Is this just a rumour? Or can we expect announcements soon?
Daily Archives: 3 Jun 2014
Seeds of change
In this period of rebellion in the ballot box, the incumbent East Devon Member of Parliament may be expecting to have a battle on his hands at the next election, less than twelve months’ from now (May 2015). As signalled in our earlier post, one very popular, Independent, County and District Councillor, a signatory of the EDA Charter, has today declared her intention to stand against him, and others may of course follow ( We’ll keep you informed). This was how Councillor Roger Giles, the long-standing and much respected District Councillor for Ottery St Mary, introduced her to the assembly in Sidmouth:
“A very warm welcome to everyone. Welcome to the Dissenters’ Room, which was provided by Annie Leigh Browne. Annie Leigh Bowne is a local heroine who not only gave Sidmouth the Byes and the Cottage Hospital, but was also a leading suffragist who successfully led the national campaign for women`s representation in local government, which was achieved in 1907.
A very appropriate location for the launch of Claire`s parliamentary campaign!
Many of you will know of all the fantastic work that Claire has done whilst she has been an East Devon District Councillor. She has been a beacon in the cause of openness and transparency and fairness at EDDC – often in the face of animosity and hostility from conservative party councillors.
One of her great successes was to expose the undue influence of East Devon Business Forum members on EDDC`s planning policies, and also the undue influence in their own members` planning applications. The Chairman of EDBF was former Councillor Graham Brown.
When Claire raised this matter at the EDDC meeting on 25 July 2012, she was accused by senior Conservative Councillors of:
“impugning integrity”; of engaging in “speculation, misinformation and
innuendo”; “debating through the media”; and making “scurrilous”
allegations.
There never has been an apology. Not even after the Daily Telegraph exposure of March 2013.
Claire has been amazingly energetic and persistent. Just look at some of the things she has done:
* Successfully campaigned to retain maternity services at Honiton Hospital
* Provided the first play park at West Hill
* Pressed for better protection for trees
* Fought against the Government relaxation of planning policy (NPPF)
* Vigorously opposed unnecessary and damaging levels of development on
greenfield sites in East Devon
* Got EDDC to allow recording of its meetings
* Pressed for the creation of a cycleway from Feniton to Ottery to Tipton to
Sidmouth on the disused railway line
* Regularly engaged with and sought the views of people, young and old
* Communicated extensively with electorate by various means, including the
extensive use of her excellent blog
* Opposed planned cuts to local services, and is currently fighting to save
Ottery`s youth centre, childrens centre, and library
* Pressed for openness and transparency in planning at EDDC, demanding
that planning committee members reveal if they have been lobbied
* Fought EDDC`s vanity project to relocate its offices at a cost of millions
of pounds of taxpayers money at a time when EDDC is slashing the
services it provides to the public
That is an amazing level of energy and determination.
Claire`s work was recognised by the electorate of the Ottery Rural ward in the Devon County Council elections of May 2013. She obtained 74% of the vote. She got the biggest vote; the biggest share of the vote; and the biggest majority of any councillor in the South West.
We know what you have done Claire – and we thank you for it.
And we are delighted to come here today to endorse your campaign to be the next Member of Parliament for East Devon.
Ladies and gentlemen I give you Claire Wright – our next MP.”
More comment, with photographs of today’s campaign launch at http://susiebond.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/cllr-claire-wright-launches-her-campaign-for-a-seat-at-westminster/
Overview and Scrutiny Agenda – meeting 12 June 2014, 6.30 p.m. Knowle – very little overseeing and almost no scrutiny and two elephants not in the room
The 154 page agenda for the next Overview and Scrutiny committee on 12 June 2014 at 6.30 p.m. at the Knowle is HERE
Mostly it is a re-hash of some old reports and surveys, a new report (NHS) and some other surveys done with very few people (in one case just 7). There is almost nothing that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee can do about any of the items on the agenda and one has to wonder why they are there as it is the items NOT on the agenda which are more important. For example, not a mention of the Business Task and Finish Forum (examining the influence of the disbanded East Devon Business Forum, Chairman – disgraced ex-councillor Graham Brown). It shows the current Overview and Scrutiny function as neither overseeing nor scrutinising.
They will not discuss relocation until at least the September 2014 meeting and even that is not guaranteed.
One little pearl hidden away in these 154 pages:
EDDC reviews a consultation exercise done in 2014 where many people were displeased with how EDDC runs its Planning function. Under “Actions we are taking” is this:
We will run an awareness campaign about the way we deal with planning applications especially how this operates within nationally laid down rules and regulations. This campaign will explain how the planning applicant is the council’s customer for the service as they have to pay for it.
And there’s us thinking that we are paying for this service through our Council Tax!
A little nugget on office relocation too which once again illustrates that the cart of desperately wanting shag pile has gone before the cart of what has to be done first:
Office Relocation
EDDC is looking to relocate their offices. This has already entailed some community consultation. We are also regularly engaging with a stakeholder group that includes Town and Parish Councils,
Chambers of Commerce and interested community groups. We are soon due to begin consulting widely on the impacts of moving to SkyPark of equalities groups and other affected people and organisations and carrying out Best Value consultation to make sure we get the best out of any move. This consultation will involve randomly selected households, businesses, equalities groups and others. The results will be presented to Cabinet as part of the decision making process.
If anyone is in one of the groups of randomly selected households, businesses, equalities groups and (ha, ha) “Others” we would love to know!
Oh, and if you come across the agenda item “Update on the corporate engagement work being carried out as part of the Organisational Development function of EDDC” – er, what this actually appears to mean is “Report on Public Consultation”!!!
Page 146 reveals that our Chief Executive budgeted as costing a total of £86,500 per year for 2.5 days work each week. That would equate to an annual salary and extras totalling £173,000 (South Somerset pays 50% for their 2.5 days of his valuable time).
What would happen if they did this survey here?
http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Council-morale-rock/story-21179107-detail/story.html
100% of the staff would be happy 100% of the time with a 100% turnout wouldn’t they!
Claire Wright officially launches bid to become East Devon’s MP
Claire Wright, EDDC Councillor for West Hill and DCC Councillor for Ottery St Mary Rural officially launched her campaign to become Member of Parliament for the East Devon Constituency at the Annie Leigh Brown Room, Dissenters Chapel (URC) Sidmouth this morning. She will be up against current MP Hugo Swire (Conservative) and others standing for other parties at the General Election in May 2015.
She was introduced by fellow Independent Councillor Roger Giles and made a short speech to an invited audience which included journalists. She then answered questions from the audience.
Details of visits she will be making to towns and villages in the area during the next year will appear on her personal website www.claire-wright.org which also has a link to an online donation site for her campaign.
Claire has signed the EDA Charter.
Concern over EDDC interpretation of Freedom of Information requests
Concern has been expressed, over an annual report by EDDC officers, as to to how the council carries out its duties in dealing with requests under the Freedom of Information Act.
An EDA member, Tim Todd, has submitted a question to tomorrows meeting of EDDC Cabinet, at which the internal report is to be presented. He has noticed that the report, when listing to all the complaints made to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) ,EDDC appears to have failed to mention an important complaint about which the Information Commissioner was critical of the council’s handling of his request
He points out that the ICO ticked EDDC off saying:-
“….. However, the handling of this request was less than satisfactory in a number of respects and the Council will need to use this case as a learning tool to avoid similar procedural issues arising in future”. …..
When the council did respond with some of the information Tim had sought about EDDC’s £50,000 plus buy out of Exmouth’s Seaside Covenants from Clinton Devon Estates, EDDC presented their reply, after a delay of more than eight months, in a manner in which EDDC suggested they had revisited the question on their own initiative. They made no reference to the ICO’s involvement.
Tim says “Aside from the fact that EDDC’s last reply made no mention of the involvement of the ICO, the omission of any reference of to my ICO complaint in EDDC’s annual FOI report, suggests to me that not only have EDDC failed to take the ICO’s advice on board but their actions may now be seen as to extend to misleading councillors, the public and the press”. He also adds that no mention is made of the excessive number of times FOI requests go unanswered well beyond the statutory 20 working day deadline.
The ICO complaint forms part of
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/further_background_papers_re_50k#comment-47067
The EDDC agenda item is at
http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/cabinet_040614__-_public_version.pdf
(pages 86 onwards)
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For your information, Tim Todd’s question for Cabinet on 4th June, is as follows: (He has requested Diane Vernon to arrange for it to be put, in accordance with Equality Act provisions, as he is unable to be present himself.)
Will the chairman arrange for an investigation into the production of the annual report on Freedom of Information Act requests 2013/2014 (agenda item 23, pages 86 to 88)?
The report as proposed is likely to mislead members, the public and the press, as to the operation, by EDDC, of their duties under the Act. It is incomplete and inaccurate, and suggests all has been well during the year in question when that is demonstrably not the case. Specifically, in stating that five (listed) complaints were considered by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) in the period, it omits mention of a important complaint made to the ICO, (their reference FS50512425.)
It is a significant omission for a number of reasons, not least its criticism of EDDC’s handling of the FOI request.
The ICO’s letter to EDDC, dated 23 January 2014, includes the words “However, the handling of this request was less than satisfactory in a number of respects and the Council will need to use this case as a learning tool to avoid similar procedural issues arising in future.”
In omitting all references to this complaint in their FOI report, and with other pertinent omissions, those concerned might be deemed to have mispresented the situuation to the council, the press, and the public with a misleading annual account of EDDC’s compliance with both FOI law and their more general openness and transparency obligations.
East Devon empyt homes figure corrected but still bad
…
East Devon has 663 empty homes, up on the year by 152…
so, its up BY 152 not FROM 152 – so it’s still bad and still ? Cranbrook.
East Devon Watch 