Oh dear, Hugo, best not rely on the Electoral Reform Society – if it made one mistake, it can make another!
Daily Archives: 20 Apr 2015
Declining Tory Party membership: who exactly do they represent?
No wonder Hugo is pounding the pavements … with so few supporters available!
“The Conservative Party has released details of its membership, after it was claimed that people were leaving the party in droves.
It had been suggested that membership had dropped below 100,000 and, while the figure quoted is in fact 134,000 …
… Worse than that, it seems membership has halved under the leadership of David Cameron; in 2005, 253,600 members voted in the leadership contest between him and David Davis. …
… The party itself claims 174,000 members – but this includes ‘friends, non-member donors and others’ in the numbers. In other words, people who are not members of the Conservative Party …”
Many East Devon schools at 95%+ capacity and still we allow rampant development
The following schools are oversubscribed or at 95% or more capacity and still we allow free-for-all development without infrastructure:
In East Devon:
Woodbury Church of England Primary, Broadclyst Primary, Exeter Road Primary and Brixington Primary schools in Exmouth, West Hill Primary near Ottery St Mary, Kilmington Primary, Stockland Primary near Honiton, Lady Seaward’s Primary at Clyst St George and Mrs Ethelston’s Primary near Axminster, are all over subscribed.
This autumn, six more East Devon primary schools join the list by being at 95 per cent capacity or over: Ottery St Mary, Bassetts Farm Primary in Exmouth, Sidbury Church of England Primary School, The Beacon Church of England Primary School, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Exmouth and Feniton Church of England School.
http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/8220-Considerable-pressure-8221-Exeter-East-Devon/story-26359651-detail/story.html
http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/8220-Considerable-pressure-8221-Exeter-East-Devon/story-26359651-detail/story.html
Inspector’s response to EDDC draft plan admin arrangements
http://eastdevon.gov.uk/media/1063477/letter-no-12-to-east-devon.pdf
Good to see that, in his last paragraph, he agrees that it was sensible to extend the public consultation period from six weeks to eight weeks because of the effect of elections – a concession suggested by and fought for by Councillor Claire Wright to which some other councillors objected.
At last – we find something Hugo Swire does on the cheap!
This
http://www.parliamentary-standards.org.uk/ViewAggregateData2014.aspx?mcode=0167&year=2013
is a summary of Hugo Swire’s expenses claimed in the 2013-14 Parliamentary year. It can be seen that he has claimed near to the maximum amount allowed for staff payroll costs, including the salary he pays his wife (up to £35,000).
What is striking is how little he paid for office costs “the costs of renting, equipping and running an MPs office and surgeries” in his constituency. Allowed a maximum of £22,750 he had spent only £7,011.52.
Is his office particularly cheap to run – or is it that he spends so little time here he doesn’t need much in the way of office or local surgery expenses?
and speaking of paying wives (which is allowed but which few MPs choose to do) the arch-Conservative blogger Guido Fawkes had this to say about the practice:
Keeping “IT”* in the family
MPs will protest that they pay their spouse / son / daughter / sibling a pittance and they work extra long hours and suchlike. The truth is they deny someone more competent the chance of a job won in open competition. Many MPs really use the staff allowance as a subsidy to family members. Who can forget Derek Conway’s lavish family staffing arrangements, with payments to offspring at university? Peter Hain’s employment of his octogenarian mother despite having a staff of civil servants, special advisers, private secretaries, secretaries and case workers. Bob Spink famously employed his former wife, his lover and her daughter.
Many MPs now employ their wives / partners in their maiden names to disguise the dodge. For example Elaina Cohen is Khalid Mahmood’s partner – he dumped his wife for her – but contrary to the rules of the House he doesn’t declare the relationship. No doubt some of the above will have innocent explanations for why – against best private sector practise – they issue staff passes to family members. They shouldn’t do it, it is nepotism.
*The ‘it’ being our taxes.
http://order-order.com/2010/08/25/keeping-it-in-the-family/#_@/as_aAd6GhnIn/Q
East Devon Watch 