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Asset Management Group, Asset sweating, EDDC, Freedom of Information Act, Knowle/Honiton/Exmouth relocation

Do EDDC consultants know how long their piece of string is?

Freedom of Information request on “What Do They Know” website:

Dear Ms Symington,

I would like to make a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I am also making this Request under the Environmental Impact Regulations 2004 which require disclosure on the part of Local Authorities.

1) The Davis Langdon report to Cabinet of 17th July 2013 states the following:
“3.4.3 The current gross internal floor area totals some 7,722 m2, with the former Hotel providing 5,784 m2 and the Office Extensions 1,938m2.” http://eastdevon.gov.uk/media/1183866/ca…

This is also referred to in an earlier FOI Request, where you state:
“The floor space area was calculated by an independent consultant and cross-checked with the Display Energy Certificate (DEC).” https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/c…

2) The Valuation Office website states the following:
“Address of property: KNOWLE THE, STATION ROAD, SIDMOUTH, DEVON, EX10 8HL
“Total area: 4871.85 [sqm]”
http://www.2010.voa.gov.uk/rli/en/basic/…

I would be grateful if you could provide an explanation for the apparent discrepancy and provide me with evidence as to how the actual floor space at Knowle is calculated.

Thank you.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Jeremy Woodward

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/total_floor_area_of_knowle”

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EDDC, EU Referendum, Mark Williams CEO EDDC, Voting

“EU Referendum: “East Devon to be one of the last districts to declare results”

“East Devon will be one of the last local areas in the UK to return their EU referendum result. The district will return their verdict at 5am on Friday morning.

Residents in Exeter, however, won’t have to wait as long. The city’s verdict is expected to be revealed at 3am.

South Hams are set to announce theirs 3.30am, Teignbridge at 4.30am, West Devon at 5am, Plymouth at 5am and Torridge between 4am and 6am.

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/eu-referendum-east-devon-to-be-one-of-the-last-to-declare-result/story-29436536-detail/story.html

Exeter has many more voters than East Devon, so has Plymouth.

Explain.

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Devolution, Rural communications, Rural communities, Tourism, Transport (local)

Rural roads need more money

“… A report published today by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) shows that half of all small firms believe this country’s road and public transport system has got worse over last few years.

The three biggest issues highlighted in the report by small companies operating in rural areas are congestion on local roads, potholes and the cost of fuel.

It also warns a lack of regional planning is hampering business growth, particularly in rural area and FSB has also called on the newly-formed combined authorities around the country to commit to spending more on rural transport infrastructure and give the matter a higher priority.

The FSB’s national chairman, Mike Cherry, said while the Government is investing in transport, the ‘lion’s share’ is being spent on ‘big flagship projects’.

‘Most small businesses mainly rely on their local roads and public transport, so there is a strong case to prioritise investment in these smaller projects which will help to alleviate congestion and bottlenecks,’ said Mr Cherry.

‘The current devolution agenda in England presents a real opportunity to make a positive difference to rural communities. Small businesses want to see more resources earmarked for rural transport.

‘This will help support rural small businesses as well as the UK tourism industry, which are both disproportionately affected when local bus networks and roads are left to deteriorate,’ he added.”

http://www.localgov.co.uk/Small-firms-demand-more-money-for-countryside-roads/40935

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Beach huts, EDDC

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Beach hut waiting list mystery

Owl has been contacted by someone nearer to 100 on the waiting list in Seaton for the favoured East Walk has been offered a choice of 5 sites available and has anecdotally said that someone way down on the less-favoured West Walk site has been offered a choice of three sites. Both are refusing due to cost.

Hhhmmm … time for that discount Mr Pook!

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AONB, EDDC, Environment (local), Sidmouth/ Sidford/ Sidbury

Sidford Business Park: evidence and information for objectors

Sidford-Sidbury Rd, next to Sidford Fields site for proposed business park.

Sidford-Sidbury Rd, next to Sidford Fields site for proposed business park.

More details here:
Save Our Sidford—- Where to write

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Accountability, Corruption, Freedom of Information Act, Tax avoidance, Transparency

Lycamobile (one of the biggest donors to the Conservative Party: how do you get information on its UK business?

19 Lycamobile officials in France have been arrested in money laundering investigations.

Here is how ine UK person’s attempt to find out what goes on with the company in the UK went:

“Dear National Crime Agency,

I note in recent revelations published by Buzzfeed news concerning Lycamobile, allegations that “the international telecoms group employs three cash couriers to drop rucksacks stuffed with hundreds of thousands of pounds twice a day at Post Offices scattered across London”. (See *)

Buzzfeed quote a statement by a former manager, “The services would be intangible – consulting or IT services, for example. It would all be billed to London.”

In Lycamobile UK’s most recent annual accounts (**), filed at Companies House… the auditors identify significant sums for which the audit records are inadequate, including “an amount of £134,133,856 owed by related parties for which the audit evidence available to us was limited because of the complex nature of the related party structure the company operators within”.

Given the involvement of UK banks, the use of intangible services in London to spend the money deposited by Lycamobile, and the qualifications to Lycamobile UK’s accounts, please could you disclose to me;

1) Confirm or deny the National Crime Agency are involved in the investigation into alleged international money laundering by Lycamobile in London. If not, please could you indicate who is?
2) Confirm or deny the co-operation of Barclays Bank with any investigation into money laundering via UK bank accounts
3) The number of corresponding arrests made in the UK

France’s Parquet National Financier;-

“On Wednesday and Thursday, 19 people suspected of being involved in a money-laundering system implicating Lycamobile and Lycamobile Services were arrested. The arrests were part of a Paris judicial investigation into money laundering and VAT fraud. Several places in Paris and its outskirts were raided and police seized about 130,000 euros in cash and 850,000 euros from bank accounts. Nine people were brought in front of a judge on Friday and charged with money laundering among other things, and eight were released on bail while one man was remanded in custody. The charges relate to money laundering of at least 17 million euros and VAT fraud of several million euros”.
Yours faithfully,

P. John”
* https://www.buzzfeed.com/heidiblake/the-…
** https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/compa…

And the reply was:

“OFFICIAL

Dear P. John

Thank you for contacting the National Crime Agency (NCA).

NCA is not listed in Schedule 1 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and as such is not obliged to respond to Freedom of Information requests. NCA is also not listed as a ‘Scottish Public Authority’ in the Freedom of Information (Scotland Act 2002).

Any information from, or relating to NCA has an absolute exemption from disclosure by other public authorities by virtue of Section 23 of the Act (as amended by the Crime and Courts Act 2013).

From time to time NCA will make limited information available on the web site http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk.

Whilst we will not respond to specific requests, we will consider written suggestions about information we may consider publishing in the future.

For more information about the Freedom of Information Act, please contact the Office of the Information Commissioner, or view their web site at http://www.ico.org.uk.

Yours sincerely

Public Information Compliance Unit
NCA”

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/lycamobile_3

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Axminster, NHS (local)

Axminster Hospital affected by protracted NHS contract negotiations

“Axminster must accept the closure of its hospital beds and concentrate on re-establishing day case treatment there.

That is what League of Friends’ chairman Dr Phil Taylor told members at their annual general meeting, in The Guildhall, on Friday.

He said: “Your committee agreed that, having fully engaged in the battle over beds, it was time to accept the inevitable and work constructively to ensure that the communities which we serve saw the development of other services which we hoped would mitigate this loss.

“Specifically, we would like to see the re-establishing of day case treatments at Axminster Hospital. This would mean that people who need blood transfusions, infusions for osteoporosis treatments and other intravenous treatments could have these in Axminster. We are also hoping that chemotherapy treatments might also become available locally as well.

“Progress on this has been impeded by the interminable process of contract transfer of the community hospitals – and other services – from Northern Devon Healthcare Trust (NDHT) to the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust.

“We are also keen that people who are at the end of their lives can be looked after in our community when it is appropriate, the ability to do this having been diminished by the loss of our in-patient beds.

“We have been working with NDHT to see if we can establish two temporary care home beds but perhaps, more excitingly, we are working with the Exeter and District Hospice on extending the Seaton Hospice at Home service into the rest of the Axe Valley.”

http://www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/re_establish_day_cases_at_axminster_hospital_urges_gp_1_4588919

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VOTE, VOTE, VOTE

and just in case you forget

VOTE

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Accountability, Democracy, General Election, Transparency, Voting

Former editor of “The Independent” thinks party politics is dead and democracy is broken

“So here is the checklist: Conservative Party: split; Labour Party: in disarray; Liberal Democrats: severe losses.

That isn’t the end of it. There is another serious development running in parallel: the decline in people’s trust in their political leaders. Which is cause, and which is consequence, it is impossible to say.

What is certain, however, is that the systematic, shameless spinning and fear-mongering of the Remain and Leave campaigns has further reduced the respect in which our aged political system is held.

The truth is that the party system – a part of our everyday lives since Labour formed its first government in 1924 – is tottering and will soon collapse. …

… I hope myself that the ‘new’ would have three characteristics. First, the political process would be more consultative than it is at present. To this end I would favour a further expansion of the work of the parliamentary select committees. These are the bodies that have recently held Mike Ashley of Sports Direct and Philip Green, the former owner of BHS, to account. They should hold hearings in regional centres as well as in the Palace of Westminster.

Second, MPs should be subject to term limits, which would mean that they could not stand for re-election to the House of Commons more than, say, twice. This would prevent the creation of a political class. Politics would no longer be a lifetime career but a public duty.

And third, citizens who have done something with their lives other than politics should be willing to stand for Parliament knowing that with term limits, it would not be a job for life.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-founding-editor-of-the-independent-thinks-democracy-is-broken-and-he-wants-to-know-what-you-a7096311.html

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Developers/ Development

Developers and their promises

What Donald Trump promised at his golf course in Scotland:

” … a sprawling resort in the ancestral home of golf with two courses, a 450-room luxury hotel and spa, a conference center, employee housing, a turf-grass research center and a holiday community with hundreds of villas, condos and homes. The project would pump millions of dollars into the local economy and create 6,000 jobs — maybe even 7,000 jobs, Trump said at one news conference. Tourists would travel here from around the world, he promised, along with well-known celebrities such as Scottish actor Sean Connery.”

What they got:

“… the Trump International Golf Links near Aberdeen employs just 150 people and consists of one golf course that meanders through the sand dunes, a clubhouse with a restaurant and 19 rooms for rent in a renovated mansion and former carriage house. There is also a maintenance facility and a road running through the property. Lonely and desolate, the resort has attracted no major tournaments, and neighbors say the parking lot is rarely, if ever, full.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-top-example-of-foreign-experience-a-scottish-golf-course-losing-millions/2016/06/22/12ae9cb0-1883-11e6-9e16-2e5a123aac62_story.html

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“Welcome to the angry, divided Kingdom”

Video

http://gu.com/p/4mdnc

“As the big vote approaches and many voices say the EU referendum has whipped up the politics of hate, John Harris and John Domokos go on a five-day road trip from post-industrial Labour towns to rural Tory heartlands. In Birmingham, Leave voters cross racial and cultural divides; in Manchester, students uniformly back Remain; while people in the city’s neglected edgelands want out. And one fact burns through: whatever the result, the UK’s grave social problems look set to deepen.”

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Developers/ Development

And now “Parasite Properties”

Coming soon, already arrived in Paris.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/20/europe/stephane-malka-paris-architecture/

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Developers/ Development, Economy, EDDC

Comments

What is EDDC’s highest risk in its Risk Register?

In the full risk register there is one risk currently scored as high:

The Council’s income now relies on income from new homes bonus monies which is directly related to new house building in the district.

There is a risk of lower growth than estimated or the Government changing the mechanism for payment.
Impact: Major
Likelihood: Likely

The reason for the escalation of this risk is that the government is currently considering a new scheme following a period of consultation. There is now uncertainty as to the implications of any changes to the scheme.

Click to access combined-a-and-g-agenda-final-300616.pdf

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Accountability, Consultation, Democracy, Developers/ Development, Devolution, EDDC, Local Enterprise Partnership, Transparency

Latest information on EDDC and devolution – done deal

Pages 104-116 here:

Click to access 280616-overview-agenda-combined.pdf

NOTE: THERE HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY NO CONSULTATION WITH RESIDENTS ON ANY PART OF THIS DEAL WHICH IS BEING RAILROADED THROUGH EACH MEMBER COUNCIL

A summary:

“Our Prospectus for Prosperity was submitted to Government at the end of February 2016. Since then the Partnership has pressed the Secretary of State to enter into discussion with its negotiation team to secure a deal for the Heart of the South West.

Following an invitation from the Secretary of State, on the 25th May 2016, leaders from the upper tier authorities met with the Greg Clarke, Secretary of State for the Department of Communities and Local Government to seek his view on our next steps forward.

The Secretary of State made the following comments:

Geography – the Devon and Somerset area is agreed as the appropriate scale. The proposal must clearly demonstrate why this is the right geography for the Devolution agreement and all councils and MPs must support the proposal.

Combined Authority – the Partnership will move forward into the negotiation process based on a Combined Authority model. The Mayoral issue may be considered at a later stage, within the timeline agreed by our Partnership. A Mayor will not be imposed or be a pre-condition of any initial deal.

Extent of the deal – areas that have agreed to have a Mayor will get more powers than a non-Mayoral Combined Authority deal. However, the negotiation process will be an opportunity to push the limits of this initial deal, and the process should be viewed as being incremental.

Timeline – we will still work towards an Autumn Statement timeline for the announcement of an initial deal.

Growth Deal 3 – the LEP would not be penalised in Growth Deal 3 negotiations because the area does not have a Devolution deal with a Mayor. The decision for allocation will be based purely on the quality of the Growth Deal bid.

The Secretary of State went on to advise that if the Partnership, backed by each Council and MPs, would sign up to the principle of creating a Combined Authority by the end of July 2016 he would arrange for the Treasury to open up negotiations towards a deal.

This report seeks approval to sign up ‘in principle’ to the pursuit of a Devolution Deal and the creation of a Combined Authority for the Heart of the South West sub-region to administer the powers devolved through the Deal.

An ‘in principle’ agreement from all of the authorities, partners and MPs involved in the Heart of the South West devolution process will open up negotiations with Treasury to work towards a deal.

Any final devolution deal with government will be subject to further approval/ratification by all partners individually. A Heads of Terms document will be used as a negotiating tool to seek additional powers and funding to accelerate the delivery of 163,000 new jobs, 179,000 new homes and an economy of over £53bn GVA by 2030.

It should be noted that there is no intention for the Combined Authority to take existing powers or funding from local authorities, or existing city deal governance structures, without the explicit agreement of those constituent local authorities. More detailed work will be undertaken to identify the decision-making powers and the constitution of the Combined Authority, and all partners will be fully involved and consulted on these arrangements as they develop.”

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Accountability, Developers/ Development, EDDC, Exmouth, Moirai Exmouth project, Regeneration

Save Exmouth Seafront public meeting Saturday 2 July 2pm

To update people on the campaign before and after the Town Poll and to hear what residents think and what to do next

All Saints Church Hall
Exeter Road

All welcome

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Accountability, Corruption, Democracy, Spin, Transparency, Voting

Political spending US-style

Remember £15,000 for a jar of Hugo Swire’s honey in 2014:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/citydiary/10944187/City-Diary-After-dinner-auction-could-turn-into-a-honey-trap-for-the-Tories.html

and Hugo’s remarks about people on benefits at the auction he chaired in 2015:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/citydiary/10944187/City-Diary-After-dinner-auction-could-turn-into-a-honey-trap-for-the-Tories.html

Owl, having read below about how Donald Trump manages his election expenses, wonders how much of the battle bus expenses ended up back in donors pockets.

“Donald Trump loves to brag about his wealth. But as he heads into the general election in November, his campaign’s bank account is almost empty (for a presidential candidate) — he has just $1.3 million on hand, nearly 40 times less than presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

And a lot of the money the Trump campaign has spent is going directly back to Donald Trump. In May, according to Federal Election Commission filings, Trump spent about $1 million of his campaign’s funds on products and services from business he owns, including:

$423,372 to rent out Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach club
$349,540 to Tag Air, his fleet of private jets
$29,715 to rent out the Trump International Golf Club
$35,845 to rent out the Trump National Golf Club
$72,800 in rent on Trump Tower

Earlier this year, the Trump campaign spent thousands to stay at Trump hotels, eat at Trump restaurants, and serve Trump bottled water at their events. The Associated Press calculated that, in all, $6 million of Trump campaign money has gone back to the Trump Organization.

Campaigns are required to pay the fair market value for the goods and services they purchase, even if they’re paying a company owned by the candidate. (Otherwise, Trump’s companies could give him a big advantage by allowing him to use facilities for free, while Clinton, who is not a real estate magnate, has to pay for venues where she holds her events.) Trump, naturally, wants to host events at properties he owns.

Since Trump’s campaign funds still mostly come from a loan from the candidate himself, a lot of this spending is just passing Trump’s money around. But as the campaign goes on and Trump seeks out more donations, some of the money from his supporters will end up flowing right back to him.”

http://www.vox.com/2016/6/21/11988298/trump-campaign-spending-trump

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No lie-in for Cranbrook residents on Saturdays

“BUILDERS’ START TIMES (MORNINGS) – A MESSAGE FROM RICHARD GILMOUR, CRANBROOK CONSORTIUM & INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT MANAGER:

A resident recently expressed concern about working hours and start times, suggesting we should not start work on Saturdays before 9:30 am, so we thought it would be helpful to clarify the situation. It is that, in Phase 1, we are permitted to start at 7:00 am but have taken the decision not to allow starts before 7:30 am.”

[If residents have any queries relating to this post, please contact Richard via Richard.Gilmour@taylorwimpey.com]

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Cranbrook landscaping company goes broke – work ceases

“LANDSCAPING – A MESSAGE FROM RICHARD GILMOUR, CRANBROOK CONSORTIUM & INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT MANAGER

We need to inform residents that Blakedown, the contractors who have been responsible for landscaping in the County Park and other communal areas, are in administration – so have ceased to provide services to Cranbrook.

The Consortium has, however, held extensive interviews for a suitable replacement and work will recommence soon with areas in Phase 1 taking priority (as landscaping on that side is more established).

If residents have any queries relating to this post, please contact Richard via Richard.Gilmour@taylorwimpey.com”