Monthly Archives: November 2014

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25 Nov 2014

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EDDC, Exeter City Council, Greater Exeter, South Somerset, Teignbridge

An everyday story of countryfolk …

Young woman: Dad, what would you think of Pete Exeter as a husband for me?

Father: Now, hold on young lady, we know nothing about him. What are his job prospects? Can he offer you a good lifestyle? Is he trustworthy? And what do we know about those relatives that he’s so cosy with – the Teignbridges? I need to know a whole lot more about him and them before I can answer that question. We East-Devons don’t just jump into things without thinking about them first, you know.

Young woman: Too late, Dad. We got married yesterday. Now, about you – you’ve been alone too long, so I’ve set up a blind date for you with a woman I met on the bus – seems nice – Southie Somerset is her name. Oh, and the banns are being read on Sunday and I’ve booked the honeymoon …

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25 Nov 2014

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EDDC, Exeter City Council, Greater Exeter, Teignbridge

East Devon and Teignbridge workers amongst the lowest paid in England

” … Workers across East Devon are earning more than £3,000 lower than the national average, new research has shown.

In Teignbridge employees earn an average of £18,026 a year, more than £4,000 fewer (stet) than the national average. ” …

Oh well, cheap labour for “Greater Exeter”:

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Mapped-East-Devon-workers-earn-3-000-year/story-24651564-detail/story.html

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24 Nov 2014

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Democracy, EDDC, Exeter City Council, Greater Exeter, Paul Diviani, Teignbridge

The “Greater Exeter” agreement in the words of EDDC Leader Diviani

It appears most EDDC councillors of all political persuasions were not aware of the signing of the agreement for joint working between East Devon, Teignbridge and Exeter.

Those councillors may wish to reflect on Mr Diviani’s acceptance speech when he was made Leader:

“Whilst the election results speak for themselves, we need to enable better lines of communication. The cynical view of the last Government – decide, consult, do it all anyway – is not my approach. Obviously, we won’t all agree on everything but my path is one of consensus and inclusivity.”

Whoops.

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24 Nov 2014

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EDDC, Exeter City Council, Greater Exeter, Teignbridge

Greater Exeter – you read it here first! And here! And here!

To all those EDDC (and Teignbridge and Exeter City) councillors who didn’t see it coming – we did!

2 October 2014
http://eastdevonalliance.org/2014/10/02/today-manchester-tomorrow-greater-exeter-or-all-devon-maybe-councillor-potter-is-right-and-there-will-be-no-district-councils-soon/

29 September 2014
http://eastdevonalliance.org/2014/10/02/today-manchester-tomorrow-greater-exeter-or-all-devon-maybe-councillor-potter-is-right-and-there-will-be-no-district-councils-soon/

18 September 2014
http://eastdevonalliance.org/2014/09/18/another-step-on-the-road-to-greater-exeter/

15 September 2014
http://eastdevonalliance.org/2014/09/15/from-one-of-our-correspondents-greater-exeter/

but we can’t take all the credit, Sidmouth Independent News saw it coming in March 2014!

https://sidmouthindependentnews.wordpress.com/2014/03/15/exeter-bus-strategy-and-skypark/

oh, and here on yet another blog on 3 November 2014.

http://futuresforumvgs.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/knowle-relocation-project-and-longer.html

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24 Nov 2014

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Cranbrook, EDDC, Exeter City Council, Greater Exeter, Skypark

Greater Exeter part 2

Keep an eye on those “affordable home” “promises”!

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Pictured-Plans-900-new-homes-edge-Exeter-Science/story-24647276-detail/story.html

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24 Nov 2014

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Democracy, Greater Exeter

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EDDC expects its councillors to debate merger AFTER agreement signed!

http://www.claire-wright.org/index.php/post/east_devon_district_council_to_form_partnership_with_teignbridge_and_exeter

Perhaps only Conservative councillors were informed in advance!

EDDC: the council that consults you AFTER the event!

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24 Nov 2014

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Devolution, EDDC, Exeter City Council, Greater Exeter, Knowle/Honiton/Exmouth relocation, Skypark, Teignbridge

“Greater Exeter” – just as EDA predicted months ago, weeks ago, days ago and hours ago!

Well, we did break this story long before the three councils deigned to tell us – perhaps we spooked them into bringing it into the public domain!

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Greater-Exeter-created-council-link/story-24643530-detail/story.html

Four questions:

How long have these talks between the three councils been going on?

Where are the agenda items/minutes where our EDDC councillors democratically voted and agreed on this?

Will this “Board” meet in secret? (We are fairly sure we know the answer to that one!)

How does this affect/change Knowle/Skypark relocation plans?

Maybe you have more questions?

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24 Nov 2014

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AONB, EDDC, Environment (local), Local Plan

Developers offering farmers “no win, no fee” for planning applications

….. “Gladman Developments, which has a turnover of £200million a year, targets councils that cannot demonstrate a five-year housing supply.

It offers to pay all the costs of obtaining planning permission – including the fees for lawyers and experts in the event of any appeal – which can exceed £300,000.

If the attempt to win permission is unsuccessful, the farmer does not have to pay anything. The firm recently took out adverts in the farming press calling for sites of up to 50 acres on the edge of a towns or villages. Its adverts boast: ‘We aim to never lose and have won 90 per cent of our housing planning applications.

‘You pay nothing, win or lose. We only get our percentage after you have sold your land to the highest bidding housebuilder.’

The firm has an astonishing success rate, having secured planning permission for rural sites in 41 out of its last 43 cases, despite substantial local opposition. …

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2846629/No-win-no-free-lawyers-ruining-countryside-bankroll-farmers-seeking-permission-build-fields.html

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23 Nov 2014

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EDDC

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It’s official! There’s a ‘longterm partnership for East Devon, Exeter and Teignbridge’

Seems the predicted merger is underway, as some of you may have noticed, from news of an EDDC job advertisement in an earlier EDA post today. In ‘About the role’, the link refers to the ‘partnership’ between EDDC, Exeter and Teignbridge for delivering jobs and growth.

Bear in mind our earlier post about how Teignbridge planning already operates:

http://eastdevonalliance.org/2014/11/22/teignbridge-council-wants-to-comulsorily-purchase-farmers-land-to-make-up-for-development-elsewhere/

source: http://www.countryside-jobs.com/Jobs/Dec14/Habitat-Regulation-Delivery-Officer-East-Devon-District-Council-2111_2.html

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23 Nov 2014

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Democracy, EDDC, Freedom of Information and EIA

Secrecy has increased at Cabinet meetings: the evidence

In the EDDC council year 2013-2014 (May 2013-April 2014), the Cabinet met 11 times and three of those meetings had secret sessions.

So far this council year, the Cabinet has met 5 times and 4 of those meetings have had secret sessions.

http://new.eastdevon.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/committees-and-meetings/cabinet/agendas/

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23 Nov 2014

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EDDC, Paul Diviani

Why does (Un)Beloved Leader Paul Diviani have an 0845 telephone number?

Why does (Un)Beloved Leader Paul Diviani have an 0845 telephone number – 0845 3285788

Is it cheaper or more expensive for us to call him than a Blackdown Hills 01404 number?

https://new.devon.gov.uk/democracy/councillor/paul-diviani/
http://www.payhembury.org.uk/important-information/
http://www.tivertonhonitonconservatives.co.uk/person/honiton-st-pauls-cllr-paul-diviani

According to this Wikipedia article :

“0845 numbers offer the called-party the chance to collect a premium of up to 2 pence per minute. Only a very few fixed line telephone companies include 0845 numbers in bundled call allowances, in which case the onwards revenue share payment is subsidised by the Originating phone company.”

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-geographic_telephone_numbers_in_the_United_Kingdom

and see this article:

Costly calls aren’t right – why TSB has ditched 0845 numbers
(April 2014)

http://conversation.which.co.uk/money/tsb-costly-calls-03-0845-win-paul-pester/

and here is the “Which” magazine campaign

… “The companies that use 0844, 0845, 0870 and 0871 phone numbers can theoretically share the revenue from each call with the phone service operator – Virgin Media or Orange, for example – so the longer you stay on the line, the more the companies earn. ”

http://www.which.co.uk/money/money-saving-tips/guides/cheap-alternatives-to-0870-and-0845-calls/say-no-to-0870-and-0845/

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23 Nov 2014

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Affordable and Social Housing, AONB, EDDC, Environment (local), NPPF

Leading academic says planning system letting the countryside down and may be being made ready for sell-off

” … Planning departments across the peninsula have been cut by up to half, and Prof Balch said the axe was likely to fall again. One planning officer told him she had a caseload of 91 applications, which had to be determined within eight weeks – more than two a day.

“How can you visit the site, prepare paperwork and do all the consultation?

“The changes may not be bad in principle, but you will see unintended consequences. You are probably going to see more legal challenges from a system which is running on three-quarters empty.”

Who are we doing planning for? Is it for the landowner and applicant, or is it for the community and society?”

Prof Balch said that there was some suspicion that the government was “teeing up” the planning system to be outsourced.

Prof Balch warned that decisions were likely to become more inconsistent because the government had introduced more ambiguity into the system.

“In Teignbridge virtually all the barn conversions go through on prior approval. In Wiltshire they have hardly approved any,” he said. …”

Read more: http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Countryside-risk-planning-control-ditched-8216/story-24609710-detail/story.html#ixzz3JuPHdRgG
Follow us: @WMNNews on Twitter | westernmorningnews on Facebook

http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Countryside-risk-planning-control-ditched-8216/story-24609710-detail/story.html

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23 Nov 2014

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Affordable and Social Housing, AONB, EDDC, Environment (local)

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Reading between the lines: “Habitat Regulation Delivery Officer”

Anyone else think that this job description (EDDC Habitat Regulation Delivery Officer) may be the exact opposite of what it purports to be and may be, in fact, a way of helping developers to build even more houses in environmentally sensitive locations in East Devon – such as AONBs?

“Strategic in your thinking, you will be confident setting the direction – and budget – of various programmes to protect wildlife. Persuasive and credible, you are an exceptional communicator with good networking, negotiation and communication skills, and you are capable in sharing information with a wide variety of stakeholders.”

A tongue in cheek translation:

“Strategic in your thinking” – doing as you are told
“Confident in setting the direction and budget” – doing as you are told on the cheap
“Persuasive, credible, exceptional communicator” – doing as you are told whilst persuading others of the opposite
“A wide variety of stakeholders” – doing as you are told whilst keeping developers happy but also persuading the voters you are on their side!

http://www.countryside-jobs.com/Jobs/Dec14/Habitat-Regulation-Delivery-Officer-East-Devon-District-Council-2111_2.html

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23 Nov 2014

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Affordable and Social Housing, EDDC

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East Devon: the rural premium and lack of affordable housing

” …The latest Halifax rural housing review found that rural homeowners in Devon and Cornwall are paying an average of £56,000 more for their properties than an urban equivalent. …

… Figures also revealed that the South Hams and Eastern and Northern parts of Devon are among the ten least affordable rural districts in the country. …

… Social housing was found to account for just 8% of housing stock in Torridge, 9% in Teignbridge and East Devon and 10% in North Devon and the South Hams.

The national rural average for social housing is 12% and the typical urban rate is 19%.”

http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/56-000-premium-rural-lifestyle/story-24519038-detail/story.html

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22 Nov 2014

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NPPF

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Teignbridge Council wants to compulsorily purchase farmer’s land to make up for development elsewhere

Teignbridge Council wants to compulsorily purchase a farmer’s land so a nearby developer can use it as “parkland” for their development which otherwise will not have the requisite green space.

The farmer does not want to sell the land to the council and, if it is compulsorily purchased, he will get only the low agricultural value and not much, much higher development land value.

http://www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/Campaign-save-farmer-s-land/story-24569287-detail/story.html

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22 Nov 2014

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EDDC, Exmouth, Freedom of Information and EIA, Seaton/ Colyford / Colyton

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Why is regeneration in East Devon always secret?

The Exmouth and Seaton Regeneration Board meetings have always been secret. Many people have attempted to get their meetings, agendas and minbutes made public but no-one has succeeded, even with Freedom of Information requests.

And, when those meetings are discussed in Cabinet, they are again always secret.

Always the reason is “commercial confidentiality”. This has been the case for years and years.

So, all regeneration matters are kept secret between developers and the council – or rather a few councillors. We are not even allowed to know who exactly they meet with or why or what is discussed. Anything that gets into the public domain is sanitised “good news”. Any “consultation” is done against a backdrop of those few priviledged councillors and (presumabky) developers operating in the shadows until they decide what we can be told of decisions that have been made in secret.

By law, all items heard in secret must have reasons given in advance. The usual one (which EDDC uses for Knowle relocation and even the now-defunct Knowle Planning Application) is “commercial confidentiality”.

Who signs off these confidential items? None other than Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Councillor Tim Woods.

East Devon District Council – working for …. well, who are they working for?

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22 Nov 2014

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Democracy, EDDC, Freedom of Information and EIA

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What’s another word for secret?

Answer: at EDDC – think tank, forum, meeting, group, working party, board

All these words mean secret

as in

Economy think tank
Asset Management Forum
Parishes and town councils meeting
Capital Strategy and Allocation Group
Relocation Working Party
Exmouth and Seaton Regeneration Board

As stated in the post below, most of EDDC’s work now seems to be done this way. You can’t see agendas or minutes and Freedom of Information requests for information on these meetings are routinely refused.

Recall that, in its first incarnation, even discussions about the (failed) Local Plan (called Local Development Framework in those days and chaired by expelled-ex-Tory Councillor Graham Brown) were secret until an Independent Councillor (Claire Wright) forced publication.

How can you know who or what to vote for if you don’t know what they say or do?

Click to access 211114-the-knowledge-issue-28.pdf