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.