, notwithstanding the the fact that there is already a shortage of qualified ATCOs in Europe.
Basically HM government doesn't want to pay for the system, GA doesn't want to pay any more additional costs, and
the airlines (who currently pay for LARS via their IFR route charges) want to scale back their contribution, claiming that they receive little benefit from LARS.
It's amazing that the government that wasted £1 billion on a big white tent in Greenwich will not pay £6million a year for an obvious safety benefit.
Don't hold your breath, though.
foggy.