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East Devon Watch

Posted on

22 Dec 2016

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Accountability, Audit (EDDC), Council tax, EDDC, Exmouth, Independent Councillors, Scrutiny, Transparency

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Tory councillors refuse spending scrutiny role and trust (vastly overspent) officers

East Devon Alliance and other Independent councillors show their mettle – Tories show their inadequacy.

There was a distinct lack of seasonal goodwill last night at the full meeting of East Devon District Council which was well attended by the public.

Four speakers from Exmouth lambasted the council for the mega-shambles emerging over the development of Queen’s Drive.

There was anger that the wishes of local people for a town centre upgrade and a modest refurbishment of the seafront had been ignored. Replaced, without consultation, by a grandiose council project to commercialise the seafront with shops, a cinema and blocks of flats.

Two Sidmouth residents kept up the pressure. One questioned the financial competence of the Council with relocation costs spiralling: £600,000 more for Exmouth Town Hall, £400,000 more for Knowle.

Another asked the Chief Executive to warn planning committee councillors against bias in favour of any future application to develop the Knowle because it would advance the relocation project. This seemed to have happened at the December 6th DMC meeting, but the CEO was unconcerned.

When councillors came to quiz council leaders it was noticeable that not a single Conservative asked a question.

But there was a barrage from Independents and Lib Dems. The refrain was that the leadership never gave straight answers to questions about its accounting for public money; it was incompetent in keeping costs under control, and it kept councillors in the dark about what was happening.

East Devon Alliance Independent councillor Megan Armstrong prised out of Philip Skinner, Exmouth “regeneration” portfolio holder, the admission that there would be no independent public consultation on Queen’s Drive which over 4000 Exmouthians had voted for in a Town Poll.

Nonetheless, EDDC would be spending over £60000 to get renewed planning permission for the development.

East Devon Alliance Independent Councillor Cathy Gardner grew increasingly frustrated at Leader Paul Diviani’s failure to answer questions. Why was the contact with Pegasus life for the sale of the Knowle kept secret? Why was the project manager of the Queen’s Drive affair not sacked for “ineptitude”? And what action would be taken against the same officer who had publicly expressed personal frustration at the refusal of the Pegasus Life planning application for the Knowle?

Eileen Wragg (Lib Dem) questioned where the £3million to move the roadway in Queen’s Drive was coming from. She knew that County did not have funds ear-marked. The Chief Executive admitted that applications had gone out for funding, but nothing had been agreed yet.

Rob Longhurst (Independent) said the leadership seemed to think £600000 more on Exmouth Town Hall was “small money” that didn’t require detailed accounting. “I like to see numbers”, he added. Support came from fellow independent Roger Giles who quoted an earlier Council Leader Peter Halse who said when it came to costings it was not good enough for the council leaders to say “Just trust us”.

Finally, Cllr Longhurst, seconded by Independent Ben Ingham, proposed an amendment that councillors should be updated every six months with detailed costings of the council’s projects.

“Unnecessary!” chorused a succession of Tory councillors. They said leave it to the internal auditors Southwest Audit Partnership, forgetting, perhaps, that SWAP was strongly criticised in 2013 for an “anodyne” report on the governance implications of the Graham Brown affair which suggested it was in too cosy a relationship with Council leaders.

A vote on the amendment was lost with 30 Tory councillors voting in a block against it.

Bleating sounds could be heard coming from a member of the public!

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

22 Dec 2016

Posted under

Accountability, Affordable and Social Housing, Council tax, Cranbrook, Developers/ Development, EDDC, Knowle/Honiton/Exmouth relocation

Getting on your bike … and how that might affect the Knowle

Does anyone recall a government minister of the past (Norman Tebbit) telling young people that, if they wanted a job, they should “get on their bikes” and go to where the jobs were most prevalent?

What happens if you want to own your own home? Where do you go if you are on an average wage? The cheaper homes are largely in the north, but that is also where there are fewer well-paid jobs and, if you are from the West Country, that’s where family and friends are.

So, you rent where homes are expensive to buy, but where the jobs are and where your friends and family are. In this situation, not only will you never be able to own a home (unless you have a bank of mum and dad), you will also probably be paying nearly double in rent what you might have paid on a mortgage (see post below)!

Yet here in East Devon, and in the county as a whole, our housing policy is to build lots of bigger, more expensive houses in the most desirable and expensive places.

Ah, you say, but what about that wonderful new town of Cranbrook? Well, what about it? Cranbrook is turning out to be a mecca for buy to let landlords – perpetuating the high rent scenario that stops young people with low wages getting on the home ownership ladder, unless they are lucky or unlucky enough to be a two-wage childless couple with a bank of mum and dad.

How did we get here? By successive governments putting their faith in the free market and developers. And legislating for them in Local Plans (devised by those self-same developers!).

Social and truly affordable homes have been abandoned to greed.

EDDC could, if they had wished, have turned the Knowle over to a Community Land Trust which could have built affordable homes for local people. A CLT could have taken out a 40 year loan to pay back EDDC, the proceeds of which could have paid back THEIR 40 year loan for their new HQ. Instead EDDC is taking out a 40 year loan on a new HQ in Honiton which WE, the taxpayers, pay back and for which we get – nothing except mega-luxury retirement housing.

Though it is still not too late … with the PegasusLife planning application turned down, perhaps it is time for EDDC to do some of that “systems thinking” that they endlessly trumpet.

Don’t hold your breath.

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

22 Dec 2016

Posted under

Accountability, Consultation, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local)

Judicial review on “biased consultation” could be pointer for NHS consultation

“Ministers have been accused of launching an “unlawful” consultation on the second part of the Leveson inquiry meant to investigate corrupt dealings between the press and police, as well as new legal costs provisions.

Two victims of press intrusion and an investigative website have filed a claim for a judicial review of the decision to consult on two remaining aspects of the Leveson inquiry, set up in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.

Former Crimewatch presenter Jacqui Hames, online news publisher Byline Media, and an anonymous phone-hacking victim have jointly filed the claim against the lawfulness of the consultation exercise, claiming to be “particularly affected by any decision to resile from the promises made”.

The claim against the culture, media and sport department and the Home Office states that the 10-week consultation seeking the public’s views is “misleading and unbalanced in fundamental ways, which render it plainly unfair”.

It argues that the consultation launched by the culture secretary, Karen Bradley, is unlawful because both Leveson part two and the controversial section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013 concerning legal costs were previously promised, and because the consultation document itself is biased. …

…Evan Harris, joint executive director of Hacked Off, said: “This legal challenge is no surprise, given the shameless conduct of the government in breaking its promises to victims, intervening to frustrate the will of parliament, and issuing a consultation paper so biased that it could have been written by the Daily Mail or the Sun.” …

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/dec/22/claim-for-judicial-review-of-unlawful-leveson-consultation-launched?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

22 Dec 2016

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Rural communications, Rural communities

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Government to use old technology to get fast(er) broadband to rural areas

They will use copper wire technology rather than fibre which may mean that although people may get faster broadband they will be in the slow lane of the digital highway. And what about the 3% NOT connected by 2020?

” … The scheme will deliver superfast broadband of up to 24Mbps , which will allow families to watch TV on multiple devices at the same time or let children do homework while parents do online shopping or banking.

The government says the rollout means that the proportion of the UK population that can get superfast broadband has risen from just 45% in 2010 to 90%. The goal is 97% by 2020.

“We have made great progress but there is still more to do,” said Bradley.”

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/dec/22/government-pledges-400m-broadband-fund-to-help-600000-homes?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

21 Dec 2016

Posted under

DCC, Education (local)

Auditor General throws out Dept of Education annual accounts – not true or fair

This throws the latest round of funding for schools into total chaos!

“Auditor general Amyas Morse has issued an adverse opinion on the truth and fairness of the Department for Education’s group financial statements and warned the ministry faces many challenges to provide a better picture of spending by academy schools.

In his statement on the department’s 2015-16 accounts, Morse said the adverse opinion meant he considered the level of error and uncertainty in the statements to be both material and pervasive. He also issued two qualifications after the DFE exceeded two of its authorized expenditure limits.

The error and uncertainty is due to the inclusion of spending by academy trusts in the report.

The DFE has a different reporting period from that of the academy trusts, which presents it with a financial management challenge to provide true and fair financial reports. The department must produce its financial statements by a year end of 31 March whereas the trusts have a year end of 31 August (to align with the end of the school year). For 2015-16, 2,910 academy trusts operating 5,552 academies were included in the report.

This is the second year in a row that the National Audit Office has issued an adverse opinion on this basis, and the report stated the department has chosen not to change the reporting period for the trusts nor to request a second set of statements to cover the period to the end of March. Instead it has sought to prepare the group financial statements by using the academy trusts’ financial statements to the end of August and then making adjustments where necessary. This is based on an assumption that financial data for the year to the end of August, with the adjustments, would not be materially different for the equivalent to the end of the following March.

However, Morse said he considers this approach does not give a true and fair view of the department’s financial performance or position. Furthermore, the approach does not provide the required accountability to Parliament. The report did not, however, identify material inaccuracies in the financial statements of the individual bodies making up the group.

An alternative approach to accounting for academy trusts is now being developed by the DFE to improve transparency through the production of a separate aggregated account for academies as at 31 August. This will remove academy trusts’ financial results from the DfE’s group financial statements, which will instead reflect only grants paid to academies.

Morse said this would, if implemented effectively, provide a solution to a number of the issues faced by the department, but would not address all of the causes of error and uncertainty, such as the recognition of land and buildings.

“The department has many challenges to overcome if it is to implement successfully its plans to provide Parliament with a better picture of academy trusts’ spending next year,” he stated.
Responding to the adverse opinion, a DfE spokesman said: “We recognise the challenges with the current format and have developed a new methodology for the 2016-17 financial year, which the NAO has said will provide a solution to a number of these issues.

“With the Education Funding Agency’s rigorous oversight of the academy system and the expanding role of the Regional School Commissioner we are confident that the accountability system for the expanding academies programme is robust and fit for purpose.”

http://www.publicfinance.co.uk/news/2016/12/auditor-general-issues-adverse-opinion-department-education-accounts

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

21 Dec 2016

Posted under

Accountability, EDDC, Spin

Government’s 32 advisers cost only 4 times more than those at EDDC

“The pay bill for the Conservative party’s special advisers will total an estimated £7.9 million this year, Government records show.

Theresa May will keep 32 advisers in Downing Street, the same number as David Cameron, but has reduced the number across Government from 95 to 83.

The lower number of “Spads” means the total bill for their salaries has fallen by £500,000 from its level of £8.4 million under David Cameron.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/special-advisors-spads-pay-theresa-may-wages-bill-total-labour-a7489221.html

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

21 Dec 2016

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Accountability, Hinkley C, Local Enterprise Partnership

Japan scraps useless, eye-wateringly expensive nuclear reactor

“Japan is a scrapping an experimental reactor which has worked for just 250 days of its 22-year lifespan and cost $9bn (£7.2bn).

The Monju reactor, in western Japan’s Fukui city, was designed to burn most of its own spent fuel, eliminating the need to deal with the nuclear waste.
But it suffered its first problems months after it went live, and has not worked properly since.

It would now need billions more for safety upgrades to be restarted.
“We have decided to decommission Monju because restarting it would require significant time and cost,” chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said.
But officials are not giving up altogether, as it had been hoped the reactor would prove to be the solution for Japan’s scant natural energy resources.

They are understood to be seeking another fast reactor to replace Monju, despite opponents saying Japan should give up the programme and shift to direct burial of spent fuel as waste.

According to the Japan Times, Monju will cost at least 375bn yen ($3.2bn; £2.6bn) to decommission and will only be fully dismantled by 2047.
Local officials oppose losing Monju, which rakes in subsidies and provides jobs.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38390504

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

21 Dec 2016

Posted under

Accountability, Audit (EDDC), Austerity cuts, Council tax, EDDC, Knowle/Honiton/Exmouth relocation, Scrutiny, Transparency

EDDC expenditure on consultants and agency staff2015/16 almost £2 million

Consultants £1,430,867
Agency staff £477,119

Total £1,907,986

A full list of payees appears with the appendix. Relocation supremo Steve Pratten (Aecom) takes up a large chunk.

But what is the £11,000 paid to Monitoring Officer and Legal Officer Henry Gordon-Lennox as “Legal Services Retainer”? Surely he is not employed by an agency?

Click to access item-10-consultants-fees-with-appendices.pdf

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

21 Dec 2016

Posted under

Accountability, Democracy

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Lamest resignation excuse of 2016!

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2016/dec/21/steve-bell-ojamie-reed-quitting-labour-cartoon?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

“One of Jeremy Corbyn’s most persistent critics is to quit as a Labour MP and take a job in the nuclear industry, triggering a three-way fight for his marginal northern seat with the Conservatives and Ukip.

Jamie Reed, the MP for Copeland in west Cumbria since 2005, told the Guardian he was resigning because he believed he could achieve more for his community in his new job, working for the nuclear processing site Sellafield, than on the backbenches.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/21/corbyn-critic-jamie-reed-quits-labour-mp-byelection-copeland?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Translation?: I am being offered shedloads of money in my new job and so stuff you lot!

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

21 Dec 2016

Posted under

Accountability, Austerity cuts, Budleigh Salterton, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local), Spin, Transparency

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Budleigh Salterton “Health Hub” – the “hospital” with no beds

A commentary moved to post:

“So the Budleigh Hospital opens as a Hub – the first hospital in Devon to have no beds.

“A Hub, according to its website, is a term used to describe a place where many different services and organisations are based. This usually has a focus on a building, but can be virtual – internet or literature based.” [I don’t think they mean Jane Austen – just bumf].

“[At the Budleigh “health hub”] It is anticipated that a range of activities, such as arts, sport, dances and other social events will provide opportunities for people to socialise. There will also be an internet café, public WiFi and cinema space screening educational productions as well as films.”

“Staff at the centre will be able to refer people onto other services if required, meaning that waiting times are reduced, and you will be able to access support as and when you need it.”

According to the Oxford Dictionary a hospital is an institution providing medical and surgical treatment and nursing care for ill or injured people. Welcome to the brave new post truth world where words mean what you choose them to mean (Alice in Wonderland). [I bet “access support” doesn’t mean what you think either].

Oh and another thing – the Friends are reported to be donating c. £200K to pay the rent to NHS Property Services (a private limited company currently 100% owned by the S of S for Health) who are now charging economic rents for the property. But remember where this property came from. The Budleigh Hospital, like many others, started as a charity but was absorbed into the NHS in 1948. Looks like donors are having to pay twice over!

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

21 Dec 2016

Posted under

Accountability, Post-Brexit Adjustments, Transparency

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1 Comment

what happens when you tell truth to power in these post-truth times

“A consultancy firm has apologised to the government for the “disruption” caused by a leaked memo that suggested ministers had no plan for Brexit.

Deloitte said it regretted the publication, adding it had proposed a plan “to put this matter behind us”.

The Times reported this included an agreement not to bid for government contracts for six months.

Downing Street dismissed the memo when it was published last month, saying it had been unsolicited. The document claimed “well over 500 projects” were being undertaken by Whitehall departments to implement Brexit, creating the need for up to 30,000 extra civil servants, and highlighted “divisions” within government over the strategy.

Its publication in The Times generated a backlash from No 10, which said it “wholeheartedly” rejected the comments it contained, and Deloitte played down the memo’s significance. Five weeks on, the company has said: “Deloitte regrets the publication of the two-page note, and has apologised for the unintended disruption it caused government.

“The note was for internal audiences and was not a Deloitte point of view. We have put forward a plan for working with central government to put this matter behind us.”

Downing Street did not dispute The Times’ report that the agreement involved Deloitte not bidding for government contracts for six months, but the the company declined to comment on any withdrawal from such bids.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38390147

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

21 Dec 2016

Posted under

Phil Twiss, Rural communications, Rural communities

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Fast broadband more important than good schools or good transport when buying houses

If you don’t have fast broadband (at least 10 mbts/second measured by a service such as Speedtest which is free) contact EDDC councillor Phil Twiss (ptwiss@eddc.gov.uk) who took us out of the consortium now bringing fast speeds to Exmoor ans Dartmoor because he thought we would be better off going it alone with a grant we didn’t get.

“… That has been confirmed by several studies. Most recently, Broadband Genie research found that slow broadband would put three-quarters of respondents off buying or renting a new home, and that 28% would be prepared to pay more for a property with fast internet.

Another study – this time from property website Rightmove – found that broadband speed has become a deal maker or breaker in many property sales, and incredibly that broadband is ranked as more important than transport links and nearby schools when people search for property details.

Other experts now describe broadband as the ‘fourth utility’, after water, gas and electricity, demonstrating the fundamental role the internet now plays in our everyday lives.

More working from home

Andrew Sayle, Zen’s product manager for broadband, agrees: “It’s easy to see why broadband is so important to those looking to buy or rent property. Look at everything we use the internet for, from shopping and paying bills to booking appointments and watching films. More people than ever are choosing to work from home, so their ability to make a living is directly affected by the speed and reliability of their broadband connection. I suspect broadband will only become a more important factor in property decisions in future.”

Andrew is undoubtedly right. According to Cisco, by 2019 the gigabyte equivalent of all the movies ever made will cross the global internet every two minutes. More and more of us will be using the internet to download large quantities of data, often through streaming films and TV shows.

And that’s not all. Many of us already remotely control our homes through WiFi-enabled appliances. Everything from heating and lighting to home security systems and kitchen appliances can now be controlled with a smartphone app. A good broadband connection will only become more crucial to 21st century life.”

https://blog.zen.co.uk/good-schools-good-transport-links-good-broadband-new-rules-house-buying/

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

20 Dec 2016

Posted under

Accountability, Developers/ Development, Taylor Wimpey

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1 Comment

Government tells developers (including Taylor Wimpey) to stop leasehold house money grabber

“Major housebuilders such as Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon may be forced to spend millions compensating home buyers locked into unfair leasehold contracts, following a warning by housing minister Gavin Barwell.

Amid accusations in the House of Commons of “the PPI scandal of the property sector”, Barwell ordered developers to halt future sales of leasehold houses or face government action next year.

He also told developers to come up with solutions for householders already stuck in homes where soaring ground rents have made their property virtually unsaleable.

“There is a widespread problem here that needs addressing. These practices are not illegal but it seems to be one of those cases where there is a gulf between the letter of the law and our sense of what is right.

“The secretary of state and I are clear that it is not just a matter of stopping this practice going forward, but it is also about addressing hard working people who believe they have bought their home but actually they are in a position where they may find they are unable to sell that home down the line.”

A series of reports in Guardian Money has revealed how developers have been selling detached and semi-detached houses as leasehold, with clauses which allow the ground rent to double every 10 years. The freeholds are then sold on to private companies which extract the ground rent, charge high fees if a homeowner wishes to make alterations, and refuse to sell the freehold except for a huge premium.

Homebuyers have been left with houses they cannot sell as lenders will no longer offer mortgages against them because of the ground rent clauses. …”

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/dec/20/housebuilders-must-halt-leasehold-sales-of-houses-compensation

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

20 Dec 2016

Posted under

Accountability, Austerity cuts, East Devon Tories, EDDC, Paul Diviani, Spin

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EDDC Leader’s (post truth?) Christmas message

Owl will not be passing on Leader Diviani’s full-blown Christmas message, just the most choice ten phrases from it so you can add your own comments.

And this is the picture that the Communications Department chose to go with the press release, just in case anyone has forgotten what he looks like:

3619eb05-3b22-4bfa-90f2-959cf05d60d8-3741-0000032ccb274029_tmp

1. Relocation and evolution of efficient, innovative services remains a priority for district council …

2. Improving and we will continue to improve …

3. We will continue to face financial pressures …

4. How we can deliver our services in new and innovative ways.

5. We must evolve from being service providers and instead become enablers …

6. Support communities to come together so they can do more for themselves …

7. We will also be focusing on a more commercial approach to delivering our services …

8. We must deliver the £2.6m savings that central government require us to make …

9. Outstanding council, which works together with local people to create great value services and an outstanding community, economy and environment for East Devon, both now and for future generations.

10. Everything we do is aimed at making East Devon a place where people want to live and work, as well as a top destination for visitors.

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

20 Dec 2016

Posted under

Accountability, Audit (EDDC), EDDC, Exmouth, Knowle/Honiton/Exmouth relocation

Riddle: if it costs £1.95m to turn a small library into a community hub how much for Exmouth Town Hall refurbishment?

“Topsham Library is set to be converted into a multi-purpose community hub for Estuary League of Friends after the group was awarded a

£778,100 grant.

The charity, which works to improve the quality of life for the vulnerable in and around Topsham, has raised 85 per cent of the

£1.95million needed

to fund the development after receiving the grant from the Big Lottery Fund. …

… Estuary League of Friends’ home will be converted into a two-storey complex with a day room, community café and kitchens, fitness rooms, improved library facilities along with other rooms.”

http://www.exmouthjournal.co.uk/news/778_000_to_turn_library_into_community_hub_1_4821439