This song is by the very talented Alan Hull of Lindisfarne fame, who died in 1995 of a coronary thrombosis, aged 50. It comes as a bonus track on his re-issued album Pipedream.
I'm not sure of the origin of the song but it may have been prompted or influenced by the notorious Poulson affair that occurred in the UK in the early Seventies, concerning building plans and corruption in local government. T Dan Smith was one of the principals involved. The affair also appears to have been the inspiration for the 1996 BBC television drama series Our Friends In The North.