[Owl is sufficiently “ancient” to have experienced the cheerful and helpful work these volunteers are doing, especially as January and February are the most inclement of months.]

Becca Gliddon eastdevonnews.co.uk 

An appeal has been launched to recruit hundreds of volunteers to help at newly-opened Covid-19 vaccination centres in Devon.

Help in its hundreds is needed, with volunteers sought to cover four-hour shifts at the centres, which are open 12 hours daily, seven days a week.

It is hoped individuals, organisations and community groups will step up and join forces to help with internal and external stewardship.

Days and shift allocation will be arranged to suit volunteers once their applications are processed.

Shifts are likely to be 8am-noon, noon-4pm and 4pm-8pm.

Hundreds of volunteers are needed.

A spokesperson for the volunteer drive said: “Individuals are asked to come forward and volunteer their time, as are community groups and organisations.

“Employers and workplaces are also being asked to consider allowing staff to volunteer where appropriate.”

External stewards are likely to be involved in:

• Directing people to the appropriate site entrance and directing traffic if necessary, ensuring people respect social distancing guidelines and have all the documentation and paperwork prepared for checking.
• Checking paperwork to ensure people are in the right place at the right time and identifying those who may require additional support and direct them as appropriate.

Internal stewards will:

• Ensure efficient flow to and from the vaccination station and effectively communicate with the exit area representatives to avoid congestion.
• Provide enhanced support to those requiring it – such as those who cannot stand to queue – and ensure that people waiting respect social distancing guidelines.

Those willing to help must fill in an application form hosted on the regional Our Plymouth volunteering website.

See https://ourplymouth.co.uk/volunteer-opportunity/covid-19-vaccination-program-volunteers-needed/ for more details and the application form.

[Link corrected in response to comment below]

Owl thinks this needs to be read in conjunction with the earlier post indicating that half of the cases in Exeter ICU beds come from “out of area”.

There are concerns over the number of positive Covid cases in care homes and businesses in Devon, as the county experiences its highest death rates of the pandemic.

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

Devon’s Director of Public Health has praised the efforts of residents in adhering to the lockdown restrictions as the infection rate in the county falls to its lowest in a month.

But despite a fall in the number of positive cases, across all age groups, Steve Brown has said there are still concerns about the numbers of people currently testing positive for coronavirus in care homes, and in some business settings.

And despite the fall in cases, this has yet to filter through into hospitals and deaths, which the county currently experiencing its highest death rates of the pandemic, although this will hopefully fall in line with the reduction in cases once the lag filters through.

Infection rates in Devon, as of January 26, are currently at 130.4 per 100,000 population, a fall of nearly half compared to the peak on January 8 of 223 per 100,000, and of all upper tier authority areas, is the third lowest in England. Not since December 28 have infected rates been as low as they are now.

Devon coronavirus cases by infection rates

Of the eight districts within Devon, all of them are in the bottom 21 of the 315 regions in Devon for infection rates, with Torridge the lowest, North Devon 2 ^nd , East Devon 5 ^th , South Hams 6 ^th , Exeter 10 ^th , Mid Devon 11 ^th , Teignbridge 13 ^th and West Devon 21 ^st . Torridge’s rate is now below 50 per 100,000.

But the age range in Devon where the highest infection rates are remain the over 90s (332 per 100,000 but falling), and councillors earlier this week heard that there were 12 care homes where they have not completed the vaccination programme because they were in the midst of significant outbreaks.

Those age 20-34 also have infection rates over the 200 per 100,000 mark, while the age range with the lowest infection rates are the 70-74 year-olds.

Devon coronavirus cases by age range

Mr Brown, Director of Public Health Devon, said: “The current restrictions are helping to bring down the number of positive cases in Devon. Devon residents are doing really well in adhering to the current lockdown restrictions, and we’re seeing evidence that their efforts are working. However, we must keep it up.

“We do have concerns about the numbers of people currently testing positive for coronavirus in care homes, and in some business settings.

“And there is continuing pressure on our hospitals, where we are seeing higher numbers of coronavirus-related deaths.”

All of Devon’s over 80s will have been invited to receive their vaccine by the end of the week, and every care home resident but those were outbreaks are occurring have received their vaccination, and Mr Brown added: “The roll out of the NHS vaccination programme is going well. More venues are opening up to provide greater capacity to vaccinate even greater numbers of people, and providing more choice for people about where they can receive their vaccination.

“We are also starting to pilot a system to provide rapid lateral flow tests to critical workers who are asymptomatic, in order prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Devon coronavirus cases by specimen dates

“But while the vaccination is great news, it’s important that we do not think that once we’ve had it, we can go about like normal. The vaccination helps minimises the symptoms, but there’s no evidence yet that it stops a person catching and spreading the virus.

“Therefore it’s essential that everyone, even including those who have received their first jab, continues to adhere to the lockdown rules to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Continue to social isolate, wear face coverings when in public spaces, and wash your hands properly and regularly.

“Please remember, you must isolate if you are instructed to do so by NHS Test and Trace.”

Our Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Heart of the South West (HotSW) has always regarded Hinkley Point C as a “golden opportunity”, so is this good news? Has this Goose laid another “Golden Egg”? Does it mean another £500m will be pouring into Somerset? Somehow Owl doesn’t think the economics of large infrastructure projects works like this.

Apparently “none of this extra cost is carried by British consumers”

Jillian Ambrose www.theguardian.com 

The Covid-19 pandemic could delay construction of the Hinkley Point C nuclear reactor by six months and raise its costs by £500m, according to its developer.

The fresh delays are expected to take the cost of the UK’s first new nuclear power plant in a generation to £23bn, EDF Energy said, and put back its launch to the summer of 2026.

Before the coronavirus outbreak, Hinkley Point was expected to start up by the end of 2025, at a cost of between £21.5bn and £22.5bn. However, EDF Energy, which is owned by the French state, said the pandemic had caused delays of three months last year and was expected to lead to similar delays in 2021.

“Ten months after it began, we are still facing the full force of the pandemic,” Stuart Crooks, the managing director of Hinkley Point C, said in a video message to employees.

He said that despite increasing the number of workers on the 160-hectare (400-acre) site in Somerset from below 2,000 to more than 5,000, physical-distancing requirements “still limit the number of people we can safely have on site at any one time”.

The Covid-19 delays have led to the second major cost increase for Hinkley in under two years after EDF Energy said in 2019 that construction costs had climbed by up to £2.9bn because of delays.

Hinkley Point’s costs have risen by £5bn in the last five years. It will cost almost double the amount to build as first thought in 2008, and will begin generating electricity almost a decade later than the original start date of Christmas 2017.

Crooks said: “None of this extra cost is carried by British consumers.”

The rising cost of the project will be shouldered by EDF Energy, which agreed a guaranteed price of £92.50 for every megawatt-hour of electricity produced by Hinkley. That price remains unchanged by the delays.

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EDF Energy is still estimated to make a return of between 7.1% and 7.2% on its investment, which will be paid back through energy bills. The nuclear plant is expected to add between £10 and £15 a year to the average energy bill for 35 years, making it one of the most expensive energy projects undertaken.

The government is in talks with EDF Energy to build a second nuclear reactor project with its junior partner, China’s CGN, at Sizewell in Suffolk to consolidate what it has learned from the construction of Hinkley Point.

However, ministers are unwilling to repeat a similar financing deal for Sizewell after fierce criticism from MPs, consumer groups and green activists, and hope to find a new funding framework to support the plans.

Half the patients in Intensive Therapy Unit beds at the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital are ‘out-of-area’ patients, hospital trust board members have been told.

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

The documents presented to Wednesday’s morning’s meeting confirm that the Trust has been taking in patients from elsewhere in the country to help relieve pressures within their hospitals where they have been struggling with extreme demand for critical care beds due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the latest count on January 19, 6 of the 12 COVID patients in ITU were out-of-area patients, the documents state.

The meeting heard that while the hospital had suffered a ‘tough December’, it is in a better position that forecast in January and ‘are in a good position to give mutual aid to others across Devon and the surrounding counties’.

The report of Suzanne Tracey, Chief Executive of the RD&E, said: “The current clinical capacity at Nightingale Exeter has been able to support mutual aid requests from outside Devon and Cornwall.

“These requests have been coordinated by the System Medical and CEO group to assess the appropriate system priorities and management of the COVID response, and have been implemented by clinical and managerial leaders from across the system.”

At the meeting, she added: “We had a tough December, but based on our forecasted number for January, we have fared better in the number of patients we had, and given we are in a better position in terms of numbers and staffing, we are in a good position to give mutual aid to others across Devon and the surrounding counties.

“That is reassuring given the position across the country and we are playing our role to provide aid to other parts of the country harder pressed.

“The position remains tight as alongside those supporting from Covid, but have pressures from non-covid emergencies as well, but we are managing to do that ok, but it is a constantly moving position that requires constant oversight.”

With the support of the other local acute trusts and recent deployment of 25 medical assistants and 20 general duties military personnel, the Exeter Nightingale has activated plans to increase its capacity to 70 of its 116 beds, her report added, saying: “The current clinical capacity at Nightingale Exeter has been able to support mutual aid requests from outside Devon and Cornwall.”

The Nightingale Exeter is also working alongside the RDE to substantively recruit Healthcare Assistants, with approximately 26 expected into place over the next 2-3 weeks and further recruitment continuing.

“This will help facilitate a further increase in bed capacity to 94 beds which are likely to be available if required in the first week in February,” the documents says, adding that the oversight of the capacity increase has been system-led and ‘capacity has been utilised Plymouth, Torbay, Exeter and North Devon’.

She added: “We have been lucky to be allocated a deployment of military personnel so we can increased the number of beds across that to staff it. That has allowed us to take a further increase of bed capacity at the Nightingale to around 70 to 80 beds, with the ultimate capacity of around 116 and we are managing demand and capacity carefully on a daily basis.”

An NHS England spokesman said: “The NHS has tried and tested plans in place to manage significant pressure and this has always included mutual aid practices whereby hospitals work together to provide the very best care for patients. Devon has played its part, where capacity allows and at UHP we are caring for a very small number of patients from other areas.”

And Dr Adrian Harris, medical director at Royal Devon and Exeter Foundation Trust told the board that the situation inside the hospital was ‘enormously encouraging’ and that they were in an extremely strong position in terms of hospital acquired infections.

He said: “We haven’t seen a definite case for at least ten days, so we are in a good position compared to other trusts. The situation at the RD&E is enormously encouraging at the moment but is not a cause for complacency.”

The information follows on from what Devon County Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board had last Thursday heard.

The meeting heard that while there were more patients in hospital in the county than during the first peak, they do have the capacity to manage the demand and it is not impacting on urgent non-Covid healthcare.

And the board heard that while there was pressure in the system, Devon hospitals were in a position where they have been able to take patients in from elsewhere in the South West and the South East to help healthcare colleagues in those areas.

Dr Paul Johnson, clinical chair of the Devon Clinical Commissioning Group, said that if their modelling is correct, then the next week should see the peak of admissions and occupancy in hospital before plateauing and dropping, and if so, then Devon will have the capacity to care for those who need it.

Speaking at the meeting, Dr Johnson, when asked how hospitals were managing, said: “In general we are seeing more people in hospital than the previous peaks and around 10 per cent are needing intensive care, around the same as first peak, and we are using the Nightingale to utilise extra bed capacity.

“It does mean that as things stand, we have the capacity to manage the number of cases we are getting, and if the modelling is right, then over next couple of weeks we should see the peak and then plateau and drop, then we should have the capacity to care for those in hospital

“One impact of that though is that all hospitals are operating at ‘green surge’, so things that can be deferred safely like routine operations are so that staff and spaces can be used to provide some more critical care and general medical beds during this time. But it is not impacting on those urgent non-Covid things we need to be doing.

“We are in a better place than our neighbours, both north and south of us, and we are looking at how we can mutually support them, and we are looking to care for some of the patients from outside of Devon. We have taken some from elsewhere in the South West and some from the South East to support healthcare colleagues across the county.”

And as a percentage of total acute beds available, 2% of beds in North Devon are occupied with Covid patients, 5% in Torbay, 12% in Plymouth, and 16% in Exeter, with only Derriford having seen a rise in the past week.

North Devon and Torbay have the lowest percentage occupancy rates anywhere in England, while at a partnership level, Devon is the lowest with Cornwall second lowest.

Where in the UK is most prone to flooding

Following Storm Christoph last week and with flood warnings in place in many parts of the country, MoneySuperMarket reveals the UK’s flooding hotspots, with Hull the worst impacted city for the fourth year running.

Neil Shaw www.hulldailymail.co.uk

The price comparison website analysed a year’s worth of home insurance quotes to see how many homes have experienced flooding.

The research finds that homeowners in Hull are most impacted, with 5.9% of quotes declaring previous experience of flooding. This is well above the national average of 0.7 per cent – but down slightly on last year’s figure of 6.8%. The port city in East Yorkshire is particularly at risk to flooding because 90% of it sits beneath the high tide line.

Carlisle (3.1%) and Lancaster (2.6%) are the next most flood-prone cities, followed by Llandudno (1.9%) and Exeter (1.8%). The Devon city is one of two cities making its first appearance in the top ten – the other is Hereford which has a flooding rate of 1.4%.

Hereford has risen significantly in the table from 38 ^th position in 2018, to 25 ^th position in 2019, to 10 ^th in 2020 – a jump which is likely explained by last year’s Storm Dennis which badly impacted the city and the surrounding area.

Crewe (0.2%) and Luton (0.1%) are the areas in the UK that are least likely to experience flooding.

The UK’s 10 Flooding Hotspots

The research also sheds light on the impact that flooding can have on home insurance premiums, with a flooding claim adding £72 on average to premiums, while quotes are £120 higher on average when the applicant declares that flooding has previously occurred to the property.

Emma Garland, data expert at MoneySuperMarket, said: “Storm Christoph was an unwanted reminder that flooding affects tens of thousands of Britons every year, with people in Hull bearing the brunt more than any others.

“If you live in a flood risk area, be proactive and protect your possessions by taking preventative measures like installing flood resistant doors and windows.

“Of course, you’ll want to make sure that you’ve got the right home and contents insurance policy. Use the MoneySuperMarket home insurance comparison tool and browse a list of policies. People that live in flood risk areas can result end up paying higher home and contents insurance premiums but it’s possible to keep these costs down. If you shop around it’s possible to save up to £108 on your policy.

“And you should also look into Flood Re – a joint initiative between the Government and insurers which aims to make flood cover more affordable for homeowners living in areas that are flood risks.”

“We are where we are and the summer will be difficult…..” (Cllr. Chris Wright)

Daniel Clark, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

A former Exmouth seafront car park is to be grassed over and turned into an outdoor fitness area as an attraction for 2021 – whilst £200,000 is being set aside to employ two people for two years to drive forward projects in Exmouth – if plans get final council approval.

The temporary car park was built in 2019 for about 50 new car parking spaces was provided on land off Queen’s Drive previously partially used for the Railway Carriage Café.

East Devon councillors had previously said it should return to leisure use after planning permission ran out last year. Now they have backed plans for low-key fitness uses there.

The Exmouth Queen’s Drive delivery group also agreed that food and beverage traders that are part of the Queen’s Drive Space – the replacement for the former fun park – should be given the opportunity to return this year because they were affected by last year’s covid restrictions.

The existing attractions, including the dinosaur-themed play park, will also stay this summer. Councillors also backed a proposal to enable organisations to deliver events rather than the council manage them.

Tim Child, service lead for place, assets and commercialisation, said: “In terms of temporary uses for the car park land, for next season or two, the favoured uses related to low key fitness type uses. The rationale for this being that it would fit well with the council’s health and wellbeing agenda and is consistent with themes in the council plan.

“It supports covid recovery for small businesses and would provide much needed wellbeing opportunities for the community, would not compete with businesses in the vicinity, contributes to the tourism agenda and Exmouth as a destination in providing additional activities, would provide a range of activities across the age bands, and we know through the Events Team that there’s ample demand.”

He said that while the costs of laying to grass and any fencing were ‘not insignificant’, around £30,000 to £40,000, the costs will be less compared to those that would be incurred for many other types of surfaces and uses.

Cllr Joe Whibley said that progressing with the proposal would be a statement of intent of returning it to what it was meant to be in community lands. He said: “People might have the perception that we are not thinking big and may have the opportunity to do more, but given the initial use, it is turning the paved area green as we are investing in green space. It is a real statement of intent of what the space was originally meant to be, community land.”

Independent Cllr Chris Wright, whose family ran the fun park for decades, added: “It is a difficult situation for anyone in the leisure businesses to know what will happen, and if we grass it, in becomes an informal open space, even if we don’t manage it. The area to the rear is aimed more at the community and when people get to the site for an event. The piece at the front aimed at passers-by. We are where we are and the summer will be difficult, but now is the time to get on with it.”

While phase 1 of the overall Queen’s Drive project – the realignment of the road and the car park – has been completed, and phase 2 – the new watersports centre – is on the verge of completion and should be fully open soon, the long-term use of final phase of the regeneration remains unclear.

Planning permission for the redevelopment of a 3.6-hectare swathe of Queen’s Drive has been granted, and has been implemented, the council say, with the realignment of the road, but the attractions currently on the Queen’s Drive space – the replacement for the former Fun Park – only have planning permission to stay on the site until March 2022, with no further extension allowed under planning law likely.

The group also recommended to cabinet that up to £200,000 be made available from the Business Rates Pilot Reserve for a development surveyor and an engagement / project officer for two years, dedicated to moving projects forward.

Further discussions around the long term use for the Queen’s Drive Space will be debated by the group later this year.

www.theguardian.com

Few involved in running elections believe that those scheduled for May can be held safely. No guidance has been received from the government on any way in which they could be (Make May elections in England more Covid-safe, Labour urges, 17 January).

As an election agent, I see no way at present in which I could ensure the safety of canvassers, or of myself. Even delivering leaflets – there is no Freepost in local elections – will be virtually impossible; just delivering nomination papers to the returning officer will be accompanied by some risk. Even if it could all be done electronically, we know that not all voters can register for a postal vote or could exercise it via their computers – because they don’t all have computers or smartphones, or any desire to acquire them.

The government’s dithering on this issue may be typical of Boris Johnson’s haphazard approach to decision-making in general, but it is unacceptable to those charged with making the system work.

The government should decide now that the elections should be postponed to the autumn or, if necessary, even later.

Robert Jones

(Labour constituency party secretary), Ventnor, Isle of Wight

The Conservative Party acted illegally by collecting ethnicity data on millions of people, the Information Commissioner has told MPs.  

www.independent.co.uk 

Elizabeth Denham said the information was deleted after her office intervened.  

But she told members of the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee: “They did not have the legal basis to collect it … it was illegal to collect.”  

Before the 2019 general election the party purchased data that estimated a person’s county of origin, ethnic origin and religion based on their first and last name.  

This was applied to the records of 10 million voters.  

Ms Denham said that after the release of her office’s findings last November the data was deleted.  

If it had not been, her office would have ordered it to be destroyed, she added.  

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Pressed on the issue by SNP MP John Nicolson, Ms Denham said: “Religion and ethnicity are both – like health information – special category data that requires a higher standard for a legal basis to collect.

’So again, ethnicity is not an acceptable collection of data, there isn’t a legal basis that allows for the collection of that data.”

Mr Nicolson later said: “The ethnic and religious profiling of voters by the Tories was always morally and ethically abhorrent. We now know from the Information Commissioner that it was illegal.”

Jim Killock, executive director of campaigning organisation Open Rights Group, said: “The Conservative Party’s racial profiling of voters was illegal. 

’Elizabeth Denham finally confirmed the unlawful nature of this profiling by the Conservative Party under pressure from MPs on the DCMS committee.

“Yet the ICO still has not explained what parties can and cannot do. Mass profiling of voters continues, even if this data has been removed. The ICO needs to act stop unlawful profiling practices. That’s their job.”  

Mr Nicolson also said he planned to raise a point of order in the Commons, complaining that culture minister John Whittingdale had specifically told him the party had not broken the law.

During her appearance before the committee, Ms Denham also revealed she does not use Facebook or WhatsApp and said she understood concerns about the trustworthiness of both platforms.

Ms Denham said she did use Signal, one of the apps that has seen a surge in popularity following a recent privacy announcement by WhatsApp, for “personal communications”.

“What’s really interesting about the WhatsApp announcement in ongoing sharing with Facebook is how many users voted with their virtual feet and left the platform to take up membership with Telegram or Signal which are end-to-end encrypted,” she said.

“I think it’s a bigger issue of trust. Users expect companies to maintain their trust and not to suddenly change the contract that they have with the users and I think it’s an example of users being concerned about the trustworthiness and the sustainability of the promises that are made to users,” she added.  

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “The Conservative Party complies with all prevailing electoral, data protection and electronic marketing legislation.

 “The party has assisted the Information Commissioner in its review of political parties’ practices, and have taken on board the constructive feedback from the review.”

You know things are bad when Boris Johnson says the word ‘alas’. You know they’re truly awful when he doesn’t. And as the prime minister used his No.10 press briefing to mark the passing of 100,000 deaths from Covid, there was no disguising the magnitude of the moment or the scale of the loss.

Paul Waugh www.huffingtonpost.co.uk 

You know things are bad when Boris Johnson says the word ‘alas’. You know they’re truly awful when he doesn’t. And as the prime minister used his No.10 press briefing to mark the passing of 100,000 deaths from Covid, there was no disguising the magnitude of the moment or the scale of the loss.

The tone was suitably sombre as he (finally) pledged some form of national remembrance of those who had died, as well as recognition of all the acts of kindness, large and small, that have characterised the past year.

Yet even though Johnson began his address with the words “I’m sorry to have to tell you…”, it felt like he was a traffic policeman imparting bad news to a family, rather than the man at the wheel when the car crashed. Tellingly, the word “responsibility” wasn’t in the script.

He did remember to utter the R-word in answer a question from the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, and even tried to expand on his apology. “I think on this day I should just really repeat that I am deeply sorry for every life that has been lost,” he said, “and of course as I was prime minister, I take full responsibility for everything that the government has done.”

Some will have seen that as authentic and statesmanlike. Others may think condolences without contrition, real contrition, are empty words. Talk of taking responsibility can be cheap, but genuine remorse means changing your behaviour and, if you run a nation, changing your policy to prevent further harm.

In his opening speech, he said “we will make sure that we learn the lessons and reflect and prepare”. The problem is that sadly we’ve been here before. Last July, when he was talking stock of his first full year in office as 45,000 deaths were recorded, Johnson said “there will be plenty of opportunities to learn the lessons of what happened”.

By November, there were 50,000 deaths. And just 79 days later we now have another 50,000. The bereaved may be forgiven for thinking he’d learned nothing when he failed to heed scientists’ warnings to lockdown last September, and again just before Christmas. Many believe his decision to come out of the November lockdown was a huge error, compounded by a delay until January to reimpose it.

In July, Johnson said “what people really want to focus on now is what are we doing to prepare for the next phase” and in the same breath hailed test and trace. While testing capacity was indeed grown to cope with the ‘next phase’, the return of schools took the system by surprise and contact tracing and testing turnaround targets were repeatedly missed.

Back in the summer, the PM even promised an independent inquiry, but has since given no clue to what form it will take. And again on Wednesday, it was telling that he linked “lessons learned” with some vague point in the future, suggesting they would come once the country was vaccinated and “on a path to recovery”.

What most jarred with talk of taking responsibility came when Johnson said in the press conference “we did everything we could to minimise suffering and minimise the loss of life”. That had echoes of his claims during the first wave of deaths that he had taken the “right decisions at the right time”. It was almost as if we were back to square one and there were no lessons to learn at all.

Prof Neil Ferguson has at least admitted he and other advisers should have recommended earlier lockdown at the start, and that even a week’s difference would have saved possibly 20,000 lives. He has now told Radio 4 “we did just let the autumn wave get to far, far too high infection levels..a lot of the deaths we’ve seen in the last four or five months could have been avoided”.

The fact is that for Ferguson, chief scientist Patrick Vallance and chief medical officer Chris Whitty, learning lessons comes as second nature. Responding to test outcomes and changing ideas as you go along is part of their DNA. They don’t need to wait for a public inquiry, they admit errors and adapt in real time. If only more politicians could do the same.‌

Whitty said “we have learned, are learning and will learn about this”, referring to mask wearing, asymptomatic transmission and new treatments. Asked about the Sage September advice on a circuit breaker he said “it’s extremely clear what the evidence on that is”, while adding that the new Kent variant changed the path of the pandemic significantly.

When NHS chief Simon Stevens was asked whether there was too much household mixing in December (a reference to the PM failure to lockdown before Christmas), he was admirably frank: “The facts as we see it in the health service are that on Christmas Day we had 18,000 coronavirus positive patients, and now we’ve got just under 33,000.”‌

It was notable to see the contrast between Stevens, who brutally distanced the NHS from ‘NHS Test and Trace’ in evidence to MPs earlier, and Johnson, who hailed Dido Harding’s service as a “colossal” operation doing “amazing work” in contacting Covid cases. Indeed, some may argue that the stunning success of the vaccination programme (6.9m jabs so far) underlines what happens when you put the NHS in charge of a delivery project, rather than outsourcing it.

Johnson’s strangest comment came at the end of the briefing when he said “our readiness for a future pandemic is really colossal by comparison” with last spring. How can he say that when he wasn’t even ready for the third wave of the current pandemic last month? “He’ll never change,” was how one senior Tory put it to me last year, decrying the PM’s inveterate habit of leaving problems to fester until the last minute and then panicking his response.

There was even a hint of the columnist-as-premier when Johnson said it would “exhaust the thesaurus of misery” to describe the 100,000 death toll that the UK has suffered. That reminded me of when he was once grilled as foreign secretary for his racist remarks about Barack Obama, saying there was such “a rich thesaurus now of things that I have said” that had been misunderstood that it would need “a global itinerary of apology to all concerned”.

The ‘sorry, not sorry’ apology on Tuesday was in that sense typical. But Johnson may ultimately be judged not by his thesaurus, but by his actions. And unlike our PM, that 100,000 figure does not lie. Last April, he claimed “there will be many people looking now at our apparent success”. This January, there are many people looking at our actual failure.

Civic Voice – the national charity for the civic movement with 75,000 members – has submitted a consultation response urging the Government to think harder about the plans it has to allow developers to change buildings on our high streets without requiring full planning permission. 

Ian Harvey, Executive Director of Civic Voice, said:

“Civic Voice strongly objects to the proposal in principle because of the harm that it could do to our high streets, town and city centres; the creation of poor-quality homes; and the loss of historic character of our conservation areas. We accept that our high streets, town and city centres are currently facing acute challenges and they will need to adjust and, in some cases, contract in response to changes in shopping and leisure habits. However, Civic Voice believes this needs to be done in a planned and curated way by local communities through their local planning policies, not by allowing the market to decide in a random and potentially counterproductive manner”.

The proposals introduced in the consultation ‘Planning Reform – Supporting housing delivery and public services infrastructure’ would allow the change of use from any use to residential use with the need for a full planning application.

Harvey finished by saying: “The danger with deregulation is that it can often lead to unscrupulous developers/ landowners exploiting loopholes, as we have seen with previous widening of PDR, which the Government’s own commissioned report concluded that permitted development rights create “worse-quality residential environments. We are also extremely concerned that unlike some of the recent changes to permitted development, this consultation proposes that the new right would apply in conservation areas. We cannot support this policy and believe the ‘protected status’ that is being offered to conservation areas in the Planning White Paper is meaningless, if the suggestions in this consultation goes ahead”.

Civic Voice key concerns – see here for the full consultation response.

New permitted development right to change use from Commercial, Business and Service (Class E) to residential (C3)

 Civic Voice and its members are acutely aware of the challenges facing the high street, but we question claims that these proposals will breathe new life into our high streets, town, and city centres. We fear further deregulation of planning through permitted development will prevent the proactive and positive management that our centres desperately need and simply enable change of use to more profitable uses, often residential, rather than enabling a greater range of uses to diversify and support our high streets and centres. In particular, we are concerned that the proposals to widen permitted development could:

 • Be harmful to to the diversity of our high streets, town, and city centres.

• Enable the creation of poor quality homes and living environments.

• Lead to the loss of historic character within our conservation areas through inappropriate development and unsympathetic alterations.

For these reasons Civic Voice cannot support this policy and we have encouraged all Civic Societies to respond to this consultation.

New public service application process

 We also strongly object to the proposed reduction in the statutory public consultation period for major public service infrastructure development to 14 days. Whilst an efficient and effective process is important to deliver critical infrastructure, we do not believe reducing the consultation period to 2 weeks is the right way to achieve this.

We understand the thinking behind the proposal and welcome greater emphasis on pre-application engagement in the consultation. However, this is guidance and Civic Voice’s experience is that effective pre-application engagement with communities is not happening in practice. We cannot support the change to the statutory consultation period unless there are standards for effective, genuine, and meaningful engagement with the local community on major developments.

Let’s hope this is not “mission impossible” – Owl

Tim Dixon www.midweekherald.co.uk

Honiton has a new town clerk.

He is Stephen Hill and he started in the role on January 18.

Mr Hill said this week: “I am very pleased to be working for Honiton Town Council supporting Honiton’s local community. It will be an exciting role with plenty of opportunities and experiences to manage.”

He added: “Working with councillors, the officer team and the community, I will try to make a difference.”

The town clerk’s role is to support, guide and advise the town councillors and ensure the smooth running of the authority.

Announcing Mr Hill’s appointment earlier this month, the town council said: “Mr Hill has the Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA) and is a Fellow of the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC). He comes with a strong local government background, with many years of experience working for district councils in Devon and Dorset and town councils in Somerset.”

Bad drivers have been sent a warning after leaving kerbs and verges in Cranbrook looking scruffy and damaged.

Or it could be that roads are too narrow and garages too small (or being used for storage) or too few parking spaces …. all of which were pointed out by Owl in 2014 after a scathing report on its planning mistakes https://eastdevonwatch.org/2015/09/14/what-mainstream-media-isnt-telling-you-about-that-dcc-cranbrook-report/

Tianna Corbin www.devonlive.com

After multiple people were reported vehicles driving over grass verges across the newtown, the council say anyone caught doing so may be charged for the repair costs.

Cranbrook Town Council wrote a post on Facebook to warn people about their actions.

The post reads: “Sadly, we have received a number of reports of vehicles driving over verges/grassland, which renders them unsightly and costly to remediate.

“Please be considerate when driving around Cranbrook and keep vehicles on the road. Where we have proof of individuals damaging the verges, we will invoice for remediation costs.”

In agreement with the post, the residents of the town commented that there should be some precautions put in place to ensure this does not happen.

One person suggested the council install posts making it impossible for the cars to drive over the verges.

While another added there should be double yellow lines in place to deter people from parking and mounting their cars on the grass.

From open democracy:

Guess what? Boris Johnson’s cronies are continuing to get rich during this new (grim) phase of the pandemic.

We’ve just discovered that a firm controlled by major Tory donor Lord Ashcroft has landed a £350m COVID vaccination deal.

Once again it’s shrouded in secrecy, so we don’t know what’s actually being provided.

We do know the firm has a poor track record. A 2019 report found its care services ‘inadequate’ and ‘not safe’, including administering ‘potential overdoses’ of medicines. We also know that Ashcroft is one of the Tories’ biggest donors. 

Throughout the COVID crisis, Tory allies and donors have had a ‘VIP lane’ to win lucrative taxpayer-funded contracts – as a recent, damning National Audit Office report put it.

We’ve exposed scandal after scandal: from a Tory councillor landing a £156m PPE deal to the secret appointment of Lord Feldman, former Tory chairman and corporate lobbyist, as a COVID advisor.

What’s really worrying is the secrecy. We uncovered details of a Downing Street unit planning a radical ‘shake-up’ of the NHS: something they’d been denying for months. And when we threatened to sue over their dodgy NHS data deals with the controversial spy firm Palantir, they snuck the deal through anyway.

That’s why we have a plan. We’re not only going to challenge these dodgy practises in the courts. We’re also launching a massive campaign to stop Johnson’s government blocking journalists (like us) and members of the public (like you) from asking inconvenient questions. 

A Brixham fisherman has spoken out about his regrets about voting Leave and in turn has received the sympathy of thousands of Twitter users.

Lee Trewhela www.devonlive.com

Ian Perkes, a fish exporter from Brixham, believes the town’s fishing industry has been destroyed by Brexit and if he could turn the clock back he’d vote to remain in the European Union.

He told the Byline Times: “I’m coming to the end of my career but to go forward I think me and many others have perhaps made a mistake.

“I just thought there’d be a better future for myself and for my children and my children’s children, to become independent, to have our own fishing grounds, for Europe to rely on us.

“The reality is we’re now January 20, we’ve yet to send a consignment to Europe from Brixham. It’s just been an absolute nightmare.”

Thousands have retweeted, shared and commented on a video of Mr Perkes’ interview.

Paterson Joseph, who played Alan Johnson in Peep Show as well as many other TV, theatre and film roles, retweeted the interview with Ian, saying: “I have a lot of sympathy for this guy. Genuine question: who has benefited from Brexit in the UK?”

Ian added: “I think I was sort of taken along on the ride we were all on with the bus going around; you know we were going to save £350 million per week that we were throwing at Brussels, that we’re going to have this free trade and Europe were going to be desperate for our fish because we had control of it all. We’d be in control of our own destiny.

“I’m very disappointed with the comments, you know, Rees Mogg, ‘happy fish’. I don’t think there’s any room to make any jokes about this current situation.

“Forty four years I’ve been selling fish and overnight it’s pretty much been destroyed. I don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel.”

BBC News www.bbc.co.uk 

Here are the latest rates of cases of Covid-19 in Devon and Cornwall.

The figures are the number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the seven days up to and including 18 January, with the week before shown in brackets for comparison.

The breakdown of the figures by local authority area is:

• Cornwall – 236.4 (down from 313.4)
• Plymouth – 319.7 (up from 309.0)
• Exeter – 222.2 (down from 284.6)
• Mid Devon – 151.9 (down from 270.9)
• East Devon – 161.3 (down from 266.6)
• Torbay – 214.3 (down from 261.3)
• Teignbridge – 214.7 (down from 234.0)
• South Hams – 159.8 (down from 188.5)
• West Devon – 179.2 (up from 127.2)
• North Devon – 69.0 (down from 123.5)
• Torridge – 58.6 (down from 99.6)

For comparison, the figure for England is 452.5.

For a more detailed look at coronavirus where you live, use the BBC’s postcode checker:

East Devon (latest)

Figures were updated on 22 January and come from the government’s coronavirus dashboard.

126 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week 15 Jan-21 Jan. The average area in England had 355.

185 cases in the latest week 15 Jan-21 Jan, down 154 compared with the previous week

3,467 total cases to 25 Jan

But read the explanation and add a new technical term to the lexicon: decompress. – Owl 

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

Covid-19 related deaths in Devon and Cornwall’s hospital have risen at the fastest rate since the beginning of the pandemic, new NHS England figures reveal.

A total of 706 people have died in hospital in the two counties since March 17 within 28 days of a positive death, as of January 25.

By date of death, the 700th fatality was recorded on January 23, just 12 days after the 600th death occurred on January 11.

The 12 days is the fastest period over the two counties whereby 100 new deaths have occurred, with the period between 100 and 200 deaths in April being 17 days.

However back in the spring fewer people were being tested for Covid-19 and therefore the figures may be an underestimate for that period, and in the most recent weeks, patients from elsewhere in the country have been transferred into Devon’s hospitals due to the spare capacity that they have.

The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, as well as Torbay Hospital and Derriford Hospital, have taken in patients from both within the South West, and from trusts elsewhere in the country, mainly in the South East.

Board papers ahead of an RDE Trust board meeting on Wednesday confirm that during the first fortnight in January, the trust has also been supporting national efforts to decompress trusts from further afield struggling with extreme demand for critical care beds due to the pandemic, and at the latest count on January 19, six of the 12 Covid patients in ITU were out-of-area patients.

They add: “The current clinical capacity at Nightingale Exeter has been able to support mutual aid requests from outside Devon and Cornwall. These requests have been coordinated by the system medical and CEO group to assess the appropriate system priorities and management of the Covid response, and have been implemented by clinical and managerial leaders from across the system.”

And although ONS figures only run up the week ending January 8, deaths for Devon and Cornwall were at around half the level recorded in the first peak. The figures though have not yet taken into account this latest surge in deaths and therefore how many of them are from people within the two counties and how many from elsewhere is not yet known.

The first death in one of Devon and Cornwall’s hospitals by date of death occurred on March 17, with the 100th on April 8, 200th on April 25, 300th on October 24, 400th on November 27, 500th on December 19, 600th on January 11 and the 700th on January 23.

Of the deaths, 220 have occurred at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, with 166 at Derriford Hospital, 121 at Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust, 85 at Torbay Hospital, 71 at North Devon District Hospital, 39 in Cornish Partnership Foundation hospitals, three at Mount Gould Hospital, and one at Tavistock Hospital.

Devon is known for its uniquely pretty towns and villages – but hidden behind the expensive postcodes are some of the country’s most deprived areas.

Jess Morcom www.devonlive.com 

Recently, Devon Live launched its campaign, Hidden Devon, a series of campaigns highlighting issues that lie beneath the surface of our county, including deprivation.

Last year, the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) statistics were released, which showed that the area around Clarence Place in Stonehouse, Plymouth, is the most deprived in the county.

The figures took into account various factors, including income, crime, employment and education.

They also revealed that overall, 17% of neighbourhoods in Plymouth and 16% in Torbay, are among the most deprived 10% in Devon.

Many non-deprived people live in deprived areas, and many deprived people live in non-deprived areas. It is important to note that the index is designed to identify and measure specific aspects of deprivation, rather than measures of affluence.

But we wanted to know if residents of Devon agreed with these results.

We asked readers where they thought was the most deprived neighbourhood in Devon – and most importantly, how it could be improved.

A staggering 25% of participants, that took part in the survey, thought that Torquay was the most deprived area in Devon, followed by Paignton, which gained 20% of the vote.

In addition, 12% of readers that took part said that they thought Plymouth was the most deprived in the county, although no specific parts of the city were listed.

Newton Ferrers, Tiverton, Exeter and Torbay were also popular suggestions.

The majority of readers thought that unemployment or underemployment was the main concern within the deprived areas of Devon, with this option gaining over 40% of the vote.

A further 29% of readers opted for homelessness being the main problem in the deprived town or neighbourhood.

A lack of adequate schools, as well as lack of support for arts and culture were also suggestions.

There were mixed suggestions for ways that Devon’s most deprived towns could be improved.

One reader wrote: “The whole of Paignton needs vast improvement, too much talking from the council, needs more action.

“The so-called town is an embarrassment, from cheap pubs where people just sit on the streets to the terrible bus station and railway – the appearance is horrendous. Very deprived.”

Another said: “Improvements could be made to Torquay by using the many empty and unused hotels, old buildings boarded up to create temporary accommodation for those who wish to turn their lives around.

“More funding is needed to give people the help and opportunities to get them integrated into society where alcohol and drug dependency is no longer their only choice.

“Torbay seems to be a town that’s overlooked and has no funding for fixing the issues and now looks like a town fresh out of a horror or apocalypse film. Shocking reality is no one appears to care about this or those stuck on streets either.”

Another reader said of Torquay: “It’s a shame as the place has really gone down the shoot in recent years, more like driving through parts of the North West now, derelict streets filled with alcoholics and drug addicts. Shocking place to see now.”

A third added: “More jobs in and around the Torbay area. Employment outside of the hospitality industry is lacking following the demise of Nortel, Brookers and WKD. We need more industry and transport links here.”

Meanwhile, one Exeter resident feels as though litter is its biggest issue: “Litter is the main issue its becoming such a dirty area – it needs more rubbish bins, including dog waste bins as the area is also rife with dog dirt.”

EDDC’s Local Plan consultation document on the issues and options contains a whole chapter on promoting sustainable transport. This fleshes out policies: to prioritise walking, cycling and public transport and make provision for charging electric vehicles, whilst reducing reliance on fossil fuelled vehicles.

At the same time CPRE launches an online petition calling for a reliable bus service for every community.

EDDC consultation Chapter 11 – Promoting sustainable transport

Para 11.7 As we develop policy for sustainable transport we will also look at other emerging themes and issues that we may wish to address in our plan. Key issues identified so far include:

1. To look more fully at bus routes and accessibility when planning for new development and consider ways we can promote public transport quality and use.

2. Providing and promoting high quality walking and cycling networks and support cycle parking.

3. Focus development in the most accessible locations where most journeys can be made by walking, cycling and public transport.

4. Protect existing valued services and facilities from being lost to other uses.

5. Require large scale development to provide a mix of uses on site and/or show how a range of different uses can be easily accessed from the development by walking, cycling and public transport.

6. Set walking distances from new homes to a range of identified services (including bus stops) – generally 800m is a comfortable walking distance.31

7. Set targets for new development relating to the proportion of people who will walk, cycle and use public transport.

8. Identify and protect sites and routes which could be critical to widen transport choice.

9. Provide for large scale transport facilities such as public transport projects and roadside services.

10. Recognise the importance of Exeter airport with the expectation of a specific policy for the airport and its future.

11. Consider levels of car parking in new development and the need for electric charging for vehicles, specifically given the proposed ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.

12. Recognise the importance of providing adequate overnight lorry parking facilities.

13. Require cycle racks and electric charging for bicycles.

Respondents are asked: Question 24 – Do you think these are appropriate sustainable transport policy areas to be addressed in a new local plan and are there any other major policy areas that you think we should be addressing?

Meanwhile CPRE launches online petition calling for a reliable bus service for every community

takeaction.cpre.org.uk

Save rural life – buses for every community

We all have the right to a full, rich life – wherever we live. But without regular bus services, many people in rural communities are being cut off, isolated and left without the means to live an independent life. 

The people living in our towns and villages deserve better. 

As we start to rebuild, will you join us in calling for a reliable bus service for every community, wherever they live? 

This situation isn’t inevitable. It’s the result of decades of underinvestment from successive governments leading to unreliable bus services. But we know it can be done differently.

We must act now if we want to create a truly thriving countryside for all. 

More buses means: 

• Less traffic and air pollution 
• Better access to local green space for everyone 
• More spending on our local high streets 
• Access to training and jobs for everyone 
• A ticket out of loneliness and isolation for our friends and family. 

If people across the country speak with one voice, we know politicians will have to listen. With just a few clicks, you can be part of this. 

• Construction of single storey side extension 13 Pavey Run Ottery St Mary Devon EX11 1FQRef. No: 21/0120/FUL | Validated: Fri 15 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, sycamore – dismantle and fell. Reason : signs of sooty bark disease – die-back in crown, black spots on bark – similar to adjacent sycamores previously felled. 9 Garrett Close Seaton EX12 2FERef. No: 21/0124/TRE | Validated: Fri 15 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing single storey extension and construction of new extension projecting 4 metres beyond original rear wall, measuring 2.65 metres to eaves and 4 metres in total height 83 Bradham Lane Exmouth EX8 4ALRef. No: 21/0130/GPD | Validated: Fri 15 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single and two storey extensions, alterations to roof and installation of first floor side facing window. 2 Elmside Budleigh Salterton EX9 6RPRef. No: 21/0121/FUL | Validated: Fri 15 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Reinstatement and upgrading of existing forestry tracks White Down Copse BroadclystRef. No: 21/0112/AGR | Validated: Thu 14 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Two-storey side extension to existing dwelling 2 Brooklyn Stowford Sidmouth EX10 0NARef. No: 21/0107/FUL | Validated: Thu 14 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey side/rear extension. 64 Primrose Way Seaton EX12 2XQRef. No: 21/0113/FUL | Validated: Fri 15 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Ground floor single storey rear extension. 2 Talaton Farm Barns Talaton Exeter EX5 2SARef. No: 21/0092/LBC | Validated: Wed 13 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing extension and construction of single storey rear extension and construction of terrace to front elevation. Internal alterations to include: new openings from proposed kitchen to terrace, new staircase, new doorways and openings to lounge office and morning room and stud walls to existing bedrooms to create dressing room and ensuites. 1 Louisa Terrace Exmouth EX8 2AQRef. No: 21/0088/LBC | Validated: Wed 13 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Monterey Pine – Remove one limb growing towards roof of neighbours house (Willow Cottage) Reason: To reduce risk of damage to property. 1 Tipton Lodge Tipton St John Sidmouth EX10 0AWRef. No: 21/0086/TRE | Validated: Wed 13 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Construction of dormer window and installation of side facing roof lights Chiltern Rising Connaught Close Sidmouth EX10 8TURef. No: 21/0093/FUL | Validated: Wed 13 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of first floor extension over existing garage and alterations to porch. 102 Malden Road Sidmouth EX10 9LZRef. No: 21/0102/FUL | Validated: Wed 13 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing extension and construction of single storey rear extension and construction of terrace to front elevation. 1 Louisa Terrace Exmouth EX8 2AQRef. No: 21/0087/FUL | Validated: Wed 13 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of Lawfulness for the construction of single storey extension 20 Richmond Road Exmouth EX8 2NBRef. No: 21/0094/CPL | Validated: Wed 13 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Removal of condition 2 (agricultural occupancy tie) of planning consent 06/2312/FUL (Agricultural Workers Dwelling) Valley Farm Sheldon Honiton EX14 4QXRef. No: 21/0077/VAR | Validated: Tue 12 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of two storey side extension, single storey rear and side extension including roof terrace and dormer window. 21 Phillipps Avenue Exmouth EX8 3HZRef. No: 21/0071/FUL | Validated: Thu 14 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of condition 3 of reserved matter consent 19/0890/RES to facilitate changes to the appearance 4 Court Lane Seaton EX12 2ATRef. No: 21/0083/VAR | Validated: Fri 15 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey rear extension 21 Springfields Colyford Colyton EX24 6RERef. No: 21/0070/FUL | Validated: Thu 14 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey rear extension with balcony (revised scheme to 20/1372/FUL) 8 Glebe Close Exmouth EX8 2QURef. No: 21/0080/FUL | Validated: Tue 12 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• 7 x non illuminated fascia signs and 1 x non illuminated hanging sign (part retrospective) Trinity House Trinity Square Axminster EX13 5APRef. No: 21/0075/ADV | Validated: Wed 13 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• T1 – to prune and reduce back all branches of 1 x Oak tree making natural target pruning cuts of no more than 50 mm. in diameter removing branch lengths no more than 3 m. long reducing the end weight and lever arm of all branches growing towards the property removing all significant deadwood. Minor works in order to maintain the health, safety and structural integrity of the tree and safety of the owners and visitors to the property. 58 Manor Crescent Honiton EX14 2DFRef. No: 21/0073/TRE | Validated: Thu 14 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of first floor extension Karibuni Offwell Honiton Devon EX14 9SARef. No: 21/0076/FUL | Validated: Tue 12 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of replacement outbuilding. Grindon Cottage Rousdon DT7 3XWRef. No: 21/0078/FUL | Validated: Tue 12 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Two storey rear and side extension, addition of dormer window and remodelling of front doorway Woodbines Ford Lane West Hill Ottery St Mary EX11 1XERef. No: 21/0065/FUL | Validated: Mon 11 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• 1. Apple tree- pruning required, approx 40%. Branches getting close to house and no pruning has taken place for a number of years. 2. Eucalyptus tree – fell. Fast growing and unsuitable for this small garden, where it is stifling the growth of other plants. 11 Rolle Barton Church Hill Otterton Budleigh Salterton EX9 7HRRef. No: 21/0068/TCA | Validated: Wed 13 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of front and side single storey extensions. Wheatcroft Payhembury Honiton EX14 3HDRef. No: 21/0062/FUL | Validated: Thu 14 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• G1, Group of 3 palm – fell. Ground Floor Flat 12 Cambridge Terrace Salcombe Road Sidmouth EX10 8PLRef. No: 21/0059/TCA | Validated: Mon 11 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of side and rear extensions, provision of cladding, and alterations to first floor side facing window West Drive Whalley Lane Uplyme Lyme Regis DT7 3UPRef. No: 21/0052/FUL | Validated: Tue 12 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Converson of the existing garage to provide annexe 8 Betjeman Drive Exmouth EX8 5STRef. No: 21/0043/FUL | Validated: Tue 12 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use for existing mobile home for holiday use and the install underground pipework for a ground source heating system Land West Of Upper Knapps Shire Lane Lyme RegisRef. No: 21/0045/COU | Validated: Tue 12 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Replacement of existing dwelling and garage/workshop with new dwelling and garage with accommodation Sunningdale Buckerell Honiton EX14 3ERRef. No: 21/0039/FUL | Validated: Mon 11 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Provision of iron railings to be installed on top of the proposed pier wall of parking area. Brecon House Knowle Drive Sidmouth EX10 8HWRef. No: 21/0047/FUL | Validated: Tue 12 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of two storey extension Cooksmoor South Stockland Honiton EX14 9NHRef. No: 21/0027/FUL | Validated: Tue 12 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of existing brick barn and stone barns to form one dwelling Hunthayes Barn Hunthays Farm Awliscombe EX14 3QBRef. No: 21/0030/FUL | Validated: Mon 11 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed demolition of existing garage and proposed construction of single storey side extension, front porch, storage shed, and parking area. 12 Westbourne Terrace Budleigh Salterton EX9 6BRRef. No: 21/0020/FUL | Validated: Thu 14 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey tennis club building, sun canopy and ramped access Woodbury Lawn Tennis Club Town Lane Woodbury Exeter EX5 1NHRef. No: 20/2910/FUL | Validated: Mon 11 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion and extension of 2 no. barns to form 3 no. dwellings; demolition and reconstruction of barn 3 to provide outbuilding for use incidental/ancillary to main farmhouse, and associated works Ley Farm Yarcombe Honiton EX14 9LWRef. No: 20/2890/FUL | Validated: Thu 14 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversions of 2 no. barns to form 3 no. dwellings including construction of two side extensions, demolition and reconstruction of barn 3 to provide outbuilding for use for purposes incidental/ancillary to main farmhouse,external and internal alterations, and associated works Ley Farm Yarcombe Honiton EX14 9LWRef. No: 20/2891/LBC | Validated: Thu 14 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Outline application for the demolition of a garage and erection of a dwelling, all matters reserved except access. Land East Of Fairacre Lyme Road Axminster EX13 5BHRef. No: 20/2875/OUT | Validated: Wed 13 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Roofing over open silage clamp 3. Birch Oak Yarcombe Honiton EX14 9AFRef. No: 20/2862/FUL | Validated: Mon 11 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Reconstruction of rear conservatory, new roof to ‘lean to’ and replacement of door with window Flat 2 Barton House Barton Close Sidmouth EX10 8NLRef. No: 20/2838/FUL | Validated: Wed 13 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Internal alterations, reconstruction of rear conservatory, new roof to ‘lean to’ and replacement of door with window Flat 2 Barton House Barton Close Sidmouth EX10 8NLRef. No: 20/2839/LBC | Validated: Wed 13 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of arrivals lodge with associated infrastructure and ancillary landscaping works Devon Cliffs Holiday Park Sandy Bay Exmouth EX8 5BTRef. No: 20/2821/FUL | Validated: Thu 14 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of 2 no. 5m poles supporting CCTV & security lights (retrospective application) Car Park Adjacent To Jubilee Mews SeatonRef. No: 20/2826/FUL | Validated: Wed 13 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Ground floor single storey rear extension. 2 Talaton Farm Barns Talaton Exeter EX5 2SARef. No: 20/2812/FUL | Validated: Wed 13 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replace balcony railings to all flats with new stainless steel and glass balustrades; replace metals steps and railings with new steps and balustrades to four lower ground flats Scarsdale 28 Douglas Avenue ExmouthRef. No: 20/2794/FUL | Validated: Fri 15 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• The siting of two residential park homes with garages Willow View Park Site Willow View Park Whimple Exeter EX5 2QTRef. No: 20/2756/FUL | Validated: Mon 11 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Ground floor: remove walls in kitchen/breakfast room and install new door and removal of stone cladding around fireplace and under 2no. windows in lounge. First floor: remove and construct walls and doors in bedroom no.4; create door opening from bedroom no.1 onto landing for bathroom; remove and construct walls in bedroom no.1 to create ensuite and replace existing metal stair balustrade with timber balustrade Winsor Cottage Gittisham Honiton EX14 3ASRef. No: 20/2656/LBC | Validated: Wed 13 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Fir tree x1 : Tree branch growing very close to building and wall – propose to cut of branch – max diameter approx 30cm 23 Church Hill Honiton EX14 2DBRef. No: 20/2637/TRE | Validated: Tue 12 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed construction of industrial units Land At Whitty Court Weycroft Avenue Millwey Rise Industrial Estate AxminsterRef. No: 20/2604/FUL | Validated: Thu 14 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Change of use of former garage to allow use as annexe and holiday let (retrospective application). Clematis Cottage Luppitt Honiton EX14 4RTRef. No: 20/2546/FUL | Validated: Mon 11 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Re-slate roof with natural slate on front and rear elevations and re-slate roof on flat roof dormer on rear elevation 17 Bicton Street Exmouth EX8 2RURef. No: 20/2417/LBC | Validated: Tue 12 Jan 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

Thousands of England’s vital flood defences were in such a state of ruin last year they would fail to protect communities from extreme weather, an investigation has found.

Josh Halliday www.theguardian.com

More than 3,400 of England’s “high consequence” flood assets, defined as those where there is a high risk to life and property if they fail, were judged by the Environment Agency to be in such a bad condition they were almost useless.

This means that more than one in 20 of the country’s crucial flood defences were in disrepair in 2019-20, the highest proportion in years. This rose to nearly one in 10 in the regions battered by Storm Christoph last week.

The findings comes from Environment Agency data obtained by Unearthed, the investigative arm of Greenpeace UK, and shared with the Guardian. Doug Parr, the chief scientist and policy director at Greenpeace UK, said: “The poor state of so many critical flood defences in England is putting thousands of people and homes at risk. This is unacceptable.”

Most of Britain was placed under a weather warning for snow and ice on Monday after an Arctic blast of cold air hampered the recovery effort from Storm Christoph, which caused at least 600 homes to be flooded as two months’ worth of rain fell in 48 hours in some areas.

The Environment Agency said its 2020 recovery programme inspected more than 20,000 assets and that they were “winter ready” either through repairs or, if not, “robust contingency plans are in place”. It said that 95% of its 78,000 flood assets, which range from embankments to culverts and tidal barriers, were in good condition and that repairs were prioritised when there was “significant threat to lives and livelihoods”.

The Unearthed analysis found that 3,460 of England’s most important flood defences were judged by the Environment Agency to be in a poor or very poor condition in 2019-20. This accounts for 5.9% of the total, the highest proportion in years, up from 4% in 2017-18.

Of the 3,460, 791 were judged “very poor”, meaning they had “severe defects resulting in complete performance failure”, essentially rendering them useless. The remaining 2.669 were in poor condition, meaning they have defects that would “significantly reduce” their performance.

Just under half of England’s 59,000 vital flood defences are managed by a complex array of third parties, including government departments, local authorities and private landowners. The figures show that 8% of those managed by third parties are in poor or very poor condition, compared to 4% of those overseen by the Environment Agency. In the picturesque district of Hart, in Hampshire, all of its vital flood defences are managed by third parties and nearly half are in a state of ruin.

Experts have warned that the UK faces an increased risk from more extreme and unpredictable weather owing to the climate emergency. Major floods had been expected every 15 to 20 years in the last century but in the past decade this has shortened to every two to five years.

The Environment Agency has said it needs £1bn a year to build and maintain England’s flood defences, significantly more than the £5.2bn announced by the government for 2,000 new projects up to 2027.

Parr urged ministers to increase funding to better protect England’s flood defences and stop building on high-risk floodplains. He added: “We know that the climate crisis is making our winters wetter, increasing the risk of floods across the country. We’ve had warning of the climate threat for years so there’s no excuse for not being prepared.”

In the Midlands, South Yorkshire and north-west of England, where nearly 600 homes were flooded last week, 831 of these vital defences are in a state or disrepair – 9% of the total. In Cheshire, where at least 150 people had to be rescued by firefighters last week, 16% of “high consequence” flood defences are in a poor or very poor condition, according to Environment Agency data.

Dan Jarvis, the mayor of the Sheffield city region, said residents would have to endure “sleepless nights” due to a £125m funding gap in its flood defence allocation from Whitehall.

Jarvis welcomed an additional £80m given to the region last week for flood management projects but said this was a “sticking plaster over a much bigger wound”. He has asked ministers for months to fund 27 projects that would protect 10,300 homes, 2,800 businesses as well as crucial infrastructure.

A Defra spokesperson said: “We know how flooding can devastate communities, which is why since 2015 a record figure of £2.6bn has been invested in flood schemes, better protecting 300,000 homes, and over the next six years we are doubling that investment – £5.2bn for 2,000 new defences to better protect a further 336,000 properties.”