Hugo Swire has told us on countless occasions that he can’t speak for us in Parliament because he is a Minister. But he reassures us that he can and does talk about us in private to other Ministers (which Owl finds worse than talking about us in public when at least we could know what he is saying about us.
However, it seems that whatever he says (if he says anything at all as he is usually jetting around the world as bagman for the Foreign Minister) it has fallen on deaf ears:
“A massive blow has been dealt to Devon’s health care after being told it will receive less funding.
For the next financial year in 2016/17, Devon County Council will receive almost £28m – £800,000 lower than anticipated, increasing fears over the a service that has already been recognised as being under significant financial pressures and demands.
It amounts to an allocation of £38 per person in Devon, compared to a national average of £69. In comparison, the city of London receives £200, and Middlesborough gets £126. …
…In the league table of public health grants per region, Devon is now ranked 143 out of 152 local authorities.
If Devon did receive the national average its public health funding would increase to over £51 – an extra £13 per person.
The public heath grant news arrived yesterday lunch time – the day before Devon County Council’s cabinet committee discussed the budget for the next financial year.
Speaking at today’s cabinet meeting, Andrea Davis, Devon County Council cabinet member for improving health and wellbeing, said: “That’s what I call shoving us right at the bottom. We are now fifth from the bottom in the league table. To say I’m unhappy is an understatement and we don’t have any reserves.”
http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Funding-blow-Devon-s-health-sees-ranked-near/story-28722938-detail/story.html
East Devon Watch 
Well – I guess the government has decided that it makes sense to make the biggest cuts in those areas which have safe Tory seats (Oxfordshire excepted since that is David Cameron’s own back yard).
All those Devon residents who voted Tory in the last election take note – the Tories are NOT the party to vote for if you want to be treated fairly (or if you want them to be honest about their agendas or if you want them to put people before big business or if you want them to stop using financial bribes to local councils to get them to do what the government wants – like devolution – or …).
So next time, vote for Claire Wright – who will represent you rather than e.g. the Burmese government or Glaxo Smith-Kline or the Chinese nuclear power station engineers.
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