Monthly Archives: January 2015
Betting odds shorten on Wright (Ind) and lengthen on Swire (Con)
Claire Wright started at 66/1 and is today 10/1, just behind UKIP at 8/1. Odds on Hugo Swire have dropped to 1/7.
Should you fancy a bet (but, of course, bet responsibly and be over 18) Ladbrokes Online do not make it easy to place one!
First you need to go to the A-Z of betting headings and choose Politics, then General Election and then General Election Constituencies. At this point they make it even harder: in the A-Z of constituencies our district comes under D for Devon East and not E for East Devon!
Decline of England’s natural environment ‘hits economy’
“England’s natural environment is in decline and its deterioration is harming the economy, an independent advisory group has told the government.
The Natural Capital Committee says pressures will rise with population growth and has called for a 25-year investment plan.
Its report said measures like investing in improved air quality and greener cities would bring economic benefits.
Defra said it had set “long-term goals” to halt “decades of decline”.
‘Great opportunity’
The committee also advised that creating hundreds of thousands of hectares of woodland and wetlands would lead to multi-million pound benefits, including avoiding flooding and improving health.
It says the government, businesses and society as a whole should be involved in the 25-year strategy to protect England’s “natural capital” – its assets which include forests, rivers, land and wildlife.
…
Analysis
By Roger Harrabin, Environment Analyst
When the government came to office ministers said they wanted to leave the environment in a better state than before. They set up a committee to report on the state of the UK’s natural assets.
Their report says the elements of the natural environment which provide valuable goods and services to people – like clean air, clean water, food and recreation – are in long-term decline.
That’s the bad news. The committee says the good news is it can be put right. They say a 25-year investment plan will bring returns comparable to other infrastructure projects.
Good value investments include saving on health spending by cleaning up dirty air, preventing floods by restoring peat bogs and creating wetlands, improving fisheries and improving green spaces in cities to get people outdoors and improve their mental and physical health.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30996096 (extracts)
East Devon: General Election Political News
In the East Devon constituency as of today:
The Green Party has decided not to put up a candidate in East Devon.
The Liberal Democrats have yet to announce if they have a candidate.
Labour Party candidate Jessica Pearce has withdrawn her candidature and Labour must now find a substitute.
Confirmed candidates as of today: Andrew Chapman (UKIP), Hugo Swire (Conservative) and Claire Wright (Independent).
Independent Parliamentary candidate launches Manifesto
Independent Parliamentary Candidate Claire Wright launched her Manifesto in Exmouth this morning.
Thanks to Real Zorro for this link to the Manifesto:
Click to access CWrightJanFeb2015Leaflet.pdf
And here is the speech she gave this morning – stirring stuff:
http://www.claire-wright.org/index.php/election
Take note Ladbrokes!
Massive West Dorset solar farm on SSSI passed in completely unrecorded vote!
East Devon, Dorset – different counties, same old stories!
Michael McCarthy in today’s Independent writes about a 24-megawatt solar farm planning proposal on Rampisham Down, Dorset “protected” by SSSI and AONB designations. Natural England objected, even the planners advised it went against the NPPF, yet two weeks ago it was voted through in an unrecorded vote. Will Eric Pickles call it in?
Here are some extracts, a link the full article is given below:
“If one were to draw up a list of the most benign technologies ever invented, it seems obvious that solar power would be near the top.
Electricity produced merely by the action of sunlight falling on a silicon panel seems to be drawback-free – no moving parts to go wrong, no combustible materials and most important of all, no harmful emissions of noxious gases to damage human health, or wreck the Earth’s atmospheric balance. If we are to meet our commitments to deal with climate change through the switch to renewable energy, solar will be more necessary than ever.
Yet the recent runaway expansion of the technology in Britain is now clashing headlong with nature protection in a key case in Dorset, which ultimately involves high stakes, concerning a solar farm – a concept that did not exist in the UK until five years ago………………..
Rampisham Down has never been put to the plough: it is one of the largest remaining sites of what is now a very rare habitat – lowland acid grassland. It has an unusual mosaic of plants and has been declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest by Natural England, the Government’s wildlife agency. Natural England strongly objected to the proposal when it came up before West Dorset District Council, as did the Dorset Wildlife Trust, and indeed, the council’s own planning officers, who recommended rejection, pointing out that the proposal went against the National Planning Policy Framework: yet two weeks ago the council’s Development Control Committee voted it through.
I asked the committee chairman, Councillor Ian Gardner, what the vote was, and he said he did not know. Not quite understanding, I asked him to explain, and he said the figure had not been recorded, although it was definitely a majority in favour. “That’s just the way we do things down here,” he said. (He himself had voted against, he added.)
It is now up to Natural England, and the Dorset Wildlife Trust, and other interested parties, to ask the Communities and Local Government Secretary, Eric Pickles, to “call in” the decision and have another look at it.
It is important that they do, and that he does. Solar power is terrific, and we greatly need it, but that does not mean that our need for it has to ride roughshod over every other environmental consideration. The issue is one of statutory environmental protection: is a wildlife site with a double governmental defence, being a declared Site of Special Scientific Interest within a declared Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, protected – or isn’t it?
If it isn’t, Mr Pickles, we need to know, and make our dispositions accordingly.”
*** Save Clyst St Mary Village from Inappropriate Development ***
East Devon Watch has been sent this update on what’s happening at Clyst St Mary:
‘A massive thank you to everyone who has supported our campaign to unite Clyst St Mary in opposing inappropriate development within our village. Our aim is to ensure any future building is sustainable and in accordance with the emerging Neighbourhood Plan so that the village’s unique identity can be maintained and its green sites preserved. We are incredibly grateful to the hundreds of residents who turned up at the Village Hall last Tuesday to voice their concerns regarding proposals for developments at Cat’s Copse, Winslade Park and Oil Mill Lane. Thanks in part to the generosity of residents, the Parish Council has now been able to hire a specialist planning consultant to help us fight these proposals. The next crucial meeting is on 5th February at 7.30pm in the Village Hall.
As you may already be aware, yet another planning application has now been received which, once again, threatens to destroy the character of our village with the development of not only 40 houses (which is in addition to the 93 village homes for which planning permission has already been granted) but also the demolition of an existing family home in the heart of Clyst Valley Road to provide road access into the existing well established, incredibly quiet residential estate. The proposed site, currently owned by the Plymouth Brethren, is the large field adjacent to our football ground.Although it has been labeled ‘Land off Clyst Valley Road, this is in fact misleading since there is no existing access from this road. Nor, at the time of writing, is there any sign of the plans on display in close proximity to the home the developers want to demolish; the only references are situated on the boundary fence between Winslade Park Avenue/A376 and our village football ground.
With the deadline for letters of objection only weeks away (4th February 2015) please can we strongly urge you to continue supporting the village by emailing/writing to East Devon District Council to voice your objections to this most recent proposal. Issues you may wish to consider with regard to this specific development include: an increase in population for which the village does not have the infra-structure; the loss of the existing residential estate’s unique, tranquil character; substantial loss of light and privacy to residents whose bungalows back onto the site (the proposed homes are 2 or 3 storeys in height); an enormous (and potentially dangerous) increase in traffic travelling through the estate – very few public facilities are available within walking distance; a potential increase in congestion both through the main village and onto the Exmouth and Sidmouth roads (the Church Lane entrance to the estate, the site of 21 road traffic incidents in recent years – one of which was fatal – will be particularly affected); an increase in already high levels of pollution, especially at the Clyst St Mary roundabout ; concerns regarding potential flooding which would be exacerbated by the loss of further green spaces; existing wildlife habitats would be destroyed; it would be setting a precedent – which village field, park or site, on either side of the A3052, would become the next target for destruction?
When drafting your objections, the planning reference you should quote is ‘Land Off Clyst Valley Road: 15/0072/MOUT’. A selection of sample letters are given below * and will be available to download from our website http://www.saveclsytstmary.org.uk within the next few days – please feel free to adapt these as required. They can be sent by post or email (planningwest@eastdevon.gov.uk)
Please do note the aforementioned meeting regarding this planning application on 5th February 2015 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall where, once again, your support is essential.
Finally, please can we remind local residents that they are still able to contribute towards the on-going costs of employing Charlie Hopkins, our planning consultant. Payment can be made via the website or at Clyst St Mary Post Office. Please be assured that money will be used for no other purpose than to help pay Mr Hopkins; anyone assisting this campaign is doing so voluntarily and all costs such as printing and banners have been paid for by those volunteers. Do visit our website regularly as we are endeavouring to keep it as up to date as possible. A series of rare historical maps of our area are one of the most recent features which may be of interest.Feel free to suggest any further features you would like to see added.
– As we have stated previously, the challenge ahead of us is not easy – but together, we really can do it!’
*15 0072 MOUT ( Land off Clyst Valley Road, Clyst St Mary
*Land off CVR letter
*** STOP PRESS: new planning application for another solar farm in the area – *** please see website for further details
District and local elections 100 days away
If you haven’t registered: please do it, your vote could really could make all the difference this time around:
Click to access voter_registration_form.pdf
If you have registered: beef up on local issues and national issues (this website, websites listed above, local newspapers) and work out who you trust.
Pick the councillors and MP that you think will work for YOU not just for himself or herself or their party.
Save our Sidmouth: grave reservations on costings and the lack of understanding councillors have of decisions taken in their names
Underfunding of southwest rail services
“Since the line was severed at Dawlish, and the floods caused major disruption across our rail and road networks last year, we have been making the point to Government that the South West has a legacy of under-investment.
“It’s not just new schemes that have fallen by the wayside – maintenance is also a problem. For every £545 the Government spends in London, it is just £41 in the South West. That is simply not acceptable.
Monitoring Officer: is it a dead end job or a powerful way to exert control?
On the one hand:
“Hands up: who wants to be a monitoring officer?”
“With the recent trend across local government to downgrade the monitoring officer from the top table and new regulations proposed by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to remove the designated independent person from the process of dismissing statutory officers, I am sure that some lawyers within council legal departments will be asking themselves why they should put their head above the parapet and seek to become a monitoring officer in what is an uncertain and changing climate.
… With the move to reduce senior management costs, it is becoming increasingly common for the monitoring officer role to be combined with that of head of legal services. Unfortunately, the roles do require very different skill sets. …
..Don’t underplay this role, however, because as the monitoring officer, your role is to ensure that the council and its members maintain the highest standard of conduct. Your intervention on an informal basis can have a significant impact on the cultures and behaviours of the organisation ….
On the other hand:
If either a complainant, or the councillor against whom a complaint has been made, is unhappy with the way in which the local authority resolves the complaint, there is no higher authority to which they may appeal. Neither the Local Government Ombudsman nor the Department for Communities and Local Government has a role in respect of councillors’ conduct or registration of pecuniary interests.
The powers of the local authority in relation to alleged breaches are for local determination, following advice from the authority’s Monitoring Officer or legal team. These powers might include censure or the removal of a member from a committee, but the authority cannot disqualify or suspend councillors: suspension was permitted under the 2000 Act regime.”
http://www.parliament.uk/Templates/BriefingPapers/Pages/BPPdfDownload.aspx?bp-id=sn05707
Chairman and Leader administrative support costs soaring
… “Concern that civic expenses had increased again for the second year in a row, relating to employee costs of the administrative time required for the Chairman and Leader of the council; other members felt that with the workload was significant for both positions.”
Seems Councillors Diviani and Godbeer need lots and lots of officer help, the poor souls! And isn’t Chairman of the Council a largely ceremonial position? What sort of help is Councillor Godbeer needing more of?
Minutes of Overview and Scrutiny Committed of 14 January 2015:
Exmouth Town Hall refurbishment not costed and borrowing may be needed
Cost neutral my ….!
“In response to a question about the cost of accelerating refurbishment of the Exmouth Town Hall if relocation to that site (as part of a dual site option) was agreed, it was confirmed that some capital could be used, but some borrowing may also be necessary which would incur costs. This acceleration has only been discussed and not agreed – the implications of it will need to be fully costed. At present there was no allocation in the capital budget to the refurbishment of Exmouth Town Hall. …”
Extract from minutes of Overview and Scrutiny Committee 14 January 2015:
Daily Telegraph: Building a better planning system
AONBs sacrosanct? Someone needs to tell East Devin District Council!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/9163078/Building-a-better-planning-system.html
West Country tourism needs help
Well we know one district where it isn’t getting it – East Devon, which Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw recently named and shamed as doing nothing. A bit of the £700,000 plus already spent on just talking about relocation of EDDC’s HQ could have had great impact here.
Name that Tourism Champion at EDDC and find anything he or she has said about tourism. But we don’t count the next 3 months when usually silent councillors and MPs suddenly find their voices and manage to get their photos in all sorts of odd places!
Another councillor gets away with disgraceful behaviour
In other walks of life they might well have lost their jobs but in local government the bad behaviour appears to have little effect – unless “grovelling” counts as punishment:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/top-tory-forced-grovel-after-5037897
Which committee will scrutinise the fiasco of the Draft Local Plan?
Seems Overview and Scrutiny are loathe to overview and scrutinise anything, especially now the elections are looming. Audit and Governance don’t seem too concerned. about it, now they have been panicked into dealing with the relocation scandal. The Development Management Committee seems content to spend all its time dogging their hats to developers large and small and so has no time or interest, relying in “updates” that update nothing.
No guards and therefore no-one guarding the guards.
Lamentable AND shocking.
Cabinet Office finds government woefully inadequate on public consultation
A few choice paragraphs the tot is top down AND bottom up:
“Our conclusions appear in Chapter 4. In brief, a number of our concerns about the Government’s approach to consultation are not allayed: and we are most troubled by an apparent absence within Government, in the Cabinet Office and in individual Departments, of a commitment to monitor consultation practice and to draw lessons of general application. …
… The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) laid the Local Government (Transparency Requirements) (England) Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/2680) which served to update the Local Government Transparency Code and make it mandatory through regulations. The Department had received 219 responses to its consultation on the changes: 91 opposed the use of regulations, and only 15 explicitly supported it. In our 11th Report,20 we noted a statement by DCLG that many of the 91 opposing respondents would have been local authorities “who would naturally tend to be against regulation”; and that it was “perfectly reasonable to assume that if the 113 respondents who did not explicitly express a view were sufficiently concerned about Regulation then they would have said so in their response.” We commented that this interpretation nicely supported a pre-determined intention, but did not indicate a Department open to differing views. …
… Finally, in our 18th Report,22 we pointed out that it was bad practice if Government Departments arranged formal consultation exercises which largely coincided with holiday periods, such as the month of August, since this made it difficult for interested parties to prepare and submit responses. Yet this was the course that had been followed over the summer by two Departments: DECC, for the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/3125), and Defra, for the Non- Commercial Movement of Pet Animals (Amendment) Order 2014 (SI 2014/3158). While both Departments had explained that they took other steps to alert stakeholders, we reiterated our concern that the timing of the formal consultation process might have served to disadvantage interested parties. ..
… Information subsequently received from the Cabinet Office states that there were over 300 Government consultations in the first six months of 2014, by contrast with 179 consultations in the first six months of 2012; and that the time spent consulting on a measure dropped from an average of 10.5 weeks in the first half of 2012, to 7.6 weeks in the first half of 2014. These are striking figures: the number of consultations has risen by two thirds, while the average time allowed for responses has fallen by almost one third. We recognise that these figures lend themselves to different interpretations: but one that we see as entirely possible is that, by shortening consultation deadlines, Government Departments can carry out more exercises over the same period of time, irrespective of the capacity of third parties to respond.
… We pressed Mr Letwin on the issue of responsibility for the Government’s approach to consultation, and for tackling bad practice by individual Departments. He said that the consultation principles were the property of the Cabinet as a whole; the Cabinet Office had considerable influence over the principles; but “not even the Prime Minister, let alone the mere Cabinet Office, is in charge of the entire operations of every Department. Those fall to the relevant Secretaries of State in our system, so I cannot command.”45 We found this answer unsatisfactory, and troubling. If neither the Prime Minister nor the Cabinet Office is able to intervene where Departmental consultation is falling short, and if they lack either the information or the commitment to do so, something is badly wrong”.
Farmland hits £1m per acre for housing
It’s where the Housing Minister DIDN’T go that’s interesting!
The housing minister, Brandon Lewis, made a whistlestop (i.e. quick and under the public radar) visit to Lympstone and Cranbrook yesterday.
He DIDN’T visit Feniton, Gittisham or Clyst St Mary or anywhere else blighted by over-development and Council Leader Paul Diviani is conspicuous by his absence in rhe photograph. Not many people at all in the photograph, actually!
Only “good news” visits between now and the May elections!
East Devon Watch 