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Accountability, AONB, Blackhill Quarry, Clinton Devon Estates, Developers/ Development, Misc, Woodbury

“50 disused quarries turned into wildlife habitats to help Britain’s endangered birds”

Owl says: Alas not Clinton Devon Estates Blackhill Quarry, promised for environmental restoration, now subject of a heavily industrial planning application:

https://eastdevonwatch.org/2018/01/26/woodbury-business-park-expansion-would-be-morally-and-ecologically-wrong/

… “A conservation project to turn 50 quarries into nature reserves by 2020 has been completed two years early and is already saving endangered species, like the turtle dove.

In 2010, the RSPB joined forces with building materials supplier CEMEX to rejuvenate dozens of disused quarries.

And within fewer than eight years, 1,000 hectares of grassland, woodland, heath and wetland has been created which is helping rare and unusual species to flourish including 50 ‘at risk’ species.

Threatened birds which have moved into the conservation areas include turtle doves, choughs and twites, all of which have seen huge falls in numbers in the past decades. …

… Andy Spencer, Director of Sustainability, CEMEX UK said: “While supplying our customers with concrete, cement, sand and stone we also aim to balance the needs of operations with the protection and enhancement of the natural world. The RSPB has been pivotal in helping us to achieve this aim.

“The 1000th hectare that has just been created is a significant and outstanding milestone and our partnership to date has helped create some amazing places for communities and nature.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2018/01/27/50-disused-quarries-turned-wildlife-habitats-help-britains-endangered/

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Affordable and Social Housing, Developers/ Development, Misc

“Building more homes in London won’t solve the country’s housing crisis”

Owl says: most homes in the Devon and Somerset Local Enterprise Partnership area are being built near Hinkley C nuclear power station to house up to 5,000 largely temporary workers.

“… England’s fragile economic growth is underpinned by household expenditure, which accounts for 63% of gross domestic product. This is dependent upon perceived wealth, which is directly correlated with the price of housing. House price growth has left homeowners (particularly in London) feeling richer while renters feel poorer. To undermine that perception of affluence among homeowners would have a significant economic impact.

So there is huge demand for new housing, but little incentive for policymakers to deliver this where greatest demand exists. We need an answer that is politically expedient, economically pragmatic and socially responsible.

The government needs to avoid house price depreciation but stabilise prices in London, where there is highest demand. Affordability is a spatial problem that demands a spatial solution. It must focus attention on areas where the ability to purchase and the cost of doing so are more closely aligned. The mayor’s plan for London could then focus policies on providing genuinely affordable homes for Londoners.

The Midlands engine and northern powerhouse are attracting and retaining investor attention, and elected mayors in Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester, among others, are beginning to flex their muscles. Yet this is as much a reaction to the London market as any proactive national policies. Clearer government leadership would expedite change and provide greater long-term certainty.

Investment and infrastructure decisions are being made but are too often buried within various national plans ‘and strategies. They should be bought to the forefront. Every other country in western Europe has a national spatial plan; England should publish one too. This would make clear how spending and policy decisions are related, supporting regional revival.

The housing paradox is stifling. To solve it, we must take a pragmatic approach that supports England’s regions. That would not be at the expense of London, but we could all be better served by casting a wider net.”

https://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2017/nov/17/building-homes-london-wont-solve-housing-crisis?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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The Tory Minister for Families

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“Tories refuse to publish official report on doomed Carillion’s performance because it’s ‘commercially sensitive’ “

“The Ministry of Justice has confirmed it commissioned an independent review into prison maintenance, millions of pounds of which was outsourced to the stricken giant, early last year.

The review was carried out after prisons minister Sam Gyimah said he was “not impressed” by Carillion’s maintenance work and the firm was sent a formal warning in September 2016. Despite the row, the firm went on to win another £40million in Ministry of Justice contracts last year – before collapsing leaving 20,000 jobs in the balance. Yet ministers say the report – together with other reports on Carillion’s effectiveness including an “improvement plan” – will not be handed to the independent House of Commons Library.

Justice minister Rory Stewart wrote: “There are no plans to place the information in the library as the report contains commercially sensitive information.”

Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon said: “It’s outrageous that the govenrment is now refusing to publish this or any other reports that the Ministry of Justice has done into Carillion’s performance in our prisons.

“What has it got to hide?

“All too often with deals signed with private companies in our justice system, there is a lack of transparency and openness.

“This makes it incredibly difficult to hold the private sector to account and to ensure that companies are working in the public interest and not their own.”

A string of parliamentary questions by Mr Burgon revealed the Ministry of Justice spent £11.4million over three years on its 97-strong team of officials whose job it was to monitor contracts. But ministers admitted an “underestimation of the historical costs” meant some contracts did not achieve the savings they promised.

Mr Stewart said the independent report in early 2017 was “used to support several improvement initiatives.”

He added the department had meetings with Carillion at various levels “at least weekly” to discuss “specific issues”. He was unable to name the total number of meetings.

The minister told Mr Burgon: “A formal letter of concern was issued in 2016 to advise Carillion of performance failures.

“A performance action plan was put in place to address these failings and some improvements were made.”

It came as the government tonight said it has saved 1,000 Carillion prisons jobs by setting up its own facilities management firm. The staff in 52 jails who previously employed by the giant will move to the new company, Gov Facility Services Limited, with their terms and conditions preserved. Their work includes cleaning, maintenance and building repair.

Justice Secretary David Gauke said: “I want to reassure staff that their jobs are secure and essential to making prisons safer and more decent.”

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/tories-refuse-publish-official-report-11920351

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Misc

From the blog of East Devon Alliance Councillor Martin Shaw:

“In my third and final report from yesterday’s Health Scrutiny, I come to the report on the future of the hospitals by NEW Devon CCG and NHS Property Services, in response to the Committee’s request for clarification. (This arose from my presentations at the September and November meetings). While NHS PS stressed that in principle they will eventually have to charge market rents, Claire Wright elicited the useful information that currently NHS England are still paying for the buildings, and the company said they are ‘always happy to work with local communities to consider local services’. Scrutiny’s resolution requested that NHS PS ‘uphold this undertaking’ and keeps the Committee informed on the timeline for changes in the status of the hospitals.

The CCG’s Sonja Manton confirmed that the community conversations the CCG and RD&E are now promoting to develop ‘place-based systems‘ around ‘market towns’ – which have already begun in Honiton and Okehampton – can certainly include the services people want to have delivered locally in the hospitals. While there are cost constraints and not everything which people want will necessarily be delivered, local communities can certainly discuss these services with the NHS organisations, as well as how voluntary organisations can help the NHS and adult social care. Okehampton’s Conservative county councillor, Kevin Ball (below front left, with Non-Aligned Group leader Frank Biederman behind), stressed the progress his community had made in the recent meeting in the town. He and Okehampton’s mayor, Jan Goffey, mentioned that FORCE Chemotherapy will soon be opening a service in the hospital.

In my speech (1:34:20) I welcomed the new ‘place-based’ focus and stressed the importance for towns like Seaton – which is 45 minutes to an hour from acute hospitals – of using the free space in the community hospital to deliver routine treatments and operations for which people currently have to go to Exeter. I pointed out that constituents complain to me all the time about the stress, strain and cost of repeated travelling, often when unwell, without parking, park-and-ride space or bus services – while Exeter complains of congestion!

I mentioned the request of the RD&E’s Em Wilkinson-Bryce, in Honiton last week, for the community to trust the NHS organisations, and said that a serious conversation about local services – in which the NHS takes on board what people want – would be the best way to create this. We wanted to keep the beds, but know they are gone proper ‘place-based’ strategies for each of our towns offer the prospect of working together with the NHS. Preparations are underway for a meeting similar to ‘Honiton’s Health Matters’ in Seaton in March, and I will give more information as soon as the date is fixed.

https://seatonmatters.org/2018/01/26/health-scrutiny-hears-there-will-be-no-precipitate-decisions-on-community-hospitals-local-conversations-with-ccg-and-rde-offer-chance-to-shape-place-based-health-systems-around-towns/

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Misc

Cranbrook: estate rent charges to be transferred to council tax

“Estate Rent Charge Agreement to proceed

In August last year the Town Council (CTC) decided that it would proceed with negotiating with the Consortium to replace the estate rent charge by including this cost in the council tax. At an extraordinary meeting in January, the Town Council approved the Agreement. This Agreement, when signed by all the parties involved, removes the estate rent charge from 1 April 2018 and transfers ownership and responsibility to the Town Council for the first phase of public open space, including parts of the Country Park and St Martin’s and Hayes Square play parks. Under the Agreement, further areas of open space will transfer to the Town Council as they are finished in years to come.

Following approval of the Agreement, the Town Council finalised the budget which would be needed up to the end of March 2019 and agreed a precept (the Cranbrook Town Council element of the council tax) of £388,398. The precept will be collected by East Devon District Council through the council tax from April onwards.

By moving to council tax, households will be able to pay monthly and benefit from any discounts available under the council tax scheme.

How much council tax will I pay?

The amount of council tax paid by each household depends on the band which applies to the property eg. band A – H. The band is shown on the council tax bill.

Around 97% of homes in Cranbrook are in bands A – E and these households will be paying less under the new arrangements next year than they would have paid with the previous council tax and estate rent charge combined this year, and this does not take into account how the estate rent charge may have increased next year had it remained. …

The Town Council will also be holding surgeries for residents to discuss the change with Councillors on an individual basis. Residents are invited to call in to any of the surgeries which will be held in the Younghayes Centre on:

Monday 29 January (6.30pm – 8.30pm) Saturday 3 February (10.00am to noon) Monday 12 February (6.30pm – 8.30pm) Saturday 17 February (10.00am to noon)”

Click to access 180125-ERC-Press-Release.pdf

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Cranbrook, Inequality

Car insurance problems at Cranbrook? Cranbrook Herald asks for information

“Cranbrook Herald

“What’s been your experience of getting car insurance in Cranbrook?

Has it been easy, with no problems and affordable premiums, or has it been difficult, with high premiums to pay?

Tell us your stories – good and bad.

Please email Cranbrook Herald reporter Paul Strange at paul.strange@archant.co.uk
with your views.
Please include your contact details.”

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“Woodbury business park expansion would be ‘morally and ecologically wrong’ “

The moral of this story? question anything and everything a developer says or promises.

“Environmental campaigners have said it would be ‘morally and ecologically wrong’ to allow proposed expansion business units at Blackhill Quarry in Woodbury.

The scheme, for the proposed expansion of Blackhill Engineering, is seeking approval of access for construction of up to 3251 sqm (35,000 sq ft) of general industrial floor space with access, parking and associated infrastructure.

The proposed development is located within the area that is currently being turned into a nature reserve, which was previously used as the processing area for extracted minerals and latterly for the processing of material transported to the site from other quarries.

The processing plant in “Area 12” is being removed as planned and the area was to be restored to heathland.

But Tony Bennett, from Wild Woodbury, has said that the plans would seek to reverse this restoration plan and the “U-turn” would be a huge blow to the environment as it sits within one of the most highly protected and scientifically important areas of countryside in Europe.

Mr Bennett added: “The heathland restoration plan represented a prime opportunity to turn a significant area of industrial wasteland into a nature reserve that will benefit everyone. The U-turn would make a mockery of the Conservative government’s new environmental initiative entitled “A green future – Our 25 year plan to Improve the Environment”.

“Lowland heaths are wild open areas similar to Moorland, and Woodbury Common is one of the few areas of it that are left in the UK. With regards to flora & fauna the Pebblebed heaths are home to many important species including rare butterflies such as the pearl-bordered fritillary and silver-studded blue, 24 types of dragonfly and damselfly, and innumerable rare plants. Notable birds include the hobby, the nocturnal nightjar, hen harrier and the elusive Dartford warbler. Deer, foxes, rabbits & hares, several species of rare bats, and many other mammals also make it their home.

“The application shows a total disregard for public opinion. The applicant states that it was not considered necessary to carry out a “formal community consultation exercise” as the site is “remote from any settlement”. By allowing this area to be used for industrial purposes the public are being deprived of access to an area that should be heathland.

“There will be a massive increase in number of cars using an already over stretched local road network. More huge heavy transporters and low-loaders will be bringing materials to and from the industrial site causing congestion and damage to roads that are too narrow and unsuitable for this type of vehicle. “Indeed complaints from residents of the nearby towns and parish councils about traffic problems, and the unsuitability of the location was one of the main reasons that the processing plant in area 12 was closed down.

“This extremely sensitive area should be restored – not degraded by further industry. It would be morally and ecologically wrong to allow development in this area.”

Woodbury parish council have also voted to object to the application.

The application says: “Quarrying operations within the site have diminished and the existing sifting and grading plant structures which remain on site today are largely redundant. It is proposed that they are removed, allowing new development to take place and to facilitate the expansion of the existing Blackhill Engineering business, as there is a clearly identified need to expand the existing premises on the adjoining land.

“The proposal is to construct three separate buildings units that would be clustered around an open service yard and the existing site entrance would be used to provide access to the scheme.

“Blackhill Engineering’s operations have grown substantially in recent years and their existing facilities are now at capacity. As a result, the existing facilities are unable to facilitate further growth of the business, and if they are to remain in their current premises, they now need to expand their operations onto the application site.

“The proposed development would be within the area that the existing quarry equipment is currently located, which would in turn be removed.”

East Devon District Council planners will determine the fate of the planning application.”

http://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/woodbury-business-park-expansion-would-1115778

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“Top Tories face embarrassment over relationships with sleaze ball ‘fixer’ David Meller”

Ooooohhh … David Cameron … top Tories close to him involved with sleazeball … oooohhh … need more information!

“A SERIES of top Tories faced deep embarrassment last night as the depths of their relationships with disgraced sleaze ball “fixer” David Meller are revealed.

The party donor – who quit the board of the Department for Education after organising the seedy President’s Ball – held a secret peace summit between warring No10 staff last year at his Mayfair home.

It was attended by senior No10 aides, Ministers and MPs in a bid to bring Theresa May’s team closer to ex-PM David Cameron’s supporters.

And Mr Meller paid the legal costs for a minister at the centre of a sex scandal row, The Sun can reveal.

When Ex-Education Minister Robert Halfon owned up to a relationship with a junior party aide at a posh London club in 2015, Mr Meller’s family company paid for expensive lawyers to advise how he could get through the scandal.

Mr Halfon declared the £1,800 bill in Commons anti-sleaze registers in line with strict rules.

Mr Meller, who was made a CBE in the New Year honours list, has donated at least £68,000 to the Conservatives since 2012.

And his role at the President’s Club was well known in Government circles.

When he was made Chair of the National Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network in 2014, his charity fundraising skills were included in a press release as a key qualification for the job.

Last night Mr Meller was suspended from his family’s own education charity.”

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5426528/top-tories-face-embarrassment-over-relationships-with-sleaze-ball-fixer-david-meller/

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Education (local)

East Devon Schools below average in many areas

Check your local schools by postcode here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-42366024

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Parliamentary committee heavily criticises regulatory system for move between public and private jobs

“The Government is failing to take the faults in the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACoBA) seriously, the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) states in its fourth special report.

ACoBA remains part of an ineffectual system for regulating the ‘revolving door’ between the public and private sector and the Government appears not to take the matter seriously.

The Committee’s original report published in April last year stated that the regulatory system for scrutinising the post public employment of former Ministers and civil servants is ineffectual and does not inspire public confidence or respect. The situation had got worse since the Committee had last looked at the issue in 2012.

The Government has responded to each of the report’s recommendations but the Committee considers that they are inadequate given the seriousness of the issues raised in the report and their potential to undermine public confidence.

The Committee inquiry revealed numerous gaps in ACoBA’s monitoring process with insufficient attention paid to the principles that should govern business appointments. The failures of governments in this regard have damaged public trust in politics and public institutions and led to repeated scandals.

The Committee have decided to relaunch the inquiry at a future date.”

https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/public-administration-and-constitutional-affairs-committee/news-parliament-2017/acoba-government-response-special-report-published-17-19/

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Accountability, Hugo Swire

Swire worries about urban foxes – presumably in London

… as he lives in rural Mid-Devon when not at his London mansion:

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2018-01-17.123283.h&s=speaker%3A11265#g123283.q0

“Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with local authorities on increases in the urban fox population; and if he will make a statement.”

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Shocking numbers of children living in poverty in East Devon

See here for a village by village and town by town breakdown – largest number in Coly Valley!

http://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/nearly-half-children-living-poverty-1115648

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Public-Private partnership – the downside

“… PPP is one of those financial inventions that was sold as being a win-win for both sides: the companies could be awarded lots of lucrative contracts to build stuff for the state; the government would get new infrastructure more quickly and without the financial risk, as private companies would bid for the work and the market would ensure taxpayer value.

At least, that was the theory. What actually happened was that companies kept bidding for projects, but tough competition meant the contracts came with skinnier and skinnier margins. So, if problems occurred, a contractor’s 2% profit would not just be wiped out – huge losses could be incurred too.

Sam Cullen, an analyst at investment bank Jefferies, said: “That is why construction can be such a fundamentally horrendous business. Under pressure to grow the top line and operating on wafer-thin margins, everyone bids each other to death. It’s a situation not helped when your largest customer, the government, is under huge pressure to get value for money and is more susceptible to accept the lowest bidder.”

The big question is: why do companies keep bidding, if the contracts can cause so much pain?

The answer probably lies in the structure of major PPP construction deals, because they hand the contract winner a large chunk of cash upfront.

Work on construction can then begin, while contractors like Carillion may not need to start paying sub-contractors for another 120 days.

During those four months, much of the upfront payment might be used to pay other debts within the business, meaning these deals can create situations where firms have to keep winning new contracts just to keep going.

Or, as it turns out, not keep going.”

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jan/15/the-four-contracts-that-finished-carillion-public-private-partnership

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Austerity cuts, DCC, Stuart Hughes, Transport (local)

Owl says: bad news for Devon which has hundreds of miles of local roads that Devon County Council can’t afford to maintain, just one motorway only serving part of Devon and a handful of trunk roads.

“More money needs to be spent on England’s local roads by Government after it was revealed today that motorways and major trunk roads receive 52 times more central funding per mile.

The Local Government Association, which represents 349 English councils and carried out the analysis, has urged Government to reduce the disparity so its members can tackle the £12billion repair bill to bring local roads up to scratch – including fixing more potholes.

It found that the Government plans to spend £1.1m per mile to maintain its strategic road network between 2015 and 2020.

However, the LGA will provide councils with just £21,000 per mile for local roads over the same period.

This is despite an increase in the number of cars travelling on local roads, average speeds falling and local roads making up 98 per cent of England’s road network, according to the LGA. …

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-5307957/LGA-calls-Government-help-tackle-12bn-repair-bill.html

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Accountability, Democracy

May and Corbyn

Source: Guardian: Steve Bell

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Accountability, Conflict of interest, Developers/ Development, Development Management Committee, Lobbying, Scrutiny, Spin

Councillor planning conflicts ghost raises its head … in Torbay this time

Owl says: the story below the link seems disturbingly familiar:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9920971/If-I-cant-get-planning-nobody-will-says-Devon-councillor-and-planning-consultant.html

Unfortunately this government seems not to worry about any of these things.

“Opposition Liberal Democrats on Torbay Council have made a formal complaint about a Conservative councillor, claiming he shouldn’t be advertising his elected position on his business website.

Thomas Winfield is a director of a firm of chartered surveyors.

On the firm’s website it states that he has the “benefit” of being elected as a local councillor for Torbay, and that he is on the Torbay Planning Committee.

The Lib Dems say this is inappropriate, because of a perceived conflict of interest.

However, Mr Winfield has told the BBC that he works in finance for commercial lending, as opposed to planning work.

Mr Winfield called the Lib Dems “small minded” for making an issue of it.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-devon-42730712

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Tory donors and that “men only” fundraiser – sleaze isn’t a good enough word

“A journalist has revealed the shocking details of how young women were allegedly harassed and degraded while working as hostesses at a men-only charity gala at Mayfair’s Dorchester.

Politicians have lined up to condemn the prestigious dinner after a damning report in the Financial Times claimed female agency workers were repeatedly victims of groping and propositioning.

Two undercover reporters posing as hostesses spent six hours at the “most un-PC event of the year” – for which they were instructed to wear skimpy black outfits and matching underwear.

The paper reports that at an after-party, many of the female workers – some of them students – were “groped, sexually harassed and propositioned”, while among the prizes up for grabs at the evening’s fundraising auction were an evening at a Soho strip club and a course of plastic surgery to “add spice to your wife” for the lucky winner. …

…The Presidents Club – which denies any knowledge of wrongdoing at its events – is chaired by Mayfair property developer Bruce Ritchie and David Meller, who sits on the board of the Department for Education and the Mayor’s Fund for London. …”

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/men-only-charity-mayfair-harassment_uk_5a67c154e4b002283007ada8

Of course, Mr Richie is also a super-rich Tory donor and property developer:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/oct/12/conservatives-tycoons-fundraising-black-and-white-ball

and Meller is a property developer academy schools investor:
http://www.mellereducationaltrust.org/meet-our-people/david-meller