Monthly Archives: February 2017

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18 Feb 2017

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Austerity cuts, Business Rates, EDDC, Small and Medium businesses

Do our councils have plans for the effect of increased business rates on small businesses?

“Tory ministers were so concerned about the impact of business rates on the high street that they were planning extra financial support before the election, The Telegraph has learned, but the plans were later abandoned.

The Communities Department is understood to have grown worried that retailers were getting “completely clobbered” under the current business rates formula and worked with the Treasury to better protect the sector.

Plans were developed throughout 2014 and a review published before the 2015 election, but a Tory victory and a reshuffle saw the changes never adopted, with more modest reforms adopted instead.

The revelation that recent senior Conservative politicians were ready to act to protect the high street will fuel calls for Theresa May’s government to help those worst affected by an upcoming rates change.

For the first time in seven years business rates are being updated in line with property prices this April, leaving some firms facing increases of up to 400 per cent.

Small business owners have warned they face being driven out of business by the change, but government figures say the majority of firms will see no increase in their rates.” …

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18 Feb 2017

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Affordable and Social Housing, Developers/ Development, EDDC, Greater Exeter, Local Enterprise Partnership, Local Plan

2+ 2 equals … er … run that past me again … a tale of big fleas and little fleas

“Big fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite ’em,
And little fleas have smaller fleas, and so ad infinitum”

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EDDC sets its housing targets in its Local Plan, paying consultants to come up with numbers they like, and the government agrees them (though note these are MINIMUM targets).

“Greater Exeter” is created (with no public consultation) and says: “Ah, but WE need even more houses for this bigger area to service the city, so you, East Devon will have to find more places to put them”.

The Local Enterprise Partnership says: “Ah, but we need even more houses for our (unsustainable)”economic growth” targets so Greater Exeter and East Devon – you will have to find even more space for even more houses.

The Government says: “It still isn’t enough – all of you will have to find MUCH more space or we won’t give you any money.

Developers say: “Stuff you all, we are laughing all the way to the bank as we dribble out new builds, get massive prices for them and create a market shortage. And if you meddle with us we will stop donating to Tory party funds.

And they all lived happily ever after:

– the district councillors drawing their allowances and officers drawing good salaries and hob-nobbing with developers keen to influence them;

– the Greater Exeter elite group of councillors and officers who are even more influential with the developers;

– the LEP who ARE the developers;

– the government whose coffers swell with donations from developers

– all except the hundreds of thousands of poor beggars who couldn’t afford to buy their own homes and who now can’t afford to rent them either.

Proper job!

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18 Feb 2017

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, Devolution, Economy, Local Enterprise Partnership

Spot the LEP buzz words!

“… Chairman of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, Steve Hindley, said: “The Heart of the South West LEP is working closely with our Local Authority-led Devolution partners to create a Productivity Plan that aligns with government strategy to leverage the maximum investment of resources and confidence in this area.” …

Read more at http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/why-productivity-is-the-buzzword-in-the-south-west/story-30143842-detail/story.html

Owl’s translation: We are all working really hard using YOUR money to make ourselves richer and richer and you poorer and poorer!

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17 Feb 2017

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Cranbrook, Developers/ Development, EDDC

Cranbrook residents unhappy about “estate rent charges” and council taxes

“Cranbrook Town Council

LETTER FROM BLENHEIMS ESTATE & ASSET MANAGEMENT

Blenheims Estate & Asset Management are in the Younghayes Centre this afternoon until 4:00pm in a public drop-in session to answer residents’ queries

Today we have received a number of messages from residents who received a letter from Blenheims Estate & Asset Management regarding the estate rent charge in Cranbrook.

Every household in Cranbrook entered into a private contract with their developer agreeing the annual payment of the estate rent charge at the time of purchasing their homes. Housing association tenants pay the contribution via their rents. The charge is in addition to the council tax.

The estate rent charge covers the maintenance of communal areas in Cranbrook before those are transferred from private into public ownership, including the management of the Country Park, road maintenance, litter picking, bin emptying, maintenance of play parks and street lighting.

The council tax covers payments to Devon County Council, East Devon District Council, Cranbrook Town Council, Devon & Cornwall Police and the Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service. Devon County Council is responsible for services across the whole Devon, e.g. highways construction and maintenance, education, transport, public safety, social care, waste disposal, recycling centres and trading standards. East Devon District Council is responsible for services including rubbish collections, recycling, housing and planning.

Cranbrook Town Council works to resolve issues affecting the town and to championing improvements to its existing and future infrastructure, including revisions to Phases 1 and 2, street scene, landscaping, play areas, the Country Park and the train station. It also manages the Younghayes Centre, commissions a youth service, helps fund community organisations, develops the town archive and, since April 2016, has achieved e.g.

– successful trial of an electronic prescriptions system following liaison with the Pharmacy and the broadband infrastructure provider IFNL
– delivery of the traffic management/crossing facility when the Cranbrook Education Campus closed its on-site drop-off and pick-up facility in liaison with the school and the Consortium
– delivery of initiatives including a dog fouling education campaign, station artwork competition, Cranbrook Discovery Trail
– hosting/co-hosting of events including public defibrillator training on 15 May 2016, the Queen’s Birthday Picnic on 11 June 2016, First Cranbrook Fun Run on 17 September 2016, Cycle Sunday 2 October 2016, Community Fun Day on 11 March 2017, Annual Meeting of the Town on 3 April 2017
– delivery of bus shelters
– retention of car parking spaces on the Westbury show home car park
– removal of dog bins and replacement with bigger general bins

The Town Council recognises residents’ concerns about the potential double-payment of the estate rent charge and the council tax but as we tried to explain above, the two charges cover some very different items and the Town Council is maintaining a constant dialogue with all partner organisations regarding the potential reduction in the estate rent charge moving forward.”

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17 Feb 2017

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Affordable and Social Housing, Developers/ Development, EDDC

East Devon surpassed only by Exeter for percentage of new houses sold

Local authority per cent of housing market as new-builds:

East Devon – 10.5 per cent
Exeter – 11 per cent
Mid-Devon – 6.1 per cent
North Devon – 7.6 per cent
Plymouth – 7.6 per cent
Teignbridge – nine per cent
Torbay – 4.5 per cent
Torridge – 9.1 per cent
West Devon – six per cent

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/exeter-sell-more-new-houses-than-anywhere-else-in-devon-and-cornwall/story-30144694-detail/story.html

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17 Feb 2017

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, Claire Wright, Council tax, DCC, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local)

Claire Wright (DCC Independent) on budget cuts and council tax rise

“More services and backroom functions are being cut, including road maintenance, community composting payments, as well as funding for vulnerable children and adults services – see here for more:

http://www.claire-wright.org/index.php/post/fewer_devon_people_to_receive_social_care_as_23m_is_slashed_from_budgets

Government ministers, who have forced councils, and as a consequence, citizens (mainly vulnerable ones and those on low incomes) across the country into austerity have this year allowed councils to increase tax to higher levels, to offset in a very small way the massive cuts they have made to council budgets.

This year the government has slashed £23m from Devon County Council’s budgets – a 15 per cent cut in the seventh year of austerity.

According to the scrutiny budget papers of 30 January, fewer people will be eligible for social care, due to budgetary pressures. Page 88 states: “This (budget) requires an overall reduction in the number of clients to achieve budget levels.”

It goes on to state on page 89: “The scale of change is likely to severely test the capacity of managers at different levels, especially where pressures of essential work cannot be reprioritised without risk to those who receive services.”

Over half of Devon County Council’s budget has now been cut since 2010. More than £267 million over the last seven years.

The council tax rise will cost the average Band D council taxpayer £1.16 a week extra. Devon County Council leader, John Hart said in a press release: “I believe we are justified in asking for that to help protect and support some of the most vulnerable people in society.”

Of course, he really has no choice with the crisis in social care in Devon. This year’s social care budget was around £5m overspent due to increasing costs of care and massive government budget cuts.

While £1.16 a week extra might be shrugged off by people who are comfortably off. Others on a tight budget, those who are struggling to pay debts and bills, will regard it as yet another burden..

Yesterday both the Libdems and the Labour groups amended the budget with their own versions. The conservative majority voted through their budget, with the Labour, Libdems and Independents voting against.

The government claims it can’t afford to look after its sick, its vulnerable and its elderly, so it encourages councils to increase council tax instead so pushing a double burden onto residents.

Charging the taxpayer ever increasing sums of money for poorer and fewer services. Not only do residents have to pay more but they have to undertake more care themselves.

And of course, this isn’t the only council tax rise that people will have to swallow. The likelihood is that district councils will hike their tax, Devon and Cornwall Police has already announced it is increasing its council tax and the fire authority will also surely, like they did last year.

That’s a massive year on year increase in council tax, for fewer and poorer services. Each year as the cost to taxpayers rise, the services get sparser and poorer.

According to a report out this week almost a third of the population of Britain is living on an ‘inadequate’ income. More people than ever are using foodbanks and homelessness has rocketed since the beginning of austerity.

How do ministers sleep at night knowing that it is their policies, their ideology, their own selfish version of how they believe a society should operate, that are causing this awful hardship? And we are the fifth or sixth largest economy in the world.

Hugo Swire MP has expressed concern about social care funding and the closure of hospital beds last autumn.

But if Hugo Swire was REALLY concerned and REALLY serious about these issues, he would vote AGAINST the council budget cuts in the House of Commons next Wednesday afternoon (23 February).

I wrote to him earlier this month – see

http://www.claire-wright.org/index.php/post/hugo_swire_urged_to_speak_and_vote_against_local_government_settlement

But so far, each year he, along with his conservative colleagues have quietly voted in favour, hoping no one will notice.

Once again this year, I will notice. And I will sure everyone notices – how he and his colleagues vote.

Because this vote surely goes to the heart of whether Mr Swire really cares about his constituents or is little more than a party yes man.”

We will see.

Here’s the webcast of yesterday’s budget meeting – https://devoncc.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/244712

http://www.claire-wright.org/index.php/post/devon_countys_council_tax_to_rise_by_almost_five_per_cent_as_services_slash

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17 Feb 2017

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Accountability, Asset sweating, Austerity cuts, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local), Sleaze, Spin

New business rates 19% higher for NHS hospitals, 9.6% higher for private hospitals

“People are saying local authorities shouldn’t have to develop local funding solutions to the meeting the rising costs of adult social care. This article reveals another challenging irony in the context of the devolution of financial responsibility. Local authorities are going to become increasingly dependent on business rates and yet by so doing they will potentially, as an unintended consequence, drive up the costs of healthcare in their localities.

In a world where we have been able to do so many technically brilliant things we must be capable of finding a better way forward than the chaos, which is beginning to embed itself at the heart of the way we pay for our services. There is a strong argument to suggest this policy, when allied to ongoing cuts to central Government funding for local authorities involves taking money out of the NHS to fill the gap left by Government cuts. This article tells us:

The government is under growing pressure to stop a sharp increase in business rates for hospitals that threatens to increase the strain on the NHS.

Changes to the business rates system mean that the 1,249 NHS hospitals liable for the property tax will see their bills increasing by £322m, or 21%, over the next five years from April.

However, a growing number of politicians are calling for the government to reconsider the tax hike for hospitals, including making them eligible for the same 80% discount that charities enjoy.

Some private healthcare providers, such as Nuffield Health, already enjoy an 80% discount because they are registered as charities. Furthermore, the business rates that the 581 private hospitals do pay will not increase as much as it will for hospitals.

The rateable value of private hospitals has increased by 9.6% in the last revaluation while NHS hospitals have seen a 19.8% rise, according to research by the property consultant CVS.

The cross-party group of politicians who have already expressed concern about the tax rise for hospitals include Steve McCabe, Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, Royston Smith, Conservative MP for Southampton Itchen, and Annie Wells, Conservative and Unionist MSP for Glasgow.”

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/15/government-urged-stop-tax-hikes-nhs-hospitals-business-rates

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17 Feb 2017

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DCC, Education (local)

Devon teenagers least likely to go to university

Owl says: And with the new cuts to school funding in a county that is already under-resourced they may soon become the least able to go to university too.

“Around 25 per cent of young people in Exeter, Torbay and Plymouth Moor View will apply to go to university, way below the average of 55 per cent. – and the top ranking of 70.3 per cent.” …

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/devon-young-people-among-least-likely-in-the-country-to-go-to-university/story-30143282-detail/story.html

Still, pretty sure our LEP is on the case. What? It’s concentrating on jobs in the nuclear industry up in Somerset?

Oh well, never mind kids, plenty of jobs waiting table for minimum wage – at least in summer.

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16 Feb 2017

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local), Scrutiny, Sleaze, Spin, Transparency

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Dame Ruth Carnall (Devon CCG chair): more questions, no answers

“Candy Udwin, from Camden Keep NHS Public

A CONTROVERSIAL shake-up in the way north London’s health services are run has already led to a cash bonanza for private companies, the New Journal can reveal.

While campaigners and some local politicians are still warning that the overhaul – known as the Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) – is cover for deep NHS cuts, the process has already begun, with consultants brought into advise on the changes.

Around £2.3million has been paid out by Camden Clinical Commissioning Group in return for help in drawing up a 68-page plan, which looks at how spending across five boroughs, including Camden and Islington, could be reduced by £1billion by 2022.

It has been criticised for being an obscure document which does not make clear where savings are going to be made.

Details of the payments to consultants show how one firm received more than £600,000 to set up and manage the STP office before a permanent team was hired and space offered up at Camden Council’s headquarters at 5 Pancras Square in King’s Cross.

Mark Porter, chairman of the British Medical Association’s council, said: “Doctors will find it galling to see that so much vital resource has been handed to consultancy firms for their part in failing plans which, ultimately, may never come to fruition, while frontline staff struggle to provide safe patient care in a service increasingly becoming unfit for purpose.”

Candy Udwin, from Camden Keep Our NHS Public, added: “It is truly shocking that at a time of such crisis in the NHS, Camden CCG has given over £2million to private consultancy firms, with a large amount of this going on STP plans which are meant to be finding ways to meet their deficit.”

Most of the companies earning payouts for help with STP have been set up by former public servants, including the former chief executive of NHS London, Dame Ruth Carnall.

Carnall Farrar – which received £115,882 for a STP “review of commissioning arrangements” – was founded by Dame Ruth Carnall and Hannah Farrar, a former director of NHS London, and Ben Richardson, who was a senior partner at McKinsey & Co, after NHS London was disbanded in 2014.

McKinsey & Co, the UK arm of the American management consultancy giant, is one of the big earners from the north London STP – being paid £360,000 from Camden CCG for help on “strategy assessment to investigate further options for the transformation of mental health services” and also “financial modelling of mental health programme initiatives”.

Financial advisers Deloitte netted £257,336 for “support for STP finance and activity modelling” while Methods Advisory was paid £617,850 for “programme management office (PMO) and strategy support”.

The New Journal contacted Methods Advisory for comment on details of the PMO but did not receive a reply.

Hunter Healthcare, which on its website states its values include integrity, tenacity and passion, also received £282,518 for interim administrative support for the PMO. GE Healthcare Finnamore, owned by the US multinational corporation General Electric, was paid £9,900 for more “support with STP finance and activity modelling”.

Health Finance and Economics – a company set up in September 2015 – is so small it is exempted from providing full accounts at Companies House.

It has no website or office, and is run by Jonathan Wise, a former chief finance officer at Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon CCG. It was paid £107,710 for “support for STP finance and activity modelling”.

The New Journal has contacted all of the companies on the list, with only Deloitte and McKinsey responding with short statements saying they could not comment on “client work” and recommending contact with the NHS.

None of the companies involved took up an opportunity to explain how the work of consultancy firms can help the NHS generally.

A spokeswoman for the STP said the large sums listed were partly caused by the new organisation being set up from a “zero base” and that consultants were hired only on an “interim basis” to assist in developing the plan.

“This work was completed by consultants and now a North Central London STP programme management team is in place,” she added. There would now be a “significantly reduced reliance on consultants”.

She added: “Contracts were put in place following a competitive tender using a national consultancy framework.”

Campaigners from Camden are set to join a national Save the NHS demonstration in central London on March 4.”

http://camdennewjournal.com/article/revealed-how-consultancy-firms-have-already-netted-2-million-in-nhs-shake-up

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16 Feb 2017

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, DCC

“Devon County Council leaders calls for urgent Government review of council funding”

BUT THESE PEOPLE CAMPAIGNED ON A TICKET OF SUPPORTING THIS GOVERNMENT WITH CONTINUING AUSTERITY CUTS! SO WHY ARE THEY (A) SURPRISED AND (B) COMPLAINING?

“THE LEADER of Devon County Council is calling for an urgent national review of local government funding.

Council leader John Hart said the county’s budget had been cut by more than £267 million over the last seven years to meet Government austerity targets.

“This reduction has a very serious effect on the ability of this council to offer services to the people of Devon,” he said.

The future funding of services was uncertain because the Government was further reducing its grants and switching financial support to business rates but there was no clarity or certainty about how much that would generate. … “

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/devon-county-council-leaders-calls-for-urgent-government-review-of-council-funding/story-30142087-detail/story.html

AND they expect us to vote for them AGAIN in May!

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16 Feb 2017

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Accountability, Audit (EDDC), Cranbrook, Developers/ Development, EDDC, Environment (local), Section 106

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Cranbrook-another broken promise, this time allotment provision

An FAQ produced by the town council.

Summary: We were supposed to have them, developers won’t give up any land so we have no idea if we will ever get them even though we have a statutory duty to provide them.

Developers 1, Town Council 0

Take particular note of the answer to Question 2. Cynical Owl wonders if other Section 106 community benefits are triggered at this point and developers are dragging their feet about effective counting.

EDW-watchers will recall that almost £700,000 of such benefits was not triggered due to poor record-keeping on the part of EDDC and the need to rely on developers to tell EDDC when trigger points are reached. And most of that figure related to Cranbrook.

“1) When I moved in two years ago, the salesperson said there would be allotments in Phase 1?

We are afraid that was incorrect but we can see how the confusion arose. To set the record straight, although Cranbrook was always going to have allotments, the land originally set aside for them was not in Phase 1 but was part of the Sports Pitch land on Phase 2. This location was subsequently challenged as it was thought that adjacent to sports pitches was an unsuitable place for them. It was therefore decided to try to find an alternative location. This prompted a renegotiation of the original legal agreement. The revised agreement will still make provision for allotments in Cranbrook but a new location needs to be found (see also 2 below).

2) The Town Council’s website says one of its responsibilities is providing allotments, so why haven’t we got any yet and when are they coming?

Not only do they require a suitable location (see 1 above) a numerical trigger also needs to be reached before the work can begin. There are two stages to this process. Firstly, when approaching 1500 homes are occupied (i.e. not just built), the Owners (in this case the Consortium) are required to identify and gain planning permission for a location. Secondly, the Owners must, “use reasonable endeavours to complete the Allotments by the First Occupation of the 2000th Dwelling in accordance with the Allotments Specification and Delivery Programme and make them available for use as soon as practicable thereafter.” (extract from Section 106 agreement). Surprisingly, although there are many more new houses being built on Phase 2, we have been informed by East Devon District Council that Cranbrook still hasn’t quite reached the 1500 homes occupied figure.

3) So, where will the Cranbrook allotments actually go?

We regret we don’t have any information as yet about where they will be located but we are keeping a watching brief and will inform residents as soon as we have any new information.

4) I’ve heard the Town Council has a list of people who are interested in having an allotment, so can I join that?

Yes, we are keeping a list, so that when the allotments do become available they can be allocated fairly to people who have declared an interest. We currently have 13 names on the list. Please feel free to contact us on office@cranbrooktowncouncil.gov.uk or 01404 514552 if you would like to be added.”

Click to access FAQ-Allotments-Green-Spaces.pdf

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15 Feb 2017

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Coastal erosion, EDDC, Sidmouth/ Sidford/ Sidbury

Garden shed falls into sea: Sidmouth beach management plan speeds up … on the cheap

“Consultants will soon be appointed to draft the outline business case needed to secure £5.7million in Government funding for a project to shore up Sidmouth seafront.

East Devon District Council (EDDC) has begun the tendering process for coastal flooding and erosion experts who will conduct detailed investigations and technical reports for its beach management plan (BMP) for the town.

The chosen consultants will start this April and have until June 2018 to write an outline business case, which will be submitted to the Environment Agency for approval in order to access the funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Councillor Andrew Moulding, who chairs the BMP steering group, said there is a ‘good chance’ of securing the extra £3.3million needed to implement the authority’s preferred BMP scheme, option 1.

But a spokeswoman said EDDC has ‘not yet been able to identify’ where another £9million would come from for more costly defences that experts judged were the best, both technically and environmentally.

The BMP is likely to be implemented in 2019 at the earliest.

As part of the tender process, the consultants will be asked to price up option 1 – to build one or two additional groynes on East Beach, modifications to existing defences and periodic shingle replenishment and recycling.

This scheme was judged to give the best balance between technical viability, environmental acceptability and economic case.

Option 4 – to construct more offshore breakwaters – is still on the table and the consultants will have the option of adding it in if BMP steering group members determine that sufficient funding is available.

In phase one of the project, the consultants will develop computer models to predict how the shoreline will respond to storms and the resulting flood risk.

In the second phase, they will use the computer models from phase one to test and refine the preferred option with the aim of maintaining a healthy beach across both Sidmouth and East Beach.

EDDC is also tendering for surveys of the sea bed and sediment sampling via the South West Coastal Monitoring Programme so that those works can start as soon as possible, once the weather has improved.”

http://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/eddc_seeks_consultants_to_help_secure_5_7million_for_sidmouth_s_bmp_1_4892584

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15 Feb 2017

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Consultation, EDDC, Exmouth

EDDC asks for public views on alcohol-related anti-social behaviour

“East Devon District Council is asking the public to have their say on plans to introduce new rules to crackdown on alcohol related anti-social behaviour in Exmouth.

The council recently revealed plans for a new Public Space Order Protection (PSPO) in the town centre. …”

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/council-asks-for-public-8217-s-view-on-how-to-tackle-antisocial-behaviour-in-exmouth/story-30137722-detail/story.html

Will they take any more notice of this than the “consultation” on the seafront development? Only if it agrees with what they have already decided!

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15 Feb 2017

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Accountability, Affordable and Social Housing, EDDC, Housing (local), Land Supply, Local Enterprise Partnership, NPPF, Paul Diviani

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“Evidence” for housing need in the post-truth era

As the country quietly celebrates annual economic growth of 2%, it is worth reminding ourselves that our housing and employment land allocations were based upon an expectation of a 3% annual economic growth rate over the entire length of the East Devon Local Plan. This is because Plans must be “evidence-based”.

The problem with East Devon’s various plans is that the evidence was hopelessly optimistic and pre-dated the recession, based on consistent “high growth”. When the recession came along, the powers that be just ignored its implications and carried on with their highly optimistic projections.

So today, Britain’s economy has shown only 8% growth since 2007, when the numbers for our Plan were first formulated. But according to our Plan we should be 34.5% ahead of where we were then.

No wonder that Skypark and the Science Park are windswept desolate areas festooned with tumbleweed, and Sidford is looking like complete economic nonsense.

Even if the incredibly unlikely happens, and we see 3% growth until the end of the plan period, we will never fulfil the assumptions that gave us these huge allocations. And when – not if – we fail to reach those optimistic figures, no doubt the government will fine us by telling us our plans must be MORE optimistic next time – and probably will say we have no five-year land supply, so it will be a developer free-for-all again.

So much for evidenced-based Plans: stick your finger in the air, check which way the wind is blowing, make a complete guess (that favours developers) and stick with it, regardless.

Diviani has “withdrawn” his plan to continue as a DCC councillor to “concentrate on being Leader of EDDC” – and a board member of the Local Enterprise Partnership. Owl wonders where the Leader is leading us – by the nose.

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14 Feb 2017

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

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Bombshell as council tax rises of 25% needed for social care

“Research by the House of Commons library shows town halls will need to raise billions to keep up with the cost of social care.

Labour has warned of a council tax “bombshell” after documents showed bills are to rise by 25% by the end of the decade.

Research by the House of Commons library revealed ministers expect town halls to scoop almost £6billion extra a year in council tax by 2020.

If shared equally across each home, it would mean the average band D household paying an extra £371 a year by then.

Shadow Local Government Minister Jim McMahon said: “What we have on our hands is a council tax bombshell.”

The extra cash represents a 25% rise on the £22billion raked in by councils in England in 2015. It is the cumulative effect of annual 2% council tax hikes allowed over the five-year period, plus two further 3% increases unveiled by Theresa May last year to help cover the cost of social care.” …

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/council-tax-bombshell-see-rates-9819044

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14 Feb 2017

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Accountability, Developers/ Development, Housing (local), Local Plan, Neighbourhood Plans, Rural communications, Sustainability, Villages BUAB

Villages – check if your built-up boundaries have been changed

From Strategic Planning Committee agenda (meeting on 20 February at 2pm – when most people will be at work:

“That it is recommended to Council:

1. That approval is given for the attached East Devon Villages Plan (and documentation that underpins the Plan) to be ‘published’ for a period of six weeks to allow formal comments to be made,

2. Following the six week period the East Devon Villages Plan be submitted for examination together with any comments received during that period,

3. That the Built-up Area Boundaries defined in the Publication Villages Plan, from the 23 February 2017, be used as primary policy for development management purposes instead of the boundaries on the inset plans included in the previously adopted Local Plan.”

Click to access combined-agenda-spc-200217-compressed.pdf

page 9 plus appendix maps

“4.6 Main Changes from Consultation Draft Plan August 2016

The draft plan of August 2016 included justification for the approach of using BUAB’s and discussion of alternative approaches and details of how BUAB’s had been defined that is not necessary in the final plan. In terms of individual settlements the main differences between the two plans are highlighted below and full details of how individual sites were assessed against the criteria set and the refinement of this approach for Newton Poppleford and West Hill are included in the ‘Site by Site’ assessments for individual settlements.

Beer – the majority of the western part of the village and the new
housing at Little Hemphay and Bluff Terrace are now included in the BUAB. The wording of policy Beer 01 – Village Centre Vitality now reflects that of Policy E9 of the adopted Local Plan.

Broadclyst – the community orchard and car park in front of the primary school are now excluded and the new buildings at the secondary school included.

Clyst St. Mary – no change to the preferred approach boundary.

Colyton – part of the former Ceramtec site is now included together with
part of a former garage site. Policy 01 has been changed to reflect the
wording of Policy E9 of the adopted Local Plan.

East Budleigh – minor change to exclude parts of three gardens.

Feniton – the ‘Ackland Park’ site and is included but the land adjoining
the railway on the ‘nursery’ site is excluded.

Kilmington – additional land to south west of village is now included.

Musbury – both the ‘Mountfield’ land and ‘Baxter’s Farm’ site (including
village hall) are now included.

Newton Poppleford – minor change to reflect size of King Alfred Way
planning permission and preferred approach boundary followed, which excludes western part of village that was included in previously adopted local plan.

Sidbury – no changes to preferred approach boundary.

Uplyme – boundary now follows that proposed in the Uplyme Neighbourhood Plan.

West Hill – preferred approach boundary largely followed, but with some
limited expansion.

Whimple – no change to preferred approach boundary.

Woodbury – no change to preferred approach boundary.”

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Accountability, EDDC, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local), Scrutiny, Transparency

“East Devon District Council’s scrutiny committee blasts NHS Property Services”

From the blog of Claire Wright- good to see one committee at EDDC doing a proper job:

“East Devon District Council’s scrutiny committee has delivered a stinging rebuke against the secretary of state for health’s private company, NHS Property Services after the managers declined once again to attend a meeting.

A similar thing has happened at Devon County Council’s health and wellbeing scrutiny committee. The company claims to be part of the “NHS family” but it appears, only when it suits them.

The resolution below, speaks for itself. Congratulations to chairman, Roger Giles and all those councillors who spoke and voted for the resolution.

1. The Scrutiny Committee records its deep regret that the NHS Property Services has declined its invitation to a meeting of the East Devon District Council Scrutiny Committee;

2. The Scrutiny Committee to write to the three local MPs representing East Devon, expressing its concern at the failure of NHS Property Services to agree to attend a meeting of the East Devon District Council Scrutiny Committee, and asks the MPs to raise the matter with the Secretary of State for Health, with a view to his ensuring proper openness and transparency in the work of NHS Property Services, and ensuring proper public scrutiny of the work of the NHS Property Services, by requiring attendance at meetings of local councils when requested to do so;

3. The Scrutiny Committee to write to the Devon County Council Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee, expressing its concerns;

4. The Scrutiny Committee to write to NHS Property Services requesting details of the actual market rent for Axminster Hospital, Budleigh Salterton Hospital, Exmouth Hospital, Honiton Hospital, Seaton Hospital and Sidmouth Hospital, with details of how those figures were arrived at.”

http://www.claire-wright.org/index.php/post/east_devon_district_councils_scrutiny_committee_blasts_nhs_property_service

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Accountability, Consultation, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local), Scrutiny, Spin, Transparency

Limited number of meetings in East Devon on latest NHS cuts

From “Save our Hospital Services East Devon” Facebook page, posted by Di Fuller:

“Devon’s Acute Services Review is taking place under the five-year Wider-Devon Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP). The detailed case for change is set out on the websites of NHS NEW Devon CCG and South Devon and Torbay CCG.

The high priority acute services being reviewed are:

• Stroke services, including hyper-acute and stroke rehabilitation (clinician workshops taking place between December 2016 and March 2017)
• Maternity and paediatrics (clinician workshops taking place between January 2017 and March 2017)
• Urgent and emergency care. (clinician workshops taking place between January 2017 and March 2017)

Work is also underway to discuss a range of vulnerable services. “Each of these services has particular challenges and we cannot resolve them with the current model of service delivery. This work is ongoing and will follow a similar process to that of the high priority acute services.”

During March 2017 the Devon STP teams are offering the public limited opportunities to discuss what is important to them about acute services.

This feedback will be collated into themes and called decision-making criteria. There are only 3 sessions in East Devon:

Monday 6th March 10.30-12.30 New Hall, Barrington Street, Tiverton
Monday 13th March 18.00-20.00 Kings School, Ottery St Mary.
Monday 20th March 18.30-20.30 Exeter Corn Exchange

Register 01392 267642 or email d-ccg.CorporateServices@nhs.net”

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DCC, Democracy, Dorset, EDDC

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Dorset to have two unitary councils if government agrees

Owl says: how long can Devon resist the change to one (or two) unitary councils in a county, entirely cutting out the district tier? Economies of scale now seem to require mergers or abolition of districts.

Will we be part of “Greater Exeter” or “Devon Unitary” by the next election – or both!

And where will headquarters be? Honiton isn’t exactly the centre of the Greater Exeter or Devon unitary universes!

“Based on the weight of public opinion, financial data and evidence of the likely benefits of change to the county as a whole, councillors have agreed that the two new unitary councils should comprise of the following existing local authority areas:

• Unitary A: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

• Unitary B: East Dorset, North Dorset, Purbeck, West Dorset, Weymouth and Portland – including the services currently provided by Dorset County Council in this area.

If approved, the new council would ‘go live’ in April 2019.

Leader of Dorset County Council Robert Gould said: “This is absolutely the right decision for Dorset County Council to have made. The final decision lies with the Secretary of State, but Dorset county councillors have made an historic decision which will help protect the frontline services and is in the best interests of all our residents.”

http://www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/dorset_councils_vote_for_change_1_4888091

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, Health and Social Care (local), NHS (local)

NHS cuts “are more than about bed numbers”

“Call to keep fighting for East Devon’s hospital services

‘Cuts are about more than bed numbers’ – campaigners urge people to form united front

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Campaigners are appealing for people to keep fighting for community hospitals in East Devon as they warn further changes are imminent.

Proposals to cut inpatient bed numbers by 54 per cent across the region – a move that could see Sidmouth Victoria Hospital lose its entire unit – triggered a huge public backlash as thousands turned out and signed petitions to voice their opposition.

The consultation came to a close on January 6, and the fate of community hospital beds is now in the hands of the NEW Devon Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) governing body, which is expected to make a decision next month.

Campaigners are urging the public to mobilise on behalf of East Devon’s hospitals and challenge any further shake-ups as health bosses strive to plug a predicted £384million deficit by 2020/21.

Di Fuller, chair of the Sid Valley’s Patient Participation Group, said: “There is an apparent hiatus in the consultation and proposed changes to hospital services, but the planning and processes required for the Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) continue under the radar.”

She added that many felt they had done what they could, but said with further consultations due, it was vital for people to keep informed and in a position to fight for their health services.

Chris East, a Sidmouth campaigner who set up an East Devon-wide petition and Facebook group, said: “We want to keep people involved and make them aware that there are things they can do.”

CCG bosses say their raft of proposed changes will benefit patients as they aim to move away from a hospital-reliant system of care to a more efficient, home-based model.

Sidmouth councillor and leader of the East Devon Alliance (EDA) Cathy Gardner argues a bigger campaign is needed to oppose Government-imposed cuts – that, she says, are about more than just bed numbers.

She is urging people to join a national mass protest against the ‘rapid dismantling of the NHS’ to be held in London on Saturday, March 4, and said EDA was organising a coach from the region with spaces available at modest cost.

To keep up-to-date with developments regarding the future of community hospitals, visit http://www.facebook.com/groups/1796549897279442/ or to book a coach space, email coach@eastdevonalliance.org.uk”

http://www.exmouthjournal.co.uk/news/call_to_keep_fighting_for_east_devon_s_hospital_services_1_4883590