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GP app users able to see other people’s consultations

Babylon allows its members to speak to a doctor, therapist or other health specialist through a video call on a smartphone. It has more than 2.3 million registered users in the UK.

The breach emerged when one of its users discovered they had access to video recordings of other patients’ consultations.

www.theguardian.com

Babylon Health has suffered a data breach involving confidential patient information, with users of its GP video consultation app allowed to see other patients’ appointments.

The breach emerged when one of its users discovered they had access to video recordings of other patients’ consultations.

Babylon later said a small number of UK users could see each other’s sessions and that the problem was a limited software error and not a “malicious attack”.

In a statement provided to the Guardian, Babylon Health said: “On the afternoon of Tuesday 9 June we identified and resolved an issue within two hours whereby one patient accessed the introduction of another patient’s consultation recording.”

“Our investigation showed that three patients, who had booked and had appointments today, were incorrectly presented with, but did not view, recordings of other patients’ consultations through a subsection of the user’s profile within the Babylon app.

“This was the result of a software error rather than a malicious attack. The problem was identified and resolved quickly.

“Of course we take any security issue, however small, very seriously and have contacted the patients affected to update, apologise to and support where required.”

The company said it had notified the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Affected users were in the UK. No international users were affected.

Babylon allows its members to speak to a doctor, therapist or other health specialist through a video call on a smartphone. It has more than 2.3 million registered users in the UK.

Babylon user Rory Glover told the BBC when he logged onto the app there were about 50 videos in the consultation replays section of the app that did not belong to him.

“You don’t expect to see something like that when you’re using a trusted application. It’s shocking to see such a monumental mistake made,” he said.

Glover said he would not use the Babylon app again.

“It’s an issue of doctor-patient confidentiality,” he said. “You expect anything you say to be private, not for it to be shared with a stranger.”

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10 Jun 2020

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George Somers statue targeted amid anti-racism protests in Lyme Regis

The “Black Lives Matter” anti-rascism protests have raised the issue of slavery. The latter is an extreme form of human exploitation. Any wealth accumulated on the back of the cotton, sugar or tobacco trades, all of which boomed in the “golden era” of the merchant trading companies in the two hundred years before the abolition of slavery can almost certainly be linked to slavery.

Owl’s view is that there can be few forms of wealth creation that do not not involve exploitation of human endeavour in one form or another, they are just less extreme and less obvious. See, for example, the wealth creation of the East India Company

From a local history point of view (and not often remembered or talked about), the inhabitants of the southern coastal communities in Devon, and particularly Cornwall, were also the victims of White slavery. For over 300 years, were at the mercy of Barbary pirates (corsairs) from the coast of North Africa, based mainly in the ports of Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli. Their number included not only North Africans but also English and Dutch privateers. Their aim was to capture slaves for the Arab slave markets in North Africa. By the 1650s the attacks were so frequent that they threatened England’s fishing industry with fishermen reluctant to put to sea, leaving their families unprotected ashore.

It was ended by combined British and Dutch military action in 1816 with the release of 4,000 slaves, nothing like the scale of Black slavery, but slavery none the less.

About Francesca Evans lyme-online.co.uk

The statue of Admiral Sir George Somers in Lyme Regis has become the target of vandalism amid anti-racism protestsThe word “murderer” has been written on an information about Sir George Somers’ life next to his statue

The word “murderer” has been written across an information board next to the statue in Langmoor Gardens. A cardboard sign describing Sir George as an “opportunist” was also removed from the statue this morning.

The vandalism of the information board follows anti-racism protests held across the UK over the weekend, in response to the death of George Floyd in America last month.

George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25 after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes while he was handcuffed face down in the street. Chauvin has since been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Anti-racism protests have since been held across the globe, including in Bristol where a statue of slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down.

Sir George Somers was a former Mayor and MP of Lyme Regis, who founded the isles of Bermuda after being shipwrecked there in 1608 on his way to the new English colony of Jamestown, Virginia.

Lyme Regis is now twinned with St George’s in Bermuda, where Sir George is widely celebrated and suggestions that he was involved in the slave trade have been refuted.

Lyme Regis historian and author Peter Lacey, whose book ‘Elizabethan Lyme’ includes a section on Sir George’s life, said he died in 1610 and the slave trade “did not get under way until the 1640s”.

The Mayor of Lyme Regis, Councillor Brian Larcombe, was contacted by ITV show ‘This Morning’ yesterday to ask if there were any concerns or reservations about the statue of Sir George.

The mayor has condemned the vandalism of the information board and is expected to release a full statement on the issue later today.

Comment is also expected from the Lyme Regis/St George’s Twinning Association, which erected the statue.

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Public inconvenience: how lockdown caused a loo crisis

“Google data for the warm May bank holiday weekend showed an 136% uptick in visits to parks and open spaces. Yet public toilets have been closed over concerns about Covid-19 transmission in such shared, confined spaces. With limited public toilets available – and cafes, shops and pubs also closed – it is perhaps no surprise that many Brits have answered nature’s call outside. But is there a responsible way to wee in the wild?”

[East Devon District Council to discuss reopening more public toilets www.sidmouthherald.co.uk ]

Coco Khan www.theguardian.com

Summer has arrived, once more delivering its sensorial pleasures: the clink of glasses out on a patio, the sound of music drifting from open windows, the sight of barbecue smoke billowing. But this year, you may notice something else on the summer breeze: the stench of urine.

Since lockdown was relaxed in the UK, tales of overcrowded parks lined with men urinating into bushes have abounded. So, too, have stories of beaches peppered with dirty pants, or forests sullied with babies’ wet wipes.

Arguably, such scenarios are inevitable. Google data for the warm May bank holiday weekend showed an 136% uptick in visits to parks and open spaces. Yet public toilets have been closed over concerns about Covid-19 transmission in such shared, confined spaces. With limited public toilets available – and cafes, shops and pubs also closed – it is perhaps no surprise that many Brits have answered nature’s call outside. But is there a responsible way to wee in the wild?

According to Lisa Ackerley, a chartered environmental health practitioner, the answer is a comprehensive no. She says that although one person doing it once may be harmless, at scale it will inevitably start ruining public spaces. “If everybody did it in parks, there’d be nowhere to sit. People are already saying that the stench in certain places is unbearable. Then there’s the fact that people aren’t just peeing, they’re pooing – and they’re not going to be washing their hands in the park. That’s irresponsible.”

According to the World Health Organization, hand hygiene is the single most important measure for public health, says Ackerley: “We’re thinking a lot about coronavirus, but people could carry other illnesses and not realise.” She cites norovirus, for example.

Meanwhile, says Ackerley: “Even the smallest amount of poo on a beach can severely affect water quality.” And, although going to the toilet in the sea is relatively harmless, it can be a problem in smaller bodies of water. In 2012, Time described how a lake in Germany had to close when urination caused an algae bloom that poisoned all the fish.

People need to think about toilets before they go out, says Ackerley: “It’s a matter of planning. If you think you won’t be able to go to the toilet because you’re too far away from home, and there are no public toilets open, perhaps you shouldn’t be going to that place.”

But plans can go awry, and, in a pinch, people may be left with no other choice. Dylan, 28, intended to use the public toilets on a long walk through London, but discovered they were closed. “I found an area of thick bushes and made sure I was totally out of view. When I was halfway through peeing, I heard a bleep and turned to see two guys in hi-vis jackets standing behind me. They weren’t police; they were park officers I think. They scanned my ID, and gave me a fine.” The fine of £195 was reduced to £95 when Dylan explained that he was out of work and waiting for universal credit. “But that is my current food budget for the month. It seems excessive.”

He explained to the council that he had no alternative and that the toilets were closed. “They said it’s not their responsibility to provide the public with the place to urinate, but I actually kind of think it is.” That is not a legal obligation, however, which is partly why there is just one public toilet per 12,500 people in England.

Then there is the issue of safely using whichever scant facilities are available. A survey by Unilever found that 87% of people across Britain are worried about contracting Covid-19 from surfaces they touch in public places, with a third needing particular assurances about small businesses and independent venues.

Currently, residents of England are able to use the toilets of friends and families during visits to their gardens, if unavoidable. In these circumstances, the government advice is to “avoid touching surfaces and if you use the toilet wash your hands thoroughly, wipe down surfaces, use separate or paper towels and wash or dispose of them safely after use.” Ackerley says this advice should be used when visiting any shared toilet. Social distancing should also be observed in toilet queues.

As far as reopening toilets goes, there is a lot to consider. Smaller venues with just a few toilets may not be able to keep them all open if the distance between cubicles is less than 2 metres. Then there is the greater need for handwashing facilities. Could coronavirus signal the end of the public urinal to make way for cubicles with sinks? Ackerley is not so sure.

“I’d like to see better design of public toilets so that you don’t have to go through a myriad of doors to get to them. In France you used to have pissoirs [public urinals], where people could walk in without touching anything. I think it’s the time to think about that more. If you’re a bloke and you need to pee, you could just walk into a pissoir. That’d be so much better than going against a tree, wouldn’t it?”

Particularly when you consider that increasingly it’s not just men going against the tree. The Sheewee, a device that helps women to urinate standing up without exposing themselves, has seen sales increase by 700% during the lockdown.

“We could even have some of the old squatting toilets that they have in other countries,” says Acklerley. These are hands-free systems, where the flush is a pedal on the floor. “We need to rethink toilets and not dismiss some of the things we used to use. A lot of the older ways may well have been very good.”

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Surge of new coronavirus cases confirmed in Somerset

Article from last week Wednesday June 3.

The Somerset County Council area has seen the biggest increase across the county in the latest 24 hour period with 42 fresh cases, bringing the total up to 745 in that part of Somerset.

Michael Taylor www.somersetlive.co.uk

There has been a surge of new coronavirus cases across Somerset, with a big rise in positive tests within one area.

Public Health England confirmed there had been 53 new cases of coronavirus across Somerset as of 9am of today (Wednesday, June 3).

The latest figures show there are now 1,471 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county.

The Somerset County Council area has seen the biggest increase across the county in the latest 24 hour period with 42 fresh cases, bringing the total up to 745 in that part of Somerset.

The North Somerset Council area has seen 10 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, increasing the area’s figures up to 461.

One new case has been reported in the Bath and North East Somerset area – the latest total there has increased to 235 confirmed cases.

Where new coronavirus cases are in Somerset

The in the Somerset County Council area has been driven by new cases in the Somerset West and Taunton council zone.

Latest figures from Public Health England show there have been 21 new cases in this district, as well as 16 new cases in Sedgemoor and five fresh cases in South Somerset.

The Mendip area has meanwhile seen no confirmed cases.

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus across each district in Somerset, as of 9am today, is as follows, with new cases confirmed in the last 24 hours in brackets.

North Somerset – 461 (+10)
Bath and North East Somerset – 235 (+1)
Somerset West and Taunton – 282 (+21)
South Somerset – 189 (+5)
Sedgemoor – 211 (+16)
Mendip – 63 (=)

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 across each local authority area in Somerset is now as follows:

Somerset (county council) – 745 (+42)
North Somerset – 461 (+10)
Bath and North East Somerset – 235 (+1)

Coronavirus deaths in Somerset

The new cases of COVID-19 comes as two new coronavirus-related deaths have been confirmed in Somerset today as reported by daily NHS figures.

A patient within the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust died on Monday (June 1) while another person died at Yeovil District Hospital on the same day.

The number of deaths of people under the care of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is now at 48. There have also been 25 deaths within the Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

The total deaths across the county now stand at 147.

The total number of people with coronavirus to have died under the care of each of Somerset’s six hospital trusts since the start of the virus outbreak are as follows:

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust – 66
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust (includes Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton and a number of smaller community hospitals across the county) – 48 (+1)
Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – 25 (+1)
Virgin Care Ltd – Paulton Memorial Hospital – 4
Weston Area Health NHS Trust – 3
Virgin Care Ltd – St Martin’s Hospital, Bath – 1

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Six councillors quit Tory party at borough council!

Another local council loses its Tory majority!

Six Tory councillors on Spelthorne Borough Council have quit the party meaning the Conservatives lose their majority for the first time in the council’s history.

Six councillors quit Tory party at borough council in Surrey

Jamie Phillips www.getsurrey.co.uk

The six councillors, who include leader Ian Harvey and deputy leader Olivia Rybinski, announced their resignations from the Conservative Party with immediate effect on Tuesday (June 9).

In a statement, the councillors made a number of allegations against the borough’s Conservative Party and how it is run, saying it made their “continuing membership untenable”.

Cabinet members Jo Sexton, Amar Brar and Helen Harvey have also quit the party alongside long-term Tory member Richard Smith-Ainsley.

It means the Conservative Party now has 17 councillors and the other groups collectively have 22.

The six former Tories have now formed a new party, known as United Spelthorne Group, which will “continue to put the needs of Spelthorne residents first”.

Cllr John Boughtflower will fill the vacant leadership for the Spelthorne Conservative Group, while Cllr Jim McIlroy will take up the deputy leader role.

Cllr Harvey, who has served as leader for more than four years, said in a statement: “’When I took over as leader of the council in 2016, the borough was facing a severe financial crisis due to swingeing cuts to government and Surrey County Council grants, compounded by historic poor financial decisions.

“Our renowned investment strategies have reinvigorated Spelthorne finances to the extent that we have now embarked on our ambitious second stage of regeneration and have commenced a building programme which will deliver over 1,200 homes within five years.

“We have delivered a balanced budget with increases below inflation for the last four years; the lowest council tax increases in Surrey this year. I am proud of what has been achieved under my leadership.’’

Cllr Boughtflower and Cllr McIlroy have been approached for comment.

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Numbers of deaths in Devon since coronavirus outbreak began

One death was registered in the Devon County Council area relating to coronavirus in the latest week’s figures provided from the Office of National Statistics.

East Devon has suffered the third highest number of deaths in Devon. So far the number of deaths in East Devon total 44 of which 27 occurred in care homes.

This article contains tables of deaths for each week since the 12th week of 2020 (no covid related deaths occurred before that)

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

The figures, published today, relate to all deaths that occurred between May 23 and May 29 but were registered up to June 6.

Across the whole of Devon and Cornwall there were 11 deaths in which COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate were registered in that time period, down from 15 in the previous seven days.

Five deaths were registered in Cornwall, with three in Plymouth, two in Torbay, and one in Mid Devon. East Devon, Exeter, North Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torridge, West Devon and the Isles of Scilly saw no deaths registered.

The Isles of Scilly has still yet to see a COVID-19 related death and Exeter, the South Hams and West Devon have now gone two weeks without a death.

Previous weeks have seen 15, 38, 44, 69, 83, 106, 88, 60, 16, and nine deaths registered.

Six of the deaths occurred in hospitals with five in a care home, and none in any other setting.

The figures show in which local authority the deceased’s usual place of residence was. For instance, if someone may have died in Derriford Hospital but lived in West Devon, while the death may have been registered in Plymouth, their death would be recorded in the mortality statistics for the ONS figures against West Devon.

Across the whole of Devon, the six deaths registered this week is the lowest figure since the week ending March 20, the first week in which a coronavirus related death was recorded.

Of the five care home deaths, two occurred in Plymouth and Cornwall, with one in Torbay.

In total, 539 deaths from coronavirus have been registered across Devon and Cornwall, with 286 in hospitals, 212 in care homes, 40 at home, and one in a hospice. Of the deaths, 198 have been registered in Cornwall, 82 in Plymouth, 57 in Torbay, 44 in East Devon, 38 in Exeter, 32 in Teignbridge, 26 in North Devon, 19 in Torridge, 16 in Mid Devon and West Devon, 12 in the South Hams, and one in the Isles of Scilly.

Tables below show the overall figures for deaths and the week by week breakdown. Some tables have changed from last week due to deaths having occurred but not having been registered by the publication of the dataset.

Four deaths in week 21 – one each in Cornwall, Torbay, East Devon and Torridge, one death in Plymouth in week 19, and one in Mid Devon in week 18, one in Plymouth in week 15 have been added to the dataset.

TOTAL DEATHS FROM COVID-19 IN 2020

	Place of death
Area name	Home	Hospital	Care home	Hospice	Elsewhere	Total
Plymouth	3	49	29	1	0	82
Torbay	5	24	28	0	0	57
Cornwall	18	115	65	0	0	198
Isles of Scilly	0	0	0	0	0	0
East Devon	2	15	27	0	0	44
Exeter	2	15	21	0	0	38
Mid Devon	2	12	2	0	0	16
North Devon	2	14	10	0	0	26
South Hams	0	10	2	0	0	12
Teignbridge	0	17	15	0	0	32
Torridge	2	9	8	0	0	19
West Devon	4	6	5	0	0	15
Total	40	286	212	1	0	539

WEEK 22 (week ending May 29)

	Place of death
Area name	Home	Hospital	Care home	Hospice	Elsewhere	Total
Plymouth	0	1	2	0	0	3
Torbay	0	1	1	0	0	2
Cornwall	0	3	2	0	0	5
Isles of Scilly	0	0	0	0	0	0
East Devon	0	0	0	0	0	0
Exeter	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mid Devon	0	1	0	0	0	1
North Devon	0	0	0	0	0	0
South Hams	0	0	0	0	0	0
Teignbridge	0	0	0	0	0	0
Torridge	0	0	0	0	0	0
West Devon	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	6	5	0	0	11

WEEK 21 (week ending May 22)

	Place of death
Area name	Home	Hospital	Care home	Hospice	Elsewhere	Total
Plymouth	0	1	3	0	0	4
Torbay	0	1	0	0	0	1
Cornwall	0	3	0	0	0	3
Isles of Scilly	0	0	0	0	0	0
East Devon	0	2	1	0	0	3
Exeter	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mid Devon	0	0	0	0	0	0
North Devon	0	1	0	0	0	1
South Hams	0	0	0	0	0	0
Teignbridge	0	0	2	0	0	2
Torridge	0	1	0	0	0	1
West Devon	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	9	6	0	0	15

WEEK 20 (WEEK ENDING MAY 15)

	Place of death
Area name	Home	Hospital	Care home	Hospice	Elsewhere	Total
Plymouth	1	3	6	0	0	10
Torbay	0	2	2	0	0	4
Cornwall	2	4	9	0	0	15
Isles of Scilly	0	0	0	0	0	0
East Devon	1	1	1	0	0	3
Exeter	0	0	1	0	0	1
Mid Devon	0	0	1	0	0	1
North Devon	0	0	1	0	0	1
South Hams	0	0	1	0	0	1
Teignbridge	0	0	1	0	0	1
Torridge	0	0	0	0	0	0
West Devon	0	0	1	0	0	1
Total	4	10	24	0	0	38

WEEK 19 (WEEK ENDING MAY 8)

	Place of death
Area name	Home	Hospital	Care home	Hospice	Elsewhere	Total
Plymouth	0	2	7	1	0	10
Torbay	0	2	5	0	0	7
Cornwall	0	3	10	0	0	13
Isles of Scilly	0	0	0	0	0	0
East Devon	0	1	4	0	0	5
Exeter	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mid Devon	0	2	0	0	0	2
North Devon	0	0	0	0	0	0
South Hams	0	1	1	0	0	2
Teignbridge	0	0	3	0	0	3
Torridge	0	1	0	0	0	1
West Devon	0	0	1	0	0	1
total	0	12	31	1	0	44

WEEK 18 (WEEK ENDING MAY 1)

	Place of death
Area name	Home	Hospital	Care home	Hospice	Elsewhere	Total
Plymouth	0	5	3	0	0	8
Torbay	1	2	4	0	0	7
Cornwall	0	14	9	0	0	23
Isles of Scilly	0	0	0	0	0	0
East Devon	0	1	10	0	0	11
Exeter	0	1	2	0	0	3
Mid Devon	1	1	0	0	0	2
North Devon	0	4	1	0	0	5
South Hams	0	0	0	0	0	0
Teignbridge	0	2	1	0	0	3
Torridge	1	1	1	0	0	3
West Devon	1	2	1	0	0	4
total	4	33	32	0	0	69

WEEK 17 (WEEK ENDING APRIL 24)

	Place of death
Area name	Home	Hospital	Care home	Hospice	Elsewhere	Total
Plymouth	0	11	3	0	0	14
Torbay	2	2	8	0	0	12
Cornwall	3	12	7	0	0	22
Isles of Scilly	0	0	0	0	0	0
East Devon	1	3	3	0	0	7
Exeter	0	0	6	0	0	6
Mid Devon	1	2	1	0	0	4
North Devon	0	1	3	0	0	4
South Hams	0	3	0	0	0	3
Teignbridge	0	2	5	0	0	7
Torridge	0	0	4	0	0	4
West Devon	0	0	0	0	0	0
total	7	36	40	0	0	83

WEEK 16 (WEEK ENDING APRIL 17)

	Place of death
Area name	Home	Hospital	Care home	Hospice	Elsewhere	Total
Plymouth	1	6	3	0	0	10
Torbay	0	2	6	0	0	8
Cornwall	5	20	15	0	0	40
Isles of Scilly	0	0	0	0	0	0
East Devon	0	1	6	0	0	7
Exeter	0	4	8	0	0	12
Mid Devon	0	3	0	0	0	3
North Devon	0	5	3	0	0	8
South Hams	0	2	0	0	0	2
Teignbridge	0	2	3	0	0	5
Torridge	1	5	2	0	0	8
West Devon	0	2	1	0	0	3
total	7	52	47	0	0	106

WEEK 15 (WEEK ENDING APRIL 10)

	Place of death
Area name	Home	Hospital	Care home	Hospice	Elsewhere	Total
Plymouth	1	14	2	0	0	17
Torbay	0	4	1	0	0	5
Cornwall	2	24	10	0	0	36
Isles of Scilly	0	0	0	0	0	0
East Devon	0	3	1	0	0	4
Exeter	0	4	4	0	0	8
Mid Devon	1	2	0	0	0	3
North Devon	0	3	2	0	0	5
South Hams	0	1	0	0	0	1
Teignbridge	0	3	0	0	0	3
Torridge	0	1	1	0	0	2
West Devon	3	0	1	0	0	4
Total	7	59	22	0	0	88

WEEK 14 (WEEK ENDING APRIL 3)

	Place of death
Area name	Home	Hospital	Care home	Hospice	Elsewhere	Total
Plymouth	0	5	0	0	0	5
Torbay	2	6	1	0	0	9
Cornwall	4	21	3	0	0	28
Isles of Scilly	0	0	0	0	0	0
East Devon	0	3	1	0	0	4
Exeter	1	3	0	0	0	4
Mid Devon	0	1	0	0	0	1
North Devon	0	0	0	0	0	0
South Hams	0	1	0	0	0	1
Teignbridge	0	6	0	0	0	6
Torridge	0	0	0	0	0	0
West Devon	0	2	0	0	0	2
Total	7	48	5	0	0	60

WEEK 13 – THE WEEK ENDING MARCH 27

	Place of death
Area name	Home	Hospital	Care home	Hospice	Elsewhere	Total
Plymouth	0	1	0	0	0	1
Torbay	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cornwall	2	7	0	0	0	9
East Devon	0	0	0	0	0	0
Exeter	0	3	0	0	0	3
Mid Devon	0	0	0	0	0	0
North Devon	0	0	0	0	0	0
South Hams	0	2	0	0	0	2
Teignbridge	0	1	0	0	0	1
Torridge	0	0	0	0	0	0
West Devon	0	0	0	0	0	0

WEEK 12 – THE WEEK ENDING MARCH 20

Area name	Home	Hospital	Care home	Hospice	Elsewhere	Total
Plymouth	0	0	0	0	0	0
Torbay	0	2	0	0	0	2
Cornwall	0	4	0	0	0	4
East Devon	0	0	0	0	0	0
Exeter	1	0	0	0	0	1
Mid Devon	0	0	0	0	0	0
North Devon	0	0	0	0	0	0
South Hams	0	0	0	0	0	0
Teignbridge	0	1	0	0	0	1
Torridge	0	0	0	0	0	0
West Devon	0	0	0	0	0	0

No deaths relating to COVID-19 were recorded for the first 11 weeks of 2020.

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9 Jun 2020

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England’s test-and-trace system not fit for purpose, say scientists

The former government chief scientific adviser Sir David King, who now leads the Independent Sage group, is calling for a new approach, warning that the measures in place in England will not be enough to pick up 80% of the contacts of people with the virus, which they say is needed to prevent the infection rate rising.

See Independent Sage report No 4.

Sarah Boseley www.theguardian.com

The UK government’s testing and contact-tracing system is not fit for purpose and will not be able to keep coronavirus in check as other countries have done, according to an independent group of scientists.

“The government has placed huge emphasis on their test, track and trace system in recent weeks, even labelling it ‘world-beating’. It is clear from our research that this simply isn’t the case – indeed, the system as it stands is not fit for purpose,” King said.

“This is the critical moment for the government to act now or risk further spikes. We believe that a new approach is required, one that moves away from a centralised system that utilises a local-first approach. We are calling on the government to urgently rethink their course to ensure that we have a system in place that will help and not hinder the country’s recovery.”

Independent Sage is a group of 12 leading scientists who have been critical of the government’s handling of the pandemic. It was set up partly in response to a lack of transparency around the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage). The membership of Sage and minutes and documents relating to its meetings have since been published.

The independent group’s report points out that the epidemic is still growing in some parts of the country, such as north-west England. They say erosion of trust in the government in recent weeks will make it less likely that people will comply if they are called by contact-tracers and told they must self-isolate.

“If Covid‐19 is to be eliminated, as New Zealand has shown is possible, then at least 80% of all close contacts of those with Covid‐19 infection (the index case) must remain isolated for 14 days so that they are unable to pass on infection to others. This is clearly not happening,” says the report.

It argues for a more comprehensive system than just test and trace. The report says it should be “find, test, trace, isolate and support”. Speed is vital: the scientists point out that Sage itself advised that the aim should be to isolate as many contacts as possible within 48 hours.

Test results should be available within 24 hours, says Independent Sage. Those who are isolated should have financial support and accommodation provided if they need it. And the scientists say the system depends on a high level of trust and should be run by the local authority directors of public health who know their communities.

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Question?

Which Police and Crime Commissioner has yet to give us her thoughts on racism?
Yes, you guessed – Tory Alison Hernandez!

(And about pretty much else that has been going on recently – leaves it all to Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer to make the running)

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Sidmouth – People warned to stay off beach after five cliff falls in a month

Regardless of whether or not the cliffs are displaying signs that it may crumble, EDDC urge the public to keep their distance.

A spokesperson said: “You would be putting yours and the emergency services lives at risk.

“Please do not access Sidmouth East beach at all, and at Jacobs Ladder ensure you stay at least the same height the cliff is vertical away from the base.”

See devonlive online for images

Chloe Parkman www.devonlive.com

East Devon County Council (EDDC) have cleared up locals concerns regarding Sidmouth’s cliff falls.

It is understood that there was over five separate landslides in the town last month alone, raising the question as to whether the town’s cliffs are crumbling more now than ever before.

EDDC explain the signs to look out for prior to a cliff fall, as well as what action you should take.

In response to whether or not there has been an increase in landslides, a spokesperson for EDDC said: “It is difficult to say.”

Last month, the town of Sidmouth experienced three cliff falls in the space of 24 hours, in addition to a further two which took place the following week.

Despite the number of landslides that have occurred, EDDC complete annual cliff inspections at Beer, Budleigh Salterton, Seaton and Sidmouth.

These inspections include removing loose material and additional safety works such as installation of rock netting.

The Sidmouth and East Beach Management Plan (BMP) scheme aims to reduce the risk of flooding to Sidmouth by maintaining the standard of defences along Sidmouth Beach, and to reduce the rate of erosion to the cliffs to the East of the town (and therefore the rate of exposure of the East side of Sidmouth to coastal conditions).

A spokesperson for EDDC said: “Cliff falls are a natural and unpredictable occurrence along the East Devon coast, this is because the rock from which the cliffs are formed is soft and therefore prone to rock falls and landslides, which can happen at any time, although heavy rainfall can trigger incidences.

“The BMP cannot, however, stop cliff falls. In fact, many of the recent cliff falls are beyond the area the BMP will protect, occurring further East on National Trust land.”

Despite the glorious sunshine the county has experience over the last few weeks, it is this warm and dry weather that has played a key role in the cause of the landslides.

A spokesperson adds: “The main reason [for the cliff falls] is the prolonged dry weather we have had, which followed the wettest February on record.

“The extreme wet to dry condition of the cliff is the likely cause of the falls.

“However there are other factors in place such as the climate emergency and sea level rise.”

Although there are concerns that the number of cliff falls in the town have increased, EDDC are unable to confirm whether this is true or not.

A spokesperson adds: “It is difficult to say [if there has been an increase or decrease] as cliff falls aren’t recorded by a central body.

“On land we own and manage there hasn’t been any increase in cliff falls compared to previous years.

“Along the whole coast there is likely to be a rise in the recording of cliff falls due to the good weather and increase in staycations, there are more people around the coast to witness any fall.

“In a normal year, plenty of falls would go unnoticed.”

“It is good practice when on the beach to stay well clear of the cliff base and to keep an eye out for fresh fall material or water running down the cliffs, which may indicate an area that is weakened and loose.

The Coastguard advises that walkers should keep a distance away from the cliff, that is equivalent to the cliffs height.

For example, if a cliff is 20 metres in height, pedestrians should keep 20 metres away.

A spokesperson adds: “Through the Sidmouth and East Beach BMP, we have plans to reduce the rate of erosion of the cliffs where property is threatened.

“The Sidmouth and East Beach BMP is a long term plan, and construction is likely to be a year or so away, we all hope the Covid-19 situation will be over by then, so it should not affect the scheme.”

Regardless of whether or not the cliffs are displaying signs that it may crumble, EDDC urge the public to keep their distance.

A spokesperson said: “You would be putting yours and the emergency services lives at risk.

“Please do not access Sidmouth East beach at all, and at Jacobs Ladder ensure you stay at least the same height the cliff is vertical away from the base.”

If a cliff fall does occur and you suspect that someone has been injured, call 999 immediately.

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Tories remain silent as new Chairman and Vice Chairman elected to East Devon District Council

How refreshing to have two very capable, professional, women presiding over debates in the council.

Already last night we were spared the pompous posturing of Cllr. Stuart Hughes as Vice Chairman Val Ranger presided over the election of Cllr. Dr. Cathy Gardner as Chairman.

Readers may recall a central Conservative argument against change summarised in this quote from the extraordinary general meeting (EGM) called to decide to have a meeting to change:

Cllr Dean Barrow spoke against the need for the EGM to be held, saying that the pandemic had a significant impact on the council and that an experienced chairman to lead is needed, while Cllr Moulding added: “Residents would expect the council to be focusing on the response to the coronavirus pandemic.”

In proposing Dr Gardner as Chairman, new Leader Cllr. Paul Arnott couldn’t help pointing out that Dr Gardner was a microbiologist with a deep understanding of microbial aerosol propagation and therefore held highly appropriate knowledge and experience to lead the council during the pandemic. (Yet another Tory fox shot).

In her short acceptance speech Dr Gardner simply said: “ I look forward to implementing as much as I possibly can the duties of councillors under the Nolan Principles; really, respect for all members and members of the public in all our meetings, and particularly for the Nolan principle of objectivity, which currently is particularly relevant; that we should act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.”

As Owl reported last night 13 Councillors sent their apologies, mostly Conservatives including; Cllrs: Hughes; Moulding; Tom Wright (fortunately); Skinner. and the one-time Independent turned “build build build” Conservative Cllr Helen Parr. Another three simply couldn’t bother to log in including Cllr. Ben Ingham.

As Devonboy has already commented:

“So the Conservatives have once again shown their true colours when it comes to democracy. Toys out of pram springs to mind.”

The new cabinet gets down to business this afternoon:

Virtual Meeting, Cabinet – Tuesday, 9th June, 2020 2.00 pm

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Temporary ‘street café’ licences to be dished out in Devon

Temporary ‘street café’ licences are being served up in Devon to help businesses to reopen as coronavirus lockdown restrictions continue to ease.

About Author East Devon Reporter eastdevonnews.co.uk

County council bosses are introducing the ‘informal’ measure to boost social distancing and aid the hospitality industry in the coming weeks.

The move will allow successful applicants to place tables and chairs on paved or pedestrianised areas that are classed as public highway.

Devon County Council (DCC) says it has sped up the application process by allowing outdoor seating while a consultation is being undertaken.

The process for a normal year-long renewable licence for a street café normally takes three months including a 28-day notice period for any representations to be made.

DCC says it remains any applicant’s responsibility to assess the layout of its customer seating area in relation to the Government’s social distancing guidelines.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, cabinet member for highway management, said: “The street café culture in our town and city centres across Devon has always been popular and we’re hoping that accelerating the application process on this issue can help local cafes and pubs when they reopen.

“We’re doing what we can to support local businesses and this is another way that we can help our local economy to recover.

“The temporary licence will be supplied free of charge and the street cafe licence fee will only be applied when the formal licence has been issued.

“Applications will be assessed as quickly as possible, and, as long as they are safe, in line with the guidance, and provide pedestrians with a minimum of two metres to pass, an informal temporary licence will be issued.”

A DCC spokesperson added: “The temporary licence will enable businesses to provide outdoor seating while the consultation is being undertaken, rather than once the consultation is complete, as long as the application is not contentious and is in line with the council’s terms and conditions.

“The county council will continue to seek the views of guide dog owners, sight impaired and mobility groups in advance of any licence being issued where appropriate.

“If objections are not received during the 28-day notice period, a formal 12-month licence will be issued in the normal way.

“However, if objections are received during the formal consultation, or complaints are received regarding the temporary period, the street cafe may be removed, and the temporary licence may be withdrawn until such time that issues can be resolved.

“Businesses that have existing street cafe licences, but wish to consider expanding their area to accommodate social distancing guidelines for customers, will be able to apply for a temporary informal licence for the increased area. This will follow a similar process, subject to the same conditions.

“No additional licence fee will be payable for expanding an existing street cafe, and if no objections are received during the 28-day notice period, the additional area will be incorporated into the formal 12-month licence when the next renewal is processed.”

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Breaking news – Changing of the Guard at East Devon District Council – Two women now hold the Chair and Vice-Chair, surely this must be a first and represents real change

In an uncontested election.

Cllr. Dr Cathy Gardner has been elected as the new Chair of EDDC by 38 votes with 5 abstentions

(Proposed by Cllr. Paul Arnott and seconded by Cllr. Eileen Wragg)

In another uncontested election.

Cllr. Val Ranger has been elected to continue in the role of Vice – Chairman by 39 with 4 abstentions

(Proposed by Cllr Tony Woodward and seconded by Cllr Luke Jeffrey)

13 councillors sent in their apologies including Cllrs Moulding, Hughes and Tom Wright, from the tally of numbers another 3 did not attend including Cllr. Ben Ingham. (Mostly Conservatives)

The whole meeting was, as Owl hoped it would be, conducted with respect and dignity.

Dr. Cathy Gardner said in her acceptance speech that she would uphold the Nolan principles.

In complete contrast to the shambles of the previous extraordinary meetings this meeting lasted barely 25 minutes a fitting prelude to the the business approach shown by our new Chairman and Vice Chairman.

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Stay Alert, go to the pub, save Jobs

June 22 plan for reopening of England’s pubs and restaurants by ‘save summer six’ ministers.

Don’t worry about the R value this is London calling the shots – Covid Cocktail anyone? (Owl)

Independent Staff www.independent.co.uk

Pubs in England could reopen again two weeks earlier than planned on 22 June, according to reports.

Ministers hope to speed up the timetable in an attempt to prevent up to 3.5 million workers in the hospitality sector losing their jobs, it is claimed.

Under the current schedule, bars, hotels and restaurants are due to stay shut until July at the earliest – although they can serve customers outside their premises.

However, a group of ministers including chancellor Rishi Sunak are said to be looking at ways to help pubs to reopen using beer gardens, terraces and marquees.

The Financial Times, which claims to have confirmation of the plans from three Whitehall officials, reported that the ministers were calling themselves the “Save Summer Six”.

Mr Sunak is said to be in favour of a full reopening of pubs and restaurants before 4 July, with social distancing rules in place.

However trade association UK Hospitality has warned that pubs and other businesses would not be able to operate profitably if the two-metre rule had to be observed.

Boris Johnson is believed to have asked business secretary Alok Sharma to make the case for cutting the UK’s social distancing rule to one metre.

Meanwhile Robert Jenrick, housing and local government secretary, is reviewing planning rules to make it easier for pubs and bars to use outdoor areas, it is claimed.

The other ministers in the group are said to be cabinet office minister Michael Gove, transport secretary Grant Shapps, and culture secretary Oliver Dowden.

It comes after industry bosses warned that as many as 15,000 pubs could be forced to permanently close if they are forced to wait until September to emerge from lockdown.

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, also warned the sector could be facing a “double hit” if the public continue to stay away from busy social hubs.

“I am very, very worried about the sector,” she said. “There are going to be much fewer people inside our pubs and that is part of the reality going forward.”

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Independent review backs introduction of Highly Protected Marine Areas

Lyme Bay has been used as a case study in this review – Final Report (page 26 to 29). Owl’s view is that Marine Conservation Areas, creation of a new East Devon and Dorset National Park and the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Coast are all components of the “joined up” environmental approach EDDC needs to be thinking about.

An independent review led by former Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon, and published today on World Ocean Day, is calling for the introduction of Highly Protected Marine Areas in English waters. The review was commissioned on last year’s world ocean day by then Environment Secretary Michael Gove as part of the Government’s drive to protect our waters.

Executive Summary here

Final Report here

These highly protected marine areas would enable a greater recovery of the marine ecosystem and enhance the Government’s commitment to a national ‘Blue Belt’, which has already seen an area of 92,000 square km protected – 40% of English seas.

The UK currently has a range of protections in place through a network of 355 Marine Protected Areas, which offer protections for a designated feature or habitat within their boundaries. Highly Protected Marine Areas would go further by taking a ‘whole site approach’ and only permitting certain activities within their boundaries such as vessel transit, scuba diving and kayaking. Activities that could have a damaging effect on habitats or wildlife, including fishing, construction and dredging would be banned. The review claims the introduction of such areas could lead to a significant biodiversity boost for our seas by giving our marine life the best chance to recover and thrive.

The review, which was supported by a panel of independent experts, also sheds light on the potential social and economic benefits of introducing highly protected marine areas. These benefits include increased tourism and recreational activities, opportunities for scientific research and education, and positive effects for human health. It also suggests that any potential fishing restriction could be counterbalanced by a stronger and biodiverse marine wildlife – with potential long-term benefits for the fishing industry from providing areas where sea life can develop and breed undisturbed.

Three Marine Protected Areas: Flamborough Head, Lundy Island and the Medway Estuary currently have in place ‘no take zones‘ which prohibit all methods of fishing.

The panel has made a number of recommendations which will now be considered by Government with a formal response made in due course.

Devon Wildlife Trust has a comment from one of the Review panel, Plymouth-based, Joan Edwards, director of marine conservation at The Wildlife Trusts.

She says:

“Our seas are in an impoverished state and it’s hard for our generation to comprehend how abundant our waters once were. Cod were once as long and wide as humans are tall, and whales, dolphins and basking sharks were many times more common than they are today. We need to let the sea show us what it’s capable of. Today’s publication proposes a vital way of achieving marine recovery. We want to see real ambition from the Government with a commitment to HPMA delivery plan agreed before World Oceans Day in 2021.

“Existing Marine Protected Areas are limited in their ability to restore habitats and wildlife because their remit to protect nature only extends as far as maintaining the status quo. In these areas only some of the most damaging activities are prevented and even then, only in some locations.

“In Highly Protected Marine Areas, on the other hand, all damaging activities including fishing, dredging, construction and sea angling would be banned. This new type of designation means that nature could properly recover. HPMAs could be monitored to allow us to understand what a thriving seabed and restored marine life really means. They could set a bar against which other sorts of protected areas could be measured.”

“When bottom trawling was banned from Lyme Bay, off the Devon coast, in 2008, we learnt that recovery in the marine environment can happen, and sometimes much sooner than scientists thought possible. Beautiful sunset cup corals blossomed and pink sea fans grew across the area. By removing all pressures and damaging activities, HPMAs will give parts of our sea the best opportunity to recover to as natural and pristine condition as possible.”

In May 2019, the Government announced the creation of 41 new Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) to complete a network of 91 MCZs. With the aim of protecting vulnerable and rare habitats and species, these sites added to the rich tapestry of MPAs in the UK. This was progress towards becoming an ‘ecologically coherent’ network – one that is large and well-connected enough to allow an array of habitats to thrive. Well-enforced HPMAs could be designated across parts of these areas and offer the strictest form of environmental protection; they would become the gold standard of protection, the first of their kind in the UK.

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Dominic Cummings: call for new investigation into Durham trip

A campaign for a new investigation into Dominic Cummings over alleged breaches of the lockdown rules has been launched by lawyers with the backing of health workers and some families of coronavirus victims.

Matthew Weaver www.theguardian.com

The law firm Hodge Jones & Allen, which specialises in human rights and civil liberties, said the move was part of a “citizens’ bid” for a thorough investigation into Cummings over his trips to Durham and Barnard Castle.

One of the firm’s partners, Mike Schwarz, says a three-day investigation by Durham police last month was flawed after it found that no further action was required.

He is heading a legal team that is calling for a specialist unit from the Metropolitan police to investigate Cummings’ behaviour during the lockdown. It will also press for the Crown Prosecution Service to consider a public prosecution. If these routes fail, the campaign is considering a private prosecution against Boris Johnson’s chief adviser.

Schwarz said: “The focus has been so heavily centred on Durham, but the Met have yet to examine properly, if at all, the original breach and all his surrounding activity, in London and beyond his journey to stay in the north-east.”

He added: “The broad consensus of public opinion is that he broke the law on public health, and the entire weight of the state has been deployed to prevent proper investigation and proper due process.”

The initial three-day investigation by Durham police into Cummings’ travels found that he might have breached health protection regulations when he took a 52-mile round trip to the town of Barnard Castle, County Durham, with his wife and son on her birthday.

But it said Cummings’ 516-mile round trip from London to Durham and back had not broken health protection regulations. The force decided to take no further action after making no finding in relation to “stay at home” government guidance.

Schwarz argued that under the coronavirus regulations, Cummings had failed to leave home for a good reason. He said the campaign would encourage Durham police to explain their investigation. “It seems clear even from what they have said that they were rushed, the wrong criteria were applied, there was an incomplete examination of evidence and actions taken.”

He also believes other aspects of Cummings’ behaviour warrant investigation, including his decision to return to work on 27 March after tending to his wife, who was showing symptoms of coronavirus

Schwarz said Durham police’s investigation had taken no account of the damage to public trust in the government’s health message caused by Cummings’ actions.

He said: “I have no desire to cast doubt on the integrity of Durham police, but it is clear they were operating in a highly charged political environment, and we want to know exactly what they did to establish what Cummings did in Durham, given the many inconsistencies in his own account.”

Those backing the campaign include Andy Toogood, a mental health nurse from Hull, Dr Caroline Dickinson, a London GP, and Seamus McNally from Newmarket, whose family was unable to say goodbye to his father-in-law before he died of coronavirus.

The campaign includes the barrister Matthew Ryder, who is a member of the Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian Media Group.

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Today at 6.00pm, “Changing of the Guard” at East Devon District Council – Act IV (of V)

(Or how the Conservatives with only one third of the Council seats tried to retain power for ever and ever. A comic tragedy in five parts.)

Act IV: In which Councillors will elect a Chairman and Vice-Chaiman of the Council and the Conservatives may make a spectacle of themselves again. (We already have had to endure a meeting to call a meeting, and a meeting crashing into chaos when Conservative Cllr. Tom Wright swore so badly, YouTube cut the live streaming service)

Owl hopes that this election can be conducted with a degree of respect and dignity whether contested or not. Watch live or streamed here.

Recapitulation (More detail here)

The local election in May 2019 removed a Conservative majority of 9 and left them with 19 seats in a council of 60 members.

Cllr. Ben Ingham, Leader of the opposition prior to the election, with 19 other Independents formed an arrangement, compact, understanding or coalition with the Conservatives to form an administration. Eschewing any arrangement with the other Independents.

Despite this arrangement, the Conservatives were deemed to be the official Opposition, holding chairmanship of the Scrutiny Committee.

By January 2020 two Independent Councillors had left Ben Inghams Group leaving him with 18 members to the Conservatives 19, essentially becoming their puppet.

In March 2020 members of the Green, Independent East Devon Alliance and Liberal Democrat parties and an Independent combined to form a new group with the title the Democratic Alliance numbering 23. At this point they replaced the Conservatives as the Opposition.

In May 2020 eight more Independent Councillors had left Ben Ingham. One joined the Democratic Alliance the remaining seven formed the Independent Progressive group. The Independent Progressives then signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Democratic Alliance to work together. At this point the Democratic Alliance and Independent Progressives held an absolute majority of 31.

On 18 May Cllr Ben Ingham sacked his cabinet and resigned as leader.

On 29 May Cllr Paul Arnott was elected Leader of the Council

On 1 June Cllr Stuart Hughes resigned as Chairman

On 4 June Cllr Ben Ingham, who campaigned as an Independent, recruited others to join him to form the Independent Group administration, joined the Conservatives.

Somewhere along the line the Conservative Council Chairman Cllr. Stuart Hughes decided to cancel the Annual Meeting. On election the new Leader, Cllr Paul Arnott, said: “ He took the opportunity provided by a change in legislation by the government to prematurely cancel the annual council meeting, and this decision has predictably created five meetings at a time of crisis to do the same business.

“I have no doubt that he hoped for an outcome where he simply stayed in the chair for a second year, described by his leader last week as ‘the regular term’, wrong constitutionally and undesirable politically.

“He claims to have filled the chair as a ‘civic’ role, but this sweeping statement on his way out parrots Tory press releases.

Constitutionally, The Annual Meeting is the most appropriate point for a change of administration as all posts are re-affirmed or changed as a matter of course.

Act V (to follow) One more meeting is still needed to decide committee places, forum and panel memberships etc .

Dramatis Personae in their political groupings can be found here of a cast of 60

Democratic Alliance + 31 [including the 7 Independent Progressives]

Conservatives 20

The Independents 5 [Remaining members of Ben Ingham’s original group]

Cranbrook Voice 3

Independent 1

Extraordinary Virtual Meeting of the Council of the District of East Devon

on Monday, 8th June, 2020 at 6.00 pm

1 Public speaking Information on public speaking is available online

2 Apologies

3 Declarations of interest

4 Motion: To elect a Chairman and Vice-Chaiman of the Council Following the decision of Council at the Extraordinary meeting of Council held on 28 May 2020, the Council shall elect a Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Council for the remainder of the civic year.

This meeting is being recorded by EDDC for subsequent publication on the Council’s website and will be streamed live to the Council’s Youtube Channel at

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmNHQruge3LVI4hcgRnbwBw

In the event of unsuccessful streaming to Youtube, the meeting will be streamed live to the Council’s Facebook page at

https://www.facebook.com/eastdevon/

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Planning rules could be changed in an attempt to help the high street (and development led growth)

“……On Friday a committee of experts assembled by the duo [Cummings and Jenrick] met for the first time to “think about very substantive changes” to planning rules. ……Cummings and Jenrick are also backing a new fast-track system for developers of high-quality, well-designed buildings. And they will move to a zonal planning system where key decisions will be taken from local councils and handed to development corporations...”

Owl reproduces the section on Planning taken from a longer Sunday Times article: “The sectionCoronavirus lockdown: now it’s the economy, stupid”

Tim Shipman, www.thetimes.co.uk

Planning rules could be changed in an attempt to help the high street

Jenrick has also worked up changes to planning rules to speed up approvals, from weeks to days, for restaurants and pubs to put socially distanced tables on pavements. He will announce this week that the government is doubling the time marquees can be put up by a pub from 28 days to 56 — making it easier for beer gardens to operate in changeable weather.

Non-essential shops will reopen from June 15. Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, is also pushing for hair and beauty salons to open as soon as possible to help people’s “general wellbeing”, urging the business department to act without sign-off from the scientists. He told one ministerial meeting last week: “Just crack on.”

Johnson’s change of approach is seen as evidence of a power shift in No 10 away from his senior aide Dominic Cummings, who has been the most outspoken advocate of a tough lockdown and the most conspicuous flouter of it with his notorious trip to Durham.

Simon Case, the private secretary to Prince William, has been made permanent secretary in No 10 to drive through the next moves. Insiders said Case sees every paper that crosses Johnson’s desk and is supporting ministers who fear for the economy. “Case seems to be an enthusiast for getting on with things now,” one Tory adviser said.

In a sign that Johnson is prepared to water down another Cummings project — the 14-day quarantine rules for new arrivals at Britain’s borders that come into force tomorrow — the PM told Shapps to negotiate “travel corridors” with holiday destination countries such as France, Spain and Greece by June 28. “That’s how the quarantine stuff becomes irrelevant,” a source with knowledge of the conversations said.

One area where Cummings does remain influential is planning, where he and Jenrick are working together to kickstart housebuilding and infrastructure spending as part of a Johnson-Sunak plan to stimulate the economy. On Friday a committee of experts assembled by the duo met for the first time to “think about very substantive changes” to planning rules. The experts included Bridget Rosewell, the national infrastructure commissioner; property developer Sir Stuart Lipton; and Christopher Katkowski, Britain’s leading planning QC.

In an attempt to help the high street, businesses will be able to change their use “with complete flexibility”. Cummings and Jenrick are also backing a new fast-track system for developers of high-quality, well-designed buildings. And they will move to a zonal planning system where key decisions will be taken from local councils and handed to development corporations — though building on the green belt will not be permitted.

The economic plan will also include a “bad bank” to swallow up the debts of companies who default on the government’s bounce back loans. A “cash for clunkers” car scrappage scheme, where motorists would be encouraged to trade in their old vehicles for a new electric or hybrid car, is also on the table.

While Johnson has come around to Sunak’s position that the economy should now be the priority, divisions remain between No 10 and No 11 over how to pay for the economic stimulus package.

Johnson is keen to load most of the costs on to borrowing, while Treasury officials fear that would spook the markets and lead to inflation. Civil servants in the Treasury are calling the prime minister “the blue socialist” and “Jeremy Corbyn on steroids”.

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Local Lockdowns not possible without more powers and money, warn local councils

This article specifically mentions North Somerset and Bristol. Note Matt Hancock’s “misleading” statements – Owl

Councils in areas at increased risk of coronavirus outbreaks have warned they have neither the powers nor the resources to impose local lockdowns, despite the government insisting the infrastructure is in place to deal with regional flare-ups.

Tom Wall www.theguardian.com

The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said last week that the government planned to increasingly target the source of outbreaks with local lockdowns. But councils in regions where the latest estimates indicate the virus may be starting to spread again have told the Observer they are in no position to order people to stay at home.

Modelling by Public Health England and Cambridge University reveals that the reproduction rate [R number] of the virus in the north-west has reached 1.1, which could mean the number of new infections is growing in the region. Blackburn and Darwen Council, which runs 85 schools in Lancashire, contacted heads this weekend to advise them not to reopen on Monday due to concerns over the local R rate. Many have now contacted parents to say they will be keeping their doors closed to all but children of key workers.

The Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, said the government had eased restrictions too soon, without a fully operational test and trace system in place. “It is very worrying,” he said. “There has been a significant rise [in the R rate]. It is heading in the wrong direction.”

However, he said councils wouldn’t be able to ask people in Greater Manchester, where there are over 10,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases, to stay at home without a local furlough scheme to ensure families had enough to live on. “You can’t just say to people in a designated area ‘you cannot go to work’. A lot of people would not be able to afford to do that,” he said. “That is just one of the implications of a local lockdown policy. We need clear answers quickly. All the government has done is throw an idea out there without the accompanying detail.”

Burnham added he would only consider such a measure if all else had failed and ministers demonstrated they were not trying to pass the buck. “I would need to be convinced that it isn’t just a lazy way for national government to dump its problems on local government, he said.”

The other region in England where the virus infection rate is growing is the south-west. Although it has the lowest number of cases in the country, the PHE and Cambridge University team calculated it might currently have a reproduction rate of one.

North Somerset Council has experienced a recent spike in infections, following an outbreak in Weston General Hospital in Weston-super-Mare, although PHE analysis suggests this has not spread into the wider community. Hancock twice claimed on Friday that a successful local lockdown had been in place in the seaside town over “the past weeks”. But Mike Bell, the council’s deputy leader, said Hancock was being misleading because only the hospital was shut, with new patients sent elsewhere since the 25 May. “What most people understand by a local or regional lockdown is that we go back to the days when we can’t go out and we can’t travel freely. That absolutely did not happen in Weston-super-Mare,” he said.

He added he did not have powers to impose a local lockdown in the town if it ever became necessary. “In terms of forcing people to stay at home, forcing businesses to close, we haven’t got the powers to do that,” he said.

Bristol’s deputy mayor, Asher Craig, said the council would be prepared to lock down the city if the threat increased substantially. Despite a rising R rate, Bristol has a lower than average number of cases, with 153 infections per 100,000 people. “If it worsened, we would have to lock down,” she said. But she added that the city lacked the necessary powers and was facing a growing deficit amid falling revenues.

Sunderland has the highest rate of infection in the country, with 448 cases per 100,000 residents. Although the latest reproduction rate suggests the virus is starting to recede in the north-east and Yorkshire, many fear a resurgence. The council leader, Graeme Miller, said : “How can we possibly be opening society up when this this infection rate is so stubbornly high across the country?”

A government spokesperson said that the new test and trace service would play an important role in limiting the spread of the virus.

“As always has been the case, a specialist team from the local authority or PHE manages any local outbreaks and we are making £300 million available to local authorities to develop local outbreak control plans.”

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

7 Jun 2020

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Misc

Cabinet unrest over U-turn on animal welfare in US trade talks

Cabinet split as No 10 appears to ditch high environmental protection and animal welfare standards.

Where does this leave the Farming Community and Neil Parish MP?

A letter from No 10 states that the ministerial mandate for the US negotiations was “being updated to reflect” the fact that the UK was to have no policy position on animal welfare.

Michael Savage www.theguardian.com

Downing Street has been accused of reopening the door to imports of chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef, after a leaked memo instructed ministers to have “no specific policy” on animal welfare in US trade talks.

The letter from No 10 states that the ministerial mandate for the US negotiations was “being updated to reflect” the fact that the UK was to have no policy position on animal welfare. The revelation will raise more concerns about the government’s commitment to upholding “high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards”.

The note, seen by the Observer and dispatched at the start of last month, gave approval for the US trade talks to go ahead and set out the conditions of engagement. It reveals serious cabinet unrest over the shape of a US deal and appears to suggest UK regulations could be changed to accommodate an agreement. It also makes clear that talks were to be used to “maximise leverage” in trade negotiations with the EU.

“Consultation and agreement from relevant colleagues is sought before agreeing to change domestic policy or regulations as part of the negotiations,” it states. “In the context of preserving the integrity of UK domestic law, any decisions taken in sensitive areas … must take into account the potential legal implications for the UK and be agreed by the relevant ministers.”

The memo reveals how contentious the US trade talks are regarded as being within the cabinet. Issues were raised by 11 cabinet ministers, including health secretary Matt Hancock, environment secretary George Eustice and Mark Spencer, the chief whip.

“Written responses were received from the health secretary, foreign secretary, the chief whip, the business secretary, the environment secretary, the chancellor of the exchequer, the justice secretary, the defence secretary, the culture secretary, the Welsh secretary and the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster,” it states. “All other members of the committee were content.”

The briefing also states that a cabinet committee would return to the animal welfare issue “in June to settle all outstanding agriculture issues”, suggesting an unresolved split. Meanwhile, it demands that “ministers receive regular progress reports of concurrent EU and US negotiations to help maximise leverage and allow policy tensions to be resolved as they emerge”.

A government spokesperson said that it had been “very clear since the outset that we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards”.

Campaigners want legal guarantees on those standards to be enshrined in an agriculture bill currently being debated in parliament. The issue has already prompted a Tory rebellion in the Commons.

It comes after reports last week that the government was proposing a “dual scheme” that would see higher tariffs on US foods with lower animal welfare standards. It is not clear whether higher tariffs would also be linked to environmental standards.

Alistair Carmichael, the Lib Dem Brexit spokesperson, said: “People can now see that promises made by Johnson and Gove were worthless.”

Luke Pollard, the shadow environment secretary, said: “It is unacceptable for the government to allow our high food standards to be compromised and our farmers undercut in any future trade deals. Attempts by ministers to use tariffs and tax rates to get around their manifesto commitment on food standards won’t wash.”

Nick von Westenholz, director of EU exit and international trade for the National Farmers Union, said: “The government made a manifesto commitment not to compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards in trade negotiations, and this commitment is explicitly stated in the government’s specific objectives for the US negotiations. We would expect UK trade negotiators to be rigorous in upholding these commitments.”

A government spokesman said: “We will always stand up for British farming and are determined to use trade negotiations to secure new opportunities for farmers.

“Having left the EU, we will get to decide how we set and maintain our own laws, standards and regulations, upholding our food, environmental and animal welfare standards. Our food regulators will continue to provide independent advice to ensure that all food imports into the UK comply with those standards.”

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

7 Jun 2020

Posted under

Misc

Coronavirus: seven in ten testing positive show no symptoms

There has been a lot of speculation that the level of asymptomatic Covid -19 cases is surprisingly high. If it is it would have a big impact on all the modelling work, estimation of he R value etc.

By its nature it is difficult to estimate.

It also suggests that a significant proportion of the population may have some immune resilience. The human immune response it a lot more complicated than Owl thought.

This article was published a week or so ago.

Chris Smyth, Whitehall Editor www.thetimes.co.uk

More than two thirds of those who tested positive for coronavirus had no symptoms, in the first nationally representative sample.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the figure underlined the importance of social distancing to avoid catching the virus from those who felt well, amid warnings that the scale of infection without symptoms could make the NHS contact tracing system much less effective.

However, other experts cautioned that many of the test results could be false positives, caused by the inherent difficulties of checking people at random for a disease that fewer than one in 400 people has at present.

The results also show that only one in 15 people had antibodies, indicating that they had recovered from corona–virus, dealing another blow to hopes that herd immunity would end the epidemic without the need for a vaccine or treatments.

Weekly figures from the ONS show that just under 8,000 people a day are becoming infected with coronavirus and about 133,000 in England have the virus. These are “relatively stable” compared with previous weeks. Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, said that 54,000 people being infected each week was “not a low number”, adding: “It’s worth remembering that we still have a significant burden of infection. We are still seeing new infections every day at quite a significant rate. There’s not a lot of room to do things, and things need to be done cautiously.”

Seventy-nine per cent of those who tested positive reported no symptoms on the day, and 70 per cent reported no symptoms at all in the weeks before and after being swabbed. Peter Benton, of the ONS, said: “If 70 per cent of people are asymptomatic that probably means there are people who are infectious and don’t know it, and therefore continuing with social distancing is important.”

The study cannot tell if these people were infectious but Mr Benton said: “I could be positive and not know and I don’t want to pass it on to others. If I was asymptomatic I may not be very infectious but I don’t want to take the chance. We don’t know for sure what’s going on but I would rather be cautious.”

Only 87 people out of 19,000 tested positive overall and Mr Benton acknowledged that the results were preliminary. Even with tests that are more than 95 per cent accurate, testing at random is known to be likely to produce false positives when few people have the disease, which is why the NHS is cautious about screening for ilnesses such as dementia and cancer.

Sarah Walker of Oxford University, who worked with the ONS on the survey, argued that even with so many people tested “we’ve only had 87 who have ever tested positive. So that does give some confidence that the test is pretty good on the false positives.”

She said the findings were consistent with studies from other countries, with a sample in pregnant women in New York finding that 89 per cent testing positive had no symptoms and 81 per cent on a cruise ship in Uruguay. Professor Walker aims to see whether those who tested positive without symptoms go on to develop antibodies, which would be a sign that they really had the disease.

The ONS study found that 6.8 per cent of 885 people tested were positive for antibodies, suggesting they had recovered from the disease, in line with estimates elsewhere. Professor Walker said: “If you were seeing 40 or 50 per cent of people who had had it you would be very excited about the prospect of herd immunity. But at 6.7 per cent that’s not worth talking about.”

Sir Patrick added: “The vast majority of us have not had the infection. And this is a virus to which all of us are susceptible. So this set of figures urges caution in terms of the measures we take.”

Carl Heneghan, of Oxford University, said of the asymptomatic figures: “If this is a true phenomenon it is hugely important. But you have to ask, is it a false positive problem? When someone says ‘I didn’t have any symptoms’ is that true or is that a false positive? Right now they are both equally likely.”

He said that if most infected people did not have symptoms “this could be hugely important in the test-and-trace strategy. The asymptomatic spread is the most significant thing about this virus.”

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Where new coronavirus cases are in Somerset

Coronavirus deaths in Somerset

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