For a comprehensive analysis of its flaws, see here:
http://futuresforumvgs.blogspot.com/2018/07/east-devon-statement-of-community.html
Monthly Archives: July 2018
Local Enterprise Partnerships in north of England join forces
Owl says: “They have one task: to enrich all the peoples of the North of England …” – good luck with that – as each vested-interest Chair vies to outscrew the others!
“Local enterprise partnerships from across the North of England will come together to form a new body to support ambitions for the region.
A government-funded board called NP11 will be made up of chairs of the 11 northern LEPs and act as a modern-day version of the medieval Council for the North. It will advise central government on how to increase productivity and tackle the north-south divide.
Announcing the creation of the board in Newcastle today, Northern Powerhouse minister Jake Berry said: “As we approach leaving the European Union we need to ensure that every area of the UK continues to economically flourish.
“For the first time since 1472, we will bring together the business voices of the Northern Powerhouse in our Council for the North.
“They have one task: to enrich all the peoples of the North of England … we will shift the North’s economy into overdrive.”
NP11 will be chaired by Roger Marsh, chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership.
“By bringing together the private and public sectors, local enterprise partnerships are in a unique position to unite northern business and civic leaders behind a common goal of building a true northern economic powerhouse that brings prosperity to everyone who lives and works in the North, while also competing for the country globally,” Marsh said.
“Our country’s success is built on northern industry, innovation, and determination.”
https://www.publicfinance.co.uk/news/2018/07/government-sets-new-council-north
“Councils better at turning around failing schools than academy chains, report says”
” … the report, which looks at 429 council-run schools rated as inadequate in 2013, found that 115 (75 per cent) of 152 schools that stayed with the council became good or outstanding by 2017. …
Meanwhile, only 92 (59 per cent) of the 155 schools that had been inspected since becoming sponsored academies saw their Ofsted ratings improve to good or outstanding during that period. …”
“MPs call for housebuilders’ ombudsman”
The Financial Times does not allow sharing of its articles but you can imagine the content.
Owl has one observation: isn’t this what Building Regulations are for?
Build to code and there is no problem!
Oh, except pretty much all of the Building Control officers have been let go in austerity cuts.
EDDC: consultation on Statement of Community Involvement
“The Council is currently consulting on the new Statement of Community Involvement (SCI). This is the document which sets out how, where and when we will consult on planning matters such as Policy documents, planning applications and Neighbourhood Plans.
The SCI is available for comment from
3rd July to 15th August 2018
All comments will be considered by the Council and will inform subsequent versions of the document.
Any comments should be marked ‘SCI’ and emailed to:
planningpolicy@eastdevon.gov.uk
or posted to
Planning Policy Team, East Devon District Council, Knowle, Sidmouth, EX10 8HL
Phone: 01395 571533
Obituary: Ian McKintosh (founder member and President of East Devon Alliance and trustee of Community Voice on Planning(
“East Devon Alliance regrets to announce the death of its Honorary President Ian McKintosh on June 4, 2018 at the age of 80.
After a distinguished legal career during which he worked as a circuit judge in Cornwall and Devon, Ian retired to East Devon where he became deeply involved in local issues. He was particularly concerned by changes in the planning system which, he felt, had moved from protecting the environment and the wildlife, which he cherished, to facilitating large-scale development which was not always necessary.
After joining a mass-march in Sidmouth in November 2012 to protest against planning decisions which threatened public parks and the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in February 2013 he became a founder member and chairman of the EDA, a role he carried out with his usual verve, commitment and good sense.
Ian combined a burning passion for transparency, integrity and justice, with an impish sense of humour and a cheerful sociability towards everyone he met.
His colleagues in EDA benefited enormously from his invaluable legal advice which he gave unstintingly, particularly his contribution to a series of detailed submissions by EDA to Parliamentary committees on such topics as scrutiny and ethics in local government.
At meetings his wise advice was often enlivened by anecdotes and reminiscences so time-keeping was not always scrupulously observed!
As well as his commitment to EDA, Ian also became a founder-member and trustee of Community Voice on Planning, a national grouping bringing together more than 100 organisations all over the country. He travelled widely to meet and share ideas with other campaigners for more democracy in the planning system.
Ian also found the time and energy to throw himself wholeheartedly into the struggle to preserve local hospitals from closure.
He was a tireless fighter, bringing wisdom from a wide life experience. His colleagues in EDA thoroughly enjoyed working with him and will miss him immensely.”
The NHS at 70
“Only one hospital trust met all its main targets over the past year, with dozens failing on emergency treatment, cancer care and routine surgery waiting times, an investigation by The Times has found.
As the NHS prepared to mark its 70th anniversary today with services at Westminster Abbey and York Minster, doctors said the findings showed a system that was teetering “like a giant game of Jenga”.
The Times interactive project to uncover the best and worst of NHS hospitals found that in 2017-18, 25 out of 139 trusts failed to see 95 per cent of A&E patients within four hours, treat 85 per cent of cancer patients within 62 days and offer 92 per cent of non-emergency patients treatment within 18 weeks. Only the Chelsea and Westminster in London hit all three key targets. Inspectors have praised the trust’s leadership and desire to learn from problems.
Over the winter 49 hospital trusts said their beds were full at some point. Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of the hospitals’ group NHS Providers, acknowledged that this risked damaging “public faith in the NHS, if it is unable to meet the standards people rightly expect”. The analysis, which looked at data on three key targets plus cancelled urgent operations, Care Quality Commission ratings, ambulance delays, bed blocking and norovirus outbreaks, suggests that Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust is performing worst. The hospital, where two patients died on trolleys in A&E in one week in January last year, is rated inadequate and has the third worst casualty performance.
Nigel Edwards, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust think tank, said: “It’s perfectly possible to have a view that the NHS needs more money but being oversentimental about it doesn’t help . . . There is definitely scope for improvement.”
He warned that there was no end in sight to the need for budget rises. Britain spends twice as much of national income on the NHS as in 1948, despite a vastly larger economy.
Theresa May has promised a £20 billion boost over the next five years, which experts have estimated is not enough to allow it to start meeting targets while improving GP, mental health and cancer care.
Taj Hassan, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said the system had been starved of resources and was “like a giant game of Jenga”.
A national “brand” like the NHS does not exist anywhere else and it profoundly affects how we look at our health service (Chris Smyth writes).
It is common to hear “the NHS saved my life” but in no other country do people say “our universal taxpayer-funded healthcare financing system saved my life”.
The NHS brand encapsulates the promise of comprehensive treatment, free at the point of use for the richest and poorest.
Yet responsibility lies in Whitehall, which feels remote from the front line. The political control of the NHS is unique and damaging. In Europe regions take responsibility and often find it easier to get things done. It is striking that recent key NHS successes — bringing down death rates by publishing data, centralising stroke care and eliminating surgical inefficiencies — have been led by staff rather than top-down initiatives.”
Source: Times (paywall)
“Earl of Devon elected to the Lords in a poll of his hereditary peers” (he got a majority – 12 votes)
Aka Charlie Courtney c/o Powderham Castle.
Wonder what he will do for us? Still, the £300 per day just for signing in will buy a few cushions from Harrods!
Sidford Business Park – this IS just a coincidence isn’t it?
“More than £100k in funding earmark for pothole repairs in Sidmouth and Otter Valley … “
Devon schools lose more than 700 teachers and teaching assistants in one year
“In just one year, Devon’s schools have lost more than 700 teachers and teaching assistants.
The worrying figures, revealed in an annual school workforce census published by the government this week?, have been blamed on government cuts by unions.
The data has shown in the Devon County Council authority area there were 11,599 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in the county’s schools at the end of last year – compared to 12,229 just a year before, meaning schools lost 630 teachers.
The biggest cut was in teaching assistants, with FTE numbers falling by more than 300 from 3,623 to 3,322.
The number of FTE classroom teachers was down by 170, while the number of all teachers – including those in leadership roles – was down by 204. Support and auxiliary staff accounted for most of the rest of the fall. …
The census shows that as a result of the loss of staff – and ever-growing pupil numbers – the pupil: teacher ratio in Devon grew from 17.3 pupils for each teacher in 2016 to 18.2 pupils for each teacher by the end of 2017. …”
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/shocking-number-teachers-devon-lost-1746459
“Spike in homelessness in East Devon prompt council chiefs to take urgent action”
Just what did EDDC expect when it didn’t challenge developers’ affordable housing viability figures? And good luck with getting either of our MPs to do anything other than mouth well-rehearsed platitudes.
“… Last year, a dramatic rise in the cost of temporary accommodation meant the authority spent £296,000 on short-term accommodation against a budget of £20,000. …
The council has agreed to a number of proposed measures, including the creation of a new ‘homeless accommodation officer’, a move to increase the amount of temporary accommodation and to hold an urgent meeting with local MPs, ahead of the Government’s green paper on housing. …”
Government has “shaky grasp” of local government finance
“The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has only a “shaky grasp” of the issues facing local authority finances, the Public Accounts Committee has claimed.
A report published by the committee today noted a significant reduction in councils’ spending power had been imposed at the same time as increases in demand pressure.
Local authority spending power, comprising government funding and council tax, has fallen by 28.6% since 2010-11, while key services have come under increased pressure, the PAC said.
In the same timeframe there has been a 14.3% growth in the estimated population aged 65 and over in need of social care, while authorities have endured a 10.9% increase in the number of children being looked after.
PAC chair Meg Hillier said: “It is no secret that councils are under the cosh.
“The mystery is how central government expects their finances to improve when it has such an apparently shaky grasp of the issues.”
The committee criticised MHCLG’s lack of an agreed measure of sustainability for local government finance or a clear definition of ‘unsustainable’.
The PAC suggested that MHCLG is holding out for a favourable spending review, but noted that the review is now under greater pressure given the announcement of long-term NHS funding.
The committee report also pointed to the first year of the 2015 spending review (2016-17) in which councils with social care responsibilities overspent their service budget by over £1bn and used £858m in reserves.
Hillier said: “Central government’s view is, in effect, that it expects everything to work out in the end. We beg to differ.” …”
https://www.publicfinance.co.uk/news/2018/07/pac-highlights-whitehalls-shaky-grasp-council-finances
“A protest opposing the plans for a multi-million pound business park at Sidford will be held next month”
“Campaigners have also launched a petition and have called on residents to join forces and back their efforts.
So far, more than 200 objections have been lodged against the application to create 8,445sqm of employment floor space on the Two Bridges site.
The plans, which could create 250 jobs, represents 37 per cent of what was previously proposed and submitted to East Devon District Council (EDDC) in 2016.
When the Herald went to press, a total of 232 comments had been submitted to EDDC – this included 211 objections and 20 supporters.
From Monday, July 9, Say No to Sidford Business Park campaigners have said they will be going door-to-door in Sidford and Sidbury in order to obtain signatures for their petition, in the first instance.
Volunteers then plan to submit the signatures to EDDC before the authority’s Development Management Committee makes a decision on the application.
Anyone who would be interested in volunteering on one or more of the days between July 9 and 12, from 6pm until 8pm, has been asked to come forward to help collect signatures.
Campaigners will also have street stalls in the centre of Sidmouth on Saturday, July 14 and Saturday, July 21.
Volunteers will be collecting signatures for the petition and will be seeking help from anyone who would like to help with the Say No to Sidford Business Park drive.
A campaign spokesperson said they would be running a number of initiatives throughout July.
A protest will be held on Monday, July 23, between 4pm and 5.30pm. Further details will be released closer to the time.
A spokesperson said: “We would like to thank everyone who has so far put a ‘NO Sidford Business Park’ poster in their window.
“This is an easy way of showing your opposition to the planning application.
“Please print and display the poster and give copies to friends and neighbours to put up.
“If you know of someone who you want to receive our emails then let us have their email address and we will add it to the extensive contact list.
“Thank you for the many messages of support that we have received.”
For more information email nosidfordbusinesspark@yahoo.com.”
http://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/protest-to-be-held-oposing-sidford-business-park-1-5582304
“Rural areas at risk of terminal decline warn council chiefs”
Owl says: is EDDC paying too mych attention to Cranbrook and the Greater Exeter Growth Area p, leaving the rest of the district to wither on the vine?
“Unaffordable housing, an ageing population unable to access health services, slow broadband and poorly skilled workers make for a deepening divide between town and country.
The threat is exposed in the interim report of the Post-Brexit England Commission set up by the Local Government Association to examine challenges faced by non-metropolitan England.
Young people are struggling to stay in rural communities where the average house price is £320,700 – £87,000 higher than the £233,600 average of urban areas, excluding London, the report said.
Rural firms grapple with patchy mobile and broadband connections which cuts off access to new markets.
Councillor Mark Hawthorne, chairman of the LGA’s People and Places Board, said: “Rural areas face a perfect storm.
“It is increasingly difficult for people to buy a home in their local community, mobile and broadband connectivity can be patchy.
“People living within rural and deeply rural communities face increasing isolation from health services. If Britain is to make the most of a successful future outside the EU, it’s essential our future success is not confined to our cities. Unless the Government can give non-metropolitan England the powers and resources it needs, it will be left behind.”
Tom Fyans, of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: “Affordable housing, public transport, high speed broadband and thriving rural economies are all interdependent.
“If our market towns and villages are to thrive once again we must make sure that rural communities are attractive places to live and prosper for people of all ages.”
Another summer, another sleazy Tory fundraising ball for toffs
“Millionaire Tory donors blew tens of thousands of pounds to secure luxury dinners with ministers, private hunting trips and a ride in Jacob Rees-Mogg’s Bentley during a lavish fundraiser.
Guests paid up to £1,500 a head for the annual Summer Party, held on Monday at London’s exclusive Hurlingham Club and hosted by PM Theresa May.
As her Cabinet teetered on the edge of implosion over Brexit, desperate ministers had to rattle the Tory donation tin.
Boris Johnson, David Davis, Michael Gove, Liz Truss and Gavin Williamson were seen “working the room”, getting rich supporters to part with their cash. …
And items up for auction included:
A ride in Jacob Rees-Mogg’s Bentley
Dinner cooked by Michael Gove, in his kitchen
University Challenge with David Lidington
Wine tasting with Brandon Lewis and Matthew Jukes
Own a David Cameron lectern
Dinner with Stephen Hammond
A museum tour with Boris Johnson
Regency weekend for 4 in Cheltenham
Night in Central Mayfair
Villa for 10 in Phuket
Week in Provence for 12
Namibia cheetah experience
Pheasant shooting in Leicester and quail hunting in Texas
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/tories-auction-ride-jacob-rees-12848491
“PARK AND THRIVE Councils urged to slash parking fees to £1 in a bid to rescue failing town centres”
“GREEDY councils were last night urged to slash high street parking rates to a token £1 to stop town centres turning into “ghost towns”.
A retail veteran said town halls should introduce the nominal charge for the first two hours of parking in a radical 25-point plan to revive the retail sector.
The charging regime could be backed by Government legislation.
Bill Grimsey – ex boss of Wickes and Iceland – also demanded the “broken” business rate regime be scrapped altogether as he blamed the eye-watering tax for the biggest wave of shop job losses since the credit crisis.
He called for business rates to be replaced by a 2 per cent sales tax that would cover “bricks and mortar” chains such as Tesco as well as online giants such as Amazon.
And he called for Theresa May to create a new Town Centre Commission to develop a 20-year strategy.
He said: “The first six months of 2018 have seen the highest rate of retail closures, administrations for more than a decade and there is no sign of a slowdown.
“Our cities, towns and communities are facing their greatest challenge in history, which is how to remain relevant, and economically and socially viable in the 21st century.”
Speaking at the Local Government Association today, the retail veteran will say the days of shops ‘anchoring’ high streets were now gone as shopping habits change.
And he called on Government to change planning laws to bring in more housing and offices.
Libraries and public spaces should be at the heart of each community, Mr Grimsey said. He added that the vacancy rate – or proportion of empty shops – in towns such as Morecambe was now 30 per cent.
Councils trousered a whopping £820 million-worth of profit from parking and fines in 2016-2017.
The Local Government Association claims the so-called parking charge surplus is spent on “essential transport projects”. But a report in April ranked Britain’s roads 27th worst in the world – below Chile, Cyprus and Oman.
Under Mr Grimsey’s plans, councils would charge a nominal £1 for the first two hours of parking in town centres – while introducing 30 minutes free parking in high streets.”
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6689229/council-bid-slash-parking-fees-town-centres/
EDDC’s recent external auditor facing fourth inquiry; regulator “feeble and timid”
“The accounting watchdog has launched an investigation into KPMG’s audit of Conviviality, the collapsed drinks and off-licence supplier.
It is the latest regulatory scrutiny into the Big Four firm, which is also under investigation over its audits of Carillion, Rolls-Royce and BNY Mellon.
The Financial Reporting Council has accused KPMG of an “unacceptable deterioration” in the quality of its audits and put its audits under special supervision. Last month it fined the firm £3.2 million for misconduct in its audits for Quindell, the insurance technology company. Pressure is increasing on KPMG and its competitors PWC, Deloitte and EY. Carillion and BHS shone a spotlight on the firms’ roles as both auditors and consultants to companies.
Conviviality, owner of the Bargain Booze and Wine Rack chains, collapsed into administration in April. It had been valued at more than £500 million in March but fell from grace after admitting that it had made an error in its forecasting and had found a £30 million tax bill due by the end of the month. It had 4,000 employees and 760 stores. Almost 2,000 jobs were saved when C&C acquired the wholesale business from the administrator. Bestway bought the retail business. The FRC is looking at financial statements for Conviviality in the year to the end of April 2017.
A spokesman for KPMG said: “We believe we conducted our audit appropriately. As reported by the company, it experienced margin weakness at the start of 2018 and also a significant payment to HMRC which had not been included within its short-term cash-flow projections, creating a short-term funding requirement.”
The FRC said that it would also investigate a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales over the preparation and approval of Conviviality’s financial statements but did not name the individual.
This investigation comes as the FRC, the ICAEW, and the industry-backed Audit Quality Forum prepare to launch a government-backed review that will consider the effectiveness of the existing model for auditing. They are looking for an independent business leader to lead the review.
Bill Michael, who took over as head of KPMG UK in September, supports a review. “The profession needs to be re-evaluated, otherwise we run the risk of eroding trust,” he told The Times . “We can’t have a profession that isn’t trusted. It has consequences for society and the capital markets. You only need one bad apple to lose trust in the system.”
KPMG UK employs 15,000 partners and staff, 3,600 of whom work in its audit practice. Its tax consulting, deal advisory, management and risk consulting practices have grown in recent years and now employ about 7,500 staff.
The FRC is the subject of a parliament-led review which is expected to overhaul how the FRC works and shake up the accountancy profession. MPs looking at Carillion’s collapse accused regulators of being “feeble and timid”.”
Source: Times (pay wall)
“A market-led school system has put finances before the needs of pupils’ “
“The economic and regulatory incentives facing state schools in England are increasingly in tension with an inclusive, broad and balanced education for pupils.
Since 2010 the government has used the language of a “self-improving school-led system” to characterise its reforms, arguing that these are “moving control to the frontline”. Our research shows that this is a partial and idealised account: while some higher-performing schools are benefiting, the system as a whole is becoming more fragmented and less equitable.
Schools have been strongly encouraged (and sometimes forced) to become academies, which are independent of local government, on the premise that they will be freed from red tape.
Yet schools and academies have faced greater regulation through national accountability, which has become more punitive. One bad Ofsted report and a school can be removed from its local governing body and handed to a multi-academy trust (MAT) – after which the school ceases to exist as a legal entity.
Fear of such a takeover and the wider consequences of being downgraded by Ofsted has led many schools to focus relentlessly on national test outcomes, to constrain teacher judgment and to narrow their curriculum. These pressures have combined with a chaotic process of centralisation. Attempting to manage thousands of academies directly from Whitehall, the government has created new regional commissioner roles, but their work can be in tension with both Ofsted and local authorities. This has left schools with minimal support as they navigate an endless churn of new policies.
Schools have also faced stronger incentives to compete for students and the funding that is linked to them. New “providers” have been encouraged to run academies and free schools on the premise they will pressure existing schools to improve. Yet school leaders can feel obliged to put the market position of their school above all else, even if this means making decisions that contradict their professional values.
We found that the school system has become more socially stratified since 2010, with schools judged by Ofsted to be “outstanding” admitting fewer children eligible for free school meals, while schools judged “requires improvement” or “inadequate” have higher concentrations of these children than previously……”
Massive extension of Exmouth approved despite “ifs, buts and maybes” and 5% affordable housing
“Controversial plans that would see 350 new homes built on the edge of Exmouth have been narrowly approved, despite it being called a wish list full of ifs, buts and maybes. …
East Devon District Council’s Development Management Committee on Tuesday gave a reluctant thumbs-up to the scheme, despite serious concerns raised about the access to the site on Dinan Way and the ‘disgusting’ number of affordable homes that would be provided and objections from Exmouth and Lympstone councils, local ward councillors, Devon County Council and residents.
Outlining the application, planning officer, Chris Rose said that the site was allocated in the Local Plan. He said that it had been tested that the site was not viable if 25 per cent affordable housing was provided but instead only five per cent, 18 houses, had been offered. …
Mike Deaton, Principal Planning Officer for Devon County Council said that they were objecting to the application, partly as the junction of Hulham Road and Exeter Road already exceeds capacity and the new development will therefore compound an existing problem, particularly as the use of Wotton Lane, Summer Lane and Featherbed Lane is unsustainable.
… He said that the solution was an extension of Dinan Way to connect Hulham Road with the A376, but that as there was no guarantee of where the funding could come from, it made it difficult to support the application without the infrastructure being in place.
He also said that the county council’s first priority around education needs would be to expand Exmouth Community College which is already at capacity ahead of the new primary school as part of the development site.
Cllr Paul Carter though said he didn’t see many positives of the application and said that the whole thing needs to be better.
He added: “This is somewhat of a pig’s ear. We have taken so much time to get to this stage and still so much is undecided. I am just flabbergasted that there is only five per cent of affordable housing and has the feel of ‘we will make do’.”
Cllr Maddy Chapman said that Exmouth doesn’t need a new primary school, and added: “I very much doubt that the good ladies of Exmouth will want to breed a second family to fill it.”
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/yes-plans-350-new-homes-1743813
“Cuncils bid for multi-million pot of cash for more affordable homes” – shouldn’t developers be bidding to build unaffordable homes?
Owl thinks DEVELOPERS should be bidding to build unaffordable homes!
“Councils in Devon have welcomed a multi-billion pound boost to social housing across England as part of the drive to build the homes communities need.
Secretary of State for Communities, The Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, made the announcement on Tuesday that around 23,000 new affordable homes will be delivered through a £1.67 billion government investment deal.
This will include at least 12,500 social rent homes in high cost areas in a move to support families struggling to pay their rent. …”
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/councils-bid-multi-million-pot-1742452
East Devon Watch 