Councils in Devon are divided as to whether they will follow an order to fly the Union flag on the Duke of York’s 60th birthday (February 19).

The Union Jack will be flown outside Exeter and Torbay’s civic buildings, but spokesman for those two councils said this was because it is flown permanently.

Torridge and Mid Devon councils have confirmed they will be flying the flag, but North Devon have said that they won’t be.

South Hams District Council and West Devon Borough Council said they had not been given any directive to fly the flag.

A North Devon Council spokesman said: “We have now been advised that, because Prince Andrew is no longer a working member of the Royal Family, we are not being asked to fly the flag on his birthday. As such, we won’t be.”

A spokesperson for Torbay Council said: “The Union Flag is flown all year round on Torquay Town Hall, so it will be flying on Wednesday 19 February.”

An Exeter City Council spokesman said: “The Union Flag is permanently flown from outside the Civic Centre and the Guildhall.”

A spokesman for South Hams and West Devon council’s said: “Having chatted to a number of colleagues, no one has been given a directive to do this.”

A spokesman for Mid Devon District Council said: “Our Member Services team have confirmed that we intend to fly the Union Jack on February 19 as per the edict from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and our normal protocol for senior members of the royal family.”

A spokesman for Torridge District Council said that they would be auctioning the request.

Teignbridge District Council and Devon County Council did not reply to the request for comment, while East Devon District Council initially said that they hadn’t been asked to fly the flag, then said new information had been received, but did not reply any further.

“I understand DCMS and the royal household considering how the policy applies to members of the royal family who have stepped back from public duties.”

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/devon-councils-fly-union-jack-3822361

Owl says: come on EDDC time to make your mind up!

A correspondent writes:

RUBBER STAMP WIELDING AT THE CONTINUITY COUNCIL – HEALTH AND EDUCATION UP FOR GRABS

And so East Devon’s endorsement of the nebulous Heart of The South West Local Enterprise Partnership goes on. A Cabinet exhausted by a long meeting on Wednesday night rubber stamped new terms of reference for the Joint Committee which runs it. Usual suspects, “Independents” Ian Thomas, Ben Ingham and Kevin Blakey thought it better in than out, and if the financial cost to EDDC was under £3,000 per annum it was worth it for “a seat at the table”.

EDA Leader, Paul Arnott, pointed out that they were also about to rubber stamp a significant change to the Joint Committee’s terms of reference. CEO Mark Williams’ report, which he had placed almost last on the agenda, was asking that the cabinet “approves the amendments to the Heart of the South West Joint Committee’s list of functions in the Arrangements document (highlighted in red italics Appendix A attached)”. To be fair to Williams, he had used red ink.

These amendments were highly significant. One was to “continue discussions /negotiations with the Government and Government agencies to achieve direct intervention, support, funding and powers to the benefit of the HotSW”

And what might these interventions be?

Well for starters they want to ” Design and deliver public sector reform where this will deliver improved productivity to the HotSW, eg health, education.”

Health and Education!

Yes, there it is, at the back of a report, unheralded by Mr Williams. The unaccountable HOSW now has Health and Education in its sandpit too. Despite a good effort from Councillor Jess Bailey to ask Williams to address Councillor Arnott’s point, the CEO as ever yawned, pulled a face as if this was all beneath him, and swerved all mention of this significant change.

Soon the HOSW will be buzzing with advocates for private medicine and for further private stakes in state education. They will be able to sit alongside all the developers and their chums who have been at its heart from the beginning.

Business as usual at EDDC.

Is Exmouth girding its loins to fight reckless panic decisions taken about Queens Drive? EDDC cabinet have now considered a proposition for yet another marketing scheme – see below. Driven by the alleged £3m Philip Skinner has wasted on this site already, Owl’s informants suggest the Hemingway soft marketing exercise revealed six bids for Harbour View site and none for a hotel. In order to try to justify this £3M, Ingham and co have now decided to offer hotel and Harbour View as one site in the hopes that one of these bids might want Harbour View so desperately that they will offer to build the hotel!

If no hotelier wants this site, there is must be a good reason for it. How would a bunch of amateurs know better? Is there a secret plan B for the Council to take all the building risk with our money and then find a hotel operator to lease it? This would be beyond madness. Bit like a slow motion action replay of the ill-fated Bowling Alley Iconic Regeneration plan for Exmouth that started more than fifteen years ago (now Ocean run by LED, subsidised by the ratepayer).

https://www.exmouthjournal.co.uk/news/approval-hotel-and-restaurant-seafront-plans-1-6501744

Daniel Clark Exmouth Journal:

At its meeting on Wednesday (February 5), East Devon District Council’s cabinet voted by five votes to three to launch a formal marketing exercise to identify a developer/operator for the site.

The plot represents the third phase of the seafront regeneration project, following the completion of the road and car park realignment in phase one and the imminent construction of a watersports centre.

Suggested uses for the site include a new two storey café/restaurant on the existing Harbour View café site, a mix of play and open public space, and a 60-80 room 3-4 star hotel.

A marketing exercise will now take place to see if there is any commercial interest in the proposals.

Bids will be received and reviewed by May, and then a report is set to go the cabinet with a recommendation on the preferred developer/operator in July 2020.

The temporary attractions, including the Queen’s Drive Space, will continue on the site for this summer.

Cllr Nick Hookway though said that he had some major concerns, saying the council is held in low regard by Exmouth residents where there is a deep mistrust over the proposals.

But Cllr Bruce de Saram backed the proposals and said: “People will have fun and we want them to come to Exmouth and have fun, so I am 100 per cent behind this report and getting the project completed within the timescale.”

Cllr Geoff Jung said that the cabinet appeared to be damned whatever they chose to do as the decision to realign Queen’s Drive and the car park has cost the council around £3m and they have to find a way of paying for it.

A cabinet report recommended that the Queen’s Drive Delivery Group continue to meet in private however, the cabinet overturned the recommendation.

They agreed that from March 1, 2020, the Queen’s Drive Delivery Group should sit in public that an Exmouth councillor should be part of the panel who agree the selection criteria for the commercial development.

Owl thinks transparency is long overdue and doubts that any of the profligate £3M will ever be repaid.

The UK Government will tell councils they are no longer required to fly flags to mark Prince Andrew’s 60th birthday after he stepped back from public duties over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The policy of flying Union flags on royal birthdays was being re-examined after councils were initially ordered to do so for Andrew, as is the custom.

Downing Street said the matter was being looked into after critics branded the celebration “crass and offensive”.

A UK government spokesman said: “The Department of Culture, Media and Sport will be advising councils that there is no requirement to fly flags on February 19 following the decision by the Duke of York to step back from public duties for the foreseeable future.”

EDDC cannot now hide behind an instruction and will have to make its own mind up on whether or not to fly the flag.

Owl will simply watch what happens. (Even if the flag is flown in HQ Honiton will anyone notice?)

https://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/britain/uk-councils-no-longer-required-to-raise-flags-for-prince-andrews-birthday-38934200.html