“Coronavirus has revealed structural weaknesses in the economy….”

“There will be more housing in the city centre, higher than we are used to, and at a greater density…..”

Is “build, build, build” GESP now just a bad dream and well and truly dead and buried? – Owl

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

Profound changes in everyone’s behaviour will be needed if Exeter has any chance to meeting an ambitious target to be carbon neutral by 2030.

As the city aims to build back better when the pandemic ends and tackle climate change, a warning has been issued that lives are going to change.

An event organised by a sustainability group called Exeter City Futures heard that that coronavirus has revealed structural weaknesses in the economy. Attendees explored how Exeter could build a vibrant economy as well as address the challenges of the pandemic and the climate emergency.

Through a process called ‘clean growth’, they aim to create high-value jobs, economic growth and an improved quality of life by cutting carbon emissions. 

Karime Hassan, CEO and growth director of Exeter City Council, said that the goal of net zero requires institutions in the city to pull together and to build a stronger city as part of a Net-Zero Exeter 2030 plan. He said: “It positions the city in terms of the issue of clean growth andt the city that we want to create which is more inclusive, sustainable, and healthy as a city, and we have to pull in the same direction.

Cllr Rachel Sutton (Labour), deputy leader and lead councillor for Net Zero Exeter 2030 at Exeter City Council, added: “This is a both exciting and terrifying time for everyone across the globe because as we were starting to get the head around the climate emergency. When we got overwhelmed by the pandemic, the climate emergency hasn’t gone away while we have been trying to get our heads around living in the pandemic.

“There will be more housing in the city centre, higher than we are used to, and at a greater density. When we build, it will be energy efficient and I hope others will follow and we intend to make sure people in council homes have houses fit for purpose.”

Glenn Woodcock, director of Oxygen House, the company behind Exeter City Futures, said that even before covid the area faced profound economic challenges. He said: “The multiple between people’s earnings and the cost of a house has gone beyond what we can tolerate in a modern economy but that being is exacerbated by covid. This is more than just a crisis in the atmosphere but a catastrophe in global warming in every one of the ecosystems and our ecologies.

“The pandemic, like a brutal and relentless hurricane, has stripped back to reveal the structural weaknesses in the economy, and we have to look at how we eat, clothe ourselves, entertain ourselves, our education, our healthcare from scratch.

“Clean growth is not returning to what we did yesterday – it doesn’t mean throwing it away but recognise we have to make some profound changes – but a place like Exeter is well placed to rise up to the challenges, and we can all do something about at least one of them.

“Our lives will change over the next 10 to 20 years and they have to, but this is not something to resist or be afraid of but that we have to embrace. Clean growth is giving power to the elbows of the people here to inspire people to follow in their footsteps, and to bring as much energy and excitement to the challenges as we can.

”Kalkidan Legesse, owner of Exeter sustainable fashion shop Sancho’s, said there is huge demand for change in the city but there needs to be support for businesses to engage in the digitised economy. “But we cannot take a one size fits all approach and when we are imagining the clean jobs, who are we imagining them for? One of the reasons we don’t see more progress in the green economy is that it doesn’t serve everyone’s interest, so do we understand what the opposing fortunes are and how can we address them?”

Based on anecdotal evidence, Owl knows many over 80’s in East Devon yet to receive an invitation for locally administered vaccination. In contrast, Owl knows of some 75+ getting the jab in Exeter.

Vaccines to given to over 70s and clinically extremely vulnerable

Annette Belcher www.devonlive.com 

Millions of people aged 70 and over and those clinically extremely vulnerable to Covid-19 will be next to get the vaccine, it has been announced.

These next two priority groups will be invited to get their vaccinations from Monday, January 18.

The NHS has so far been working to vaccinate the first two priority cohorts recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which are care home residents and staff, and those aged 80 and over and frontline health and care staff. 

Vaccinating the first two groups will remain the priority, but vaccination sites which have enough supply and capacity for vaccinating further people are allowed to offer vaccinations to the next two cohorts – those aged 70 and over and clinically extremely vulnerable people.

This will allow areas that have already vaccinated the majority of care home residents, frontline health and care staff and people aged 80 and over to keep up the momentum and start vaccinating further at-risk people, helping the NHS to reach the Prime Minister’s commitment of offering vaccinations to the first four priority groups by the middle of February.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “[Monday] is a significant milestone in our vaccination programme as we open it up to millions more people who are most at risk from Covid 19.

“We are now delivering the vaccine at a rate of 140 jabs a minute and I want to thank everyone involved in this national effort.

“We have a long way to go and there will doubtless be challenges ahead – but by working together we are making huge progress in our fight against this virus.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock added: “Now that more than half of all over-80s have had their jab, we can begin vaccinating the next most vulnerable groups. Where an area has already reached the vast majority of groups 1-2, they can now start opening up the programme to groups 3-4.

“We are working day and night to make sure everyone who is 70 and over, our health and social care workers and the clinically extremely vulnerable are offered the vaccine by the middle of February and our NHS heroes are making huge strides in making this happen.

“This measure does not mean our focus on getting care homes, healthcare staff and those aged 80 and over vaccinated is wavering – it will remain our utmost priority over the coming weeks to reach the rest of these groups.”

The guidance from the Government and the NHS to local vaccination services remains that they should still offer the vaccine to each of the priority groups in the order set out by the JCVI.

Labour has urged ministers to make May’s elections in England more Covid-secure, after the emergence of a Cabinet Office document that warned the pandemic could severely hamper the process and put millions off voting.

This is not the first post on the problems of the May elections. Most of the discussion has been about the voting process, very little on canvassing. – Owl

Severin Carrell www.theguardian.com

The paper raises the possibility that even if coronavirus infection levels are relatively low, it could be difficult to attract enough election staff, and that safety fears may “disenfranchise large proportions of [the] community”.

Labour is calling for safeguards such as the possibility of spreading voting over several days, or having an all-postal vote, options that have been prepared for elections to the Scottish parliament, also due to take place on 6 May.

The Cabinet Office said the elections document dated from May 2020, and that the scenarios were part of a planning exercise, rather than predictions.

Election officials have already said that the English elections will be logistically complicated, not least because they comprise two sets of votes – this year’s, and those postponed from May 2020.

There will also be ballots to elect the London mayor and assembly, a series of other mayors, and police and crime commissioners (PCCs), with some voters facing up to seven separate ballots.

Although they will be protected by plastic screens, there are concerns about attracting enough volunteer election staff – especially given that many tend to be older – and about finding venues.

The May 2020 Cabinet Office document, seen by the Guardian, sets out two hypothetical scenarios. In the first, even though the Covid outbreak has been largely contained, the double set of elections causes “significant challenges for administration and supply”.

The other scenario theorises some limited social distancing measures, even as “overall normality is returning”. Under this, the document posits staff shortages due to redeployment of council officers, home working, and health worries for at-risk staff, plus a greatly increased number of postal votes.

It also sets out the idea that social media posts “inciting fear of continued spread of Covid-19 threaten to disenfranchise large proportions of [the] community”.

Cat Smith, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, said it was “deeply concerning that ministers have failed to introduce new voting methods used across the world to ensure polls can go ahead safely”.

She said: “Labour has consistently called for safer voting methods to be introduced, including voting over multiple days and all-postal voting. Ministers have had many months to make the necessary changes to protect our democratic process, but instead they are treating these elections like business as usual.”

While the government has said it will set out its plans for the elections in England soon, there is currently no provision for changes such as spreading the vote over several days.

Each UK nation organises its own elections. Scotland and Wales are holding elections on the same day for their parliaments, and for PCCs in Wales. There are no elections in Northern Ireland this year.

The Scottish parliament passed legislation in late 2020 allowing for May’s Holyrood election to be held over two days, for vote counting to take longer, for an all-postal vote election, or even to delay the election if it seen as too unsafe to stage on 6 May.

Political parties are likely to put heavy emphasis on postal voting to ensure voters are not put off casting ballots in polling stations, but Scotland’s election management board says polling stations will be safe.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said the elections document set out “hypothetical, made-up scenarios used in a planning exercise by officials back in May 2020. The document clearly states that the scenarios are not predictions.”

They said: “Last week, the government set out its action plan to roll out vaccines at pace. We are working closely with the electoral sector, public health bodies and political parties to identify and resolve challenges in the successful delivery of the polls this May. We will set out this detailed planning in due course.”

Local authorities are losing tens of millions of pounds supporting struggling business tenants through the pandemic which could have dire and long-lasting consequences for local services, Sky News has found.

Helen-Ann Smith, business correspondent and Madeline Ratcliffe, economics producer news.sky.com

Freedom of Information requests reveal English councils have already written off at least £19.7m associated with measures to support local businesses, including rent relief, rent renegotiations, payment holidays or business tenants going into administration.

A further £5.8m was lost as a result of Company Voluntary Arrangements (CVAs). These are arrangements where companies on the brink of insolvency negotiate debt repayments with their creditors in order to stay afloat – in this case, rent and rates paid to the council.

Lost income from business tenants is just one factor currently wreaking havoc with local authority budgets. Following 10 years of austerity and cuts, many fear it will amount to a crisis for local services.

Of the 272 councils who responded to Sky News, 124 – or 46% – confirmed they had lost income as a result of their own business support measures, such as rent holidays or having rent withheld since March.

Between 100 councils, £19.7m had been lost as a result of business measures. Barnsley was the worst affected, having written off £2m by mid-November.

In Barnsley town centre it is easy to see why as whole streets are now shuttered, with businesses reliant on support packages to survive.

Carl Esberger, who runs BigWicks homeware shop, sums it up:

“As long as I can keep a high street presence I will, but I think if there were no grants available for the high street, then I would be closed – like many have,” he said.

The pressure also comes at a time when many councils can ill afford it.

Austerity hit local government hard. Barnsley council’s budget is already roughly 45% of what it was a decade ago, which has meant fewer libraries, family centres and street services.

“Over the last 10 years we’ve made about £120m worth of cuts,” said Sir Stephen Houghton, leader of Barnsley Council.

“Next year, we have to find another £7m. So just when we thought we were getting out of austerity, things were beginning to bottom out, COVID’s come along and given us some more.

“You’ve got this income gap that maybe is not temporary but permanent. And how are we going to deal with that?”

The only way, he says, is by cutting local services. The impact will be felt in communities.

Charlotte Williams runs The Station House Association charity that provides early years care for vulnerable families and, although it is independent, it does receive some funding from the council.

“The most important work that we do with the council is the preventative stuff, and that’s always the stuff that seems to get cut,” she said.

“On a really practical basis for our families, there’s a need for lots of little bits of help and support.

“If you take any one bit away, it’s a bit like playing Jenga – you can take a few bits away and families survive, but if you take enough of those little slivers of support, it collapses and we go back to a time where unemployment is normalised, we go back to a time where people are solely reliant on benefits, we go back to a time where people are living in poverty.”

She said she worries about the coming years.

“We are pretty resilient people in Barnsley, you know we’ve been through quite a lot, but you can only chip away so much,” she added.

Nationwide, CVAs were responsible for a further £5.8m hit to councils, with a number of household name businesses availing of them.

Travelodge has CVAs in place that affects 15 councils. Mansfield District Council alone has lost £1.1m as a result of Travelodge’s CVA.

The company, whose shareholders include Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs, was forced to amend its restructuring offer to landlords last year after it faced backlash.

New Look, which has also received criticism for its use of CVAs, was responsible for hundreds of thousands of pounds in losses for 10 council landlords as well.

CVAs are supposed to be the last resort for companies looking to renegotiate debts on the brink of insolvency, but some believe they are now being used unnecessarily.

Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said: “What we’re seeing is an increasing use, misuse of CVAs, cynically being used by owners who have taken value out in the good times, not prepared to invest back in the bad times.

“They are taking advantage of the legislation and the way it’s currently framed in order to write tear up leases, walk away from obligations freely entered into at our expense.”

The companies insist the CVAs were necessary.

A New Look spokesman said: “We launched our CVA in August last year out of absolute necessity, to safeguard the company, our employees and our suppliers.

“It was a measure we were forced to take as a result of COVID-19 changing the retail environment beyond recognition.”

Steve Bennett, Travelodge property director, said: “The COVID-19 situation has created unprecedented challenges for the whole UK hospitality industry, we have worked closely with our landlords to try to find the best possible path forward.”

Sky News’ FOI also confirmed Boots has withheld hundreds of thousands of pounds from councils.

The company was widely criticised last year for aggressive rent renegotiation during the pandemic, withholding service charges and rent due from its landlords.

Sky News’ figures reveal one council was owed as much as £143,000 in rent by Boots by the beginning of December.

“I’m pleased to say that the vast majority of our landlords we’ve now come to an agreement with and we’re now paying our rent as normal and I think that’s the way we want to be, but I just didn’t think it was fair that we should carry the whole burden.”

The December 2020 Local Government Finance Settlement does set out an increase in core funding for English councils of up to £2.2bn and highlighted £3bn of additional support for COVID-19 costs.

However, of the £2.2bn increase in core funding, £1.9bn is expected to come from increases in council tax bills of up to 5%. It assumes councils make full use of the allowable increases.

TAUNTON Racecourse is being turned into a large Covid vaccination centre from Monday (January 18).

The site will open seven days a week, 8am – 8pm to offer the Covid-19 jab to people across Somerset, supporting the accelerated roll out of the local vaccination programme.

[Owl has already received reports of over 80s in the western half of East Devon receiving letters of invitation who have yet to be invited to a more local centre. It seems the “within 45 minutes” is a bit elastic. Just how well is Devon currently being served and are these mega site being given priority over GP run services see this post? Accessibility is an important factor for the elderly.]

Phil Hill www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk

The racecourse will be providing vaccines for people in the highest priority groups including the over 80s and health and care staff.

Health and care organisations have been working together over the last few weeks to put detailed plans in place to prepare the site to deliver the large scale vaccination programme.

Alison Wootton, Joint Senior Responsible Officer for the Somerset Covid-19 Vaccination Programme, said “This is a really exciting development in our local fight against the coronavirus pandemic. We are really pleased to use the racecourse setting in addition to the thirteen GP-led community sites and two hospital hubs already in place”

“We know that many people have been eagerly awaiting the news of any additional large scale vaccination centres and we’re confident that this large scale site will rapidly increase the number of people that can be vaccinated quickly and safely across Somerset.

“We are very grateful for the phenomenal support of all our health and care colleagues for their enthusiasm and dedication in the roll out of our vaccination services across Somerset, and to the hundreds of volunteers who have offered their time to support the smooth running of our new vaccination centre and our GP led community sites.”

Over the weekend, NHS letters will be sent to local residents from the priority groups who live up to 45 minutes away from the new site.

People will be invited to book their jab through the new national booking services by phone, or online. The centre will be an additional option for people to have their Covid-19 jab, but people can also choose to wait to be called by their local GP surgery if they prefer.

Trudi Grant, Director of Public Health at Somerset County Council said: “I’m thrilled Taunton Racecourse is set to start vaccinating those in priority groups from Monday. This will substantially increase the number of vaccinations we are delivering across Somerset and help protect our most vulnerable from this deadly disease.

“I want to thank everyone who has been involved in setting up and organising all our vaccination centres in such a short space of time, including the NHS, Somerset County Council staff, our District Council partners, community groups and volunteers. This really is the largest vaccination programme ever delivered in our living history.

“We’ll continue to contact you when it is your turn to be vaccinated – and please remember to continue to abide by the ‘hands, face, space’ message, even after you’ve been vaccinated.”

The new large vaccination site will continue to offer vaccinations to the priority groups as identified by the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation. It is anticipated that once fully operational the site will be able to deliver around 900 vaccinations a day.

Bob Young, Managing Director of Taunton Racecourse added: “Taunton Racecourse is very pleased to be able to help the NHS by accommodating the vaccine centre.

“We are all immensely grateful and full of admiration for our NHS staff and hope that the people of Taunton and surrounding areas will benefit from a vaccination jab as soon as possible.”

People should continue to wait to be contacted by the NHS, either by a letter or phone call – please do not call the race course, or turn up without an appointment.

Healthcare teams are working extremely hard to vaccinate our most vulnerable groups as quickly as possible. Please be patient and the NHS will contact you directly when it is your turn – don’t call your GP surgery or local hospital to ask about your appointment.”

People are asked to support the NHS:

•Don’t contact the NHS or visit any of the vaccination sites to ask about your vaccine – you will be contacted;

•When you are contacted, attend your booked appointments;

•Follow all the guidance to control the spread of the virus and save lives.

Cornwall has been chosen to host the international G7 leaders’ summit in June in what is likely to be a landmark first meeting between world leaders since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Chris Matthews www.devonlive.com

It comes after speculation grew in recent days and was then confirmed by the government earlier today before being formally announced tonight. [16 Jan]

Organisations across Cornwall have welcomed the news, pledging an event that will leave a lasting social and economic legacy to benefit all of the county’s residents.

The major three-day international event will see leaders from the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, as well as invited leaders from Australia, India, and South Korea attend. It could also be Joe Biden’s first trip to the UK as President of the US.

The event will host world leaders at Carbis Bay, with neighbouring St Ives and other sites in Cornwall, such as Falmouth, hosting international delegates and media – with organisers determined to make this an event for all residents in Cornwall to experience and share.

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has spoken of the upcoming event, describing it as “a crucial summit”.

It will be the 46th meeting of the G7 leaders. The 2020 event, set to take place in the United States, was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Johnson said: “As the most prominent grouping of democratic countries, the G7 has long been the catalyst for decisive international action to tackle the greatest challenges we face. From cancelling developing world debt to our universal condemnation of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the world has looked to the G7 to apply our shared values and diplomatic might to create a more open and prosperous planet.

“Coronavirus is doubtless the most destructive force we have seen for generations and the greatest test of the modern world order we have experienced. It is only right that we approach the challenge of building back better by uniting with a spirit of openness to create a better future.

“Cornwall is the perfect location for such a crucial summit. Two hundred years ago Cornwall’s tin and copper mines were at the heart of the UK’s industrial revolution and this summer Cornwall will again be the nucleus of great global change and advancement. I’m very much looking forward to welcoming world leaders to this great region and country.”

Julian German, leader of Cornwall Council, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the best of Cornwall and the UK on the world stage, and to build our strength and prosperity at home.

“For those reasons we are determined that this event delivers a lasting legacy for our residents, inspires our young people and shows how we can play our part in bringing the world together after the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic – and bringing together all parts of the UK together, leaving no-one and nowhere behind.

“We want a lasting legacy that maximises inward investment, translating our moment on the global stage into trade. A legacy that helps Cornwall bounce forward and make its full contribution to the country’s ambitions in areas like space and satellite, floating offshore wind and other sources of clean energy, and globally significant geo-resources including lithium to power our future.”

Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer QPM, of Devon & Cornwall Police, added: “I am delighted that Cornwall will be hosting this landmark event for the United Kingdom in an area that is not only one of the safest in the country, but also combines breath-taking scenery and innovative businesses with exceptional local hospitality.

“The event will be a real boost for our communities and especially our young people. It provides an opportunity for all my colleagues within Devon and Cornwall Police to demonstrate our operational excellence and world class policing skills on a global stage.

“We are excited to be playing our part working with and supporting our partners to deliver a safe and secure G7 summit. We have been preparing for this event for several months, including speaking with colleagues who have managed similar events, so we can ensure that we continue to effectively serve our local communities in the run up to, during and after the event.”

Visit Cornwall estimates a total economic impact of the Summit for the county of £50m, including both the immediate benefits of the Summit and related events, and projected tourism growth over the next five years.

Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall said: “Cornwall has been voted the best holiday region in the UK for 10 out of the last 11 years in the British Travel Award but is little known to many countries around the world.

“The G7 Leaders’ summit will shine a spotlight on our very special place and the worldwide exposure is promotion we could never buy.

“It will showcase the beauty of Cornwall and provide an opportunity to highlight our heritage, culture and the connections to each country, which will help drive increased numbers of international visitors to Cornwall over the next decade.”

Mark Duddridge, chair of the Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Cornwall’s economy is quickly evolving into one of huge significance to the challenges of the time most notably in the delivery of clean energy from our unique geology and location.

“Underpinned by our digital connectivity and creative expertise our traditional industries are developing their offer to deliver more to their customers whilst supporting the recovery of our climate and ecology.

“We welcome the opportunity to showcasing the new Cornwall to visitors from around the World and sharing our excitement for the changes that are now happening around us.”

Peter Andrew MBE, chair of Corserv Group, said: “The Corserv Group is delighted to have been asked to support the logistical arrangements to welcome the G7 Summit to Cornwall – a fantastic opportunity to raise the profile of our beautiful Duchy.

“Cormac Highways and Environment and Cornwall Airport Newquay continue to work closely with the organising authorities to ensure that the event runs smoothly in June. The Cornwall Development Company will be working hard with partners over this period to secure a lasting legacy in terms of inward investment.

“Over the coming months many of our staff will become involved in the logistical arrangements and we are committed to ensure that the event is a great success for Cornwall and see it shine on the world stage.”

A motion on “rural proofing” Devon County Council (DCC)’s policies, from Labour’s Cllr Yvonne Atkinson (Alphington and Cowick division), Labour’s lead on rural affairs came before the Cabinet on Wednesday 13th January.

The motion sought to make challenges and opportunities faced by rural Devon integral to policymaking, with Cllr Atkinson saying she tabled it because “ Devon is being left behind by the Tories as they concentrate on the Red wall in the North.” A Rural impact assessment from the outset, including engagement with rural stakeholders, means “the needs of rural communities will become  transparent and would demonstrate whether government or local  policies address the needs of rural communities and rural economies like Devon.”

Cabinet members voted in favour of using Labour’s “Notice of Motion” to guide its response to a promised Government report on rural proofing. A briefing prepared by officers noted that rural England faces new challenges and opportunities from EU Exit, declining farm profitability, changing consumer and live/work patterns, an ageing population, housing affordability, access to services, training provision, banking and high speed broadband in certain areas, climate change and new technology.

The briefing noted rural opportunities in environmental, agri-tech, energy and digital sectors, and strong economic interplay between neighbouring rural, urban and coastal areas. The Government has yet to announce how Devon’s EU structural funding will be replaced, and officers’ briefing called for any new monitoring and assessment duties for DCC to be accompanied by the necessary Government funding for an “equitable result in terms of funding for Devon and its residents and businesses”. Devon’s funding from Government does not address the “additional costs of service provision and difficulty of delivery in rural areas” it said, and the Government should “support fairer treatment in future funding settlements.

Speaking for the motion Labour group leader Cllr Rob Hannaford said he was content Labour’s motion would guide Devon’s response to Government, but Cllr Atkinson points out ”DCC does not have to wait for Government approval to carry out a rural  impact assessment and I urge DCC to make this a standard part of policy and decision making.”

Experts and care home bosses have warned government guidance to discharge Covid hospital patients into care homes is still risky despite vaccines.

[Remember the government and NHS have until 22nd January to file their detailed evidence to rebut Dr Cathy Gardner’s legal challenge. – Owl]

Laura Connor www.mirror.co.uk (extract, use link for full story)

Scientists say we could be making the same mistake as last year when the UK recorded 28,186 “excess deaths” in care homes following the discharge of tens of thousands of infected people from hospitals.

The NHS is advising that patients can be moved directly from a hospital to a care home within 90 days of a positive Covid test or the onset of symptoms…..

Simon Jupp MP asks pertinent questions concerning the number of housing permissions granted compared to housing starts but doesn’t get a full answer.

The answer he was given indicates that permissions are running ahead of the 300,000 new homes per year target but that the government hasn’t a clue about build-out rates. Yet the Government’s “build, build build” policy assumes that granting permissions is the bottleneck.

Moral – don’t build policies or houses on  shaky foundations.

Nice one Simon!

Housing: Construction: 15 Jan 2021: Hansard Written Answers

www.theyworkforyou.com /wrans/

Simon Jupp Conservative, East Devon

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his most recent estimate is of the number of housing units with planning permission; and for how many of those work (a) has started on site, (b) is due to start on site and (c) is not yet planned to start.

• Tweet Share
• Hansard source
• (Citation: HC Deb, 15 January 2021, cW)

Christopher Pincher Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The latest quarterly National Statistics on planning applications* show that over the past three years 1.14 million housing units were granted planning permission. Planning permissions are typically valid for 3 years before expiry if construction has not commenced. As part of the Government’s ongoing development of the official statistics on housing and planning we are looking at ways to provide more information on the progress of sites with planning permission.

* Source: Table 5 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/945387/Planning_Application_Statistics_-_July_to_September_2020_-_Statistical_Release.pdf

The UK is among several countries facing delays in delivery of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine due to upgrades in its production capacity, the company has said.

Nadeem Badshah www.theguardian.com

The US pharmaceutical firm is increasing production at its plant in Puurs, Belgium, in an effort to produce more doses than originally planned for 2021, temporarily reducing deliveries to all European countries.

Shipments of the vaccine, produced in partnership with Germany’s BioNTech, to the UK are set to be affected this month.

The UK has secured 40 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

A government spokesperson said: “We are in the process of understanding the implications of Pfizer’s announcement today to our plans. However we continue to plan to hit our target of vaccinating all four priority groups by 15 February.”

The Oxford/AstraZeneca jab is also licensed and being used in the UK.

European governments have said the credibility of their vaccination programmes are at risk due to Pfizer’s decision.

“This situation is unacceptable,” the health and social affairs ministers of six EU states – Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – said in a letter to the EU commission.

“Not only does it impact the planned vaccination schedules, it also decreases the credibility of the vaccination process.”

Germany, Europe’s largest purchaser of the vaccine, said that it regretted the “unexpected and … very short notice” announcement as the company had promised “binding delivery dates” until the middle of next month.

Norway and Lithuania had earlier said that the pharmaceutical company was reducing supplies across Europe.

“What we want is for Pfizer-BioNTech to restore their deliveries to the agreed schedule,” Lithuanian health minister Arunas Dulkys told Reuters.

A Pfizer spokesperson said: “We understand a change to deliveries has the potential to create uncertainty.

“However, we can confirm the overall projected volumes of delivery to the UK remain the same for quarter one (January to March).

“We continue to liaise with the UK Government and the Vaccines Taskforce to work through short-term impact of these changes to our January deliveries and support the goals of the UK Covid-19 vaccination programme.”

Boris Johnson said on Friday that the UK has vaccinated more than 3.2 million, with almost 45% of over-80s and 40% of care home residents receiving doses so far.

PA Media contributed to this report.

About 20% of all Covid-19 cases in Devon in the last week have been in care homes, the county’s director of public health has said.

BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

Steve Brown said there had been some “significant outbreaks” with up to 80% of residents or staff in some homes testing positive.

He said some of those were asymptomatic and others had symptoms and were in hospital.

Mr Brown also urged people to follow lockdown restrictions.

‘Chain of transmission’

At a Team Devon Local Outbreak Engagement Board meeting, Mr Brown, said: “We are seeing increasing outbreaks in care homes and have had some significant outbreaks with 70 or 80% of residents or staff testing positive.

“It is important to re-emphasise the stay at home message unless it is essential to go out.

“Every time you leave the front door, you risk coming into contact with someone who may have Covid and could be a crucial link in the chain of transmission.”

Simon Chant, public health specialist, said that while Devon’s case rates were at the highest they had been, they were still only a third of the rate of the national average.

Mr Chant said there were some positive signs that growth in cases was slowing.

“But we have seen a big increase in the 80+ cohort where there is a greater likelihood of hospitalisation and more severe outcomes for the age group, and we are seeing outbreaks in care homes again.”

Across the county, between 2 and 8 January, people aged 80 and over had an infection rate of 396 per 100,000 population, the highest of any age range, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

People who break lockdown restrictions risk catching Covid-19 and dying, Devon and Cornwall’s chief constable has said.

BBC local news

Shaun Sawyer called on people to comply with the rules and keep their distance from others to stop that happening.

He said in the first week of lockdown Devon and Cornwall Police had “sadly” issued more fines than most forces in the United Kingdom.

He said the force received just under 1,000 calls from the public.

There had also been 433 “interactions” and 49 fines issued.

Asked what he expected from the weekend, he said: “I am expecting too many people to get Covid-19 and die if we carry on.

“That is what I am expecting so let’s not make that happen.”

Mr Sawyer said most people were doing the best they could but were still too close to each other in shops and while exercising.

“People are infecting each other even when they are trying to comply because they are not getting that distancing,” he said.

“The infection rate has never been higher in the South West so we need to be on our game better than ever.”

Mr Sawyer said getting in a car to travel for exercise should be “extraordinarily rare” in Devon and Cornwall, with the sea, coastline and rural communities.

He added: “For the few that breach this weekend, you are going to not only get a ticket but I think increasingly you are going to end up in a police cell.”

Regenerative farms spanning four continents, including the Westcountry, have been enlisted to take part in the pilot of a trailblazing new certification scheme.

Athwenna Irons www.devonlive.com

Following the recent reveal of its newest label, Certified Regenerative, non-profit certifier A Greener World (AGW) has selected over 50 farmers to join the programme’s trial phase.

The certification will provide a whole-farm assurance of sustainability – measuring benefits for soil, water, air, biodiversity, infrastructure, animal welfare and social responsibility.

A Greener World (AGW) UK identifies, audits, certifies and promotes practical, sustainable farming systems by supporting farmers and informing consumers (Image: A Greener World (AGW))

Key features of the programme include transparent, rigorous standards; high animal welfare; a holistic, farmer-led approach; early and broad access to regenerative markets; and a pragmatic, science-based approach.

Building on AGW’s growing family of trusted labels, which includes Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW, Certified Grassfed by AGW and Certified Non-GMO by AGW, the first fully Certified Regenerative by AGW farms and products are expected to be announced later this year.

Wayne Copp, executive director of AGW UK / Europe, said: “The term ‘regenerative’ is already being thrown around like ‘sustainable’ was a decade ago, and is being used to ‘greenwash’ products or make them seem more environmentally sustainable than they are.

“Our new Certified Regenerative by AGW programme seeks to protect farmers and consumers by establishing clear standards and a label that farmers and consumers can trust to deliver a genuinely positive outcome: on the farm, at the table, and for the planet.”

Interest in the Certified Regenerative by AGW programme has been “overwhelming”, added Mr Copp, who farms in Woolacombe, North Devon. “The excellent applications made for a difficult selection process, but we are thrilled with the results.

“We know that truly regenerative farming requires accountability to each other and to all of the communities to which we belong—whether they be plant, animal, human, or the environment we all share. We have been humbled by the groundswell of interest from farmers and eaters alike and look forward to sharing our collective journey.”

Amelia Millman and Jason Greenway checking their herd of cattle at Springwater Farm, on the National Trust’s Killerton Estate in East Devon (Image: Springwater Farm)

The core feature of Certified Regenerative by AGW is a five-year Regenerative Plan developed in partnership with the farmer, whereby farmers and experts assess risk, set goals and track progress toward meaningful milestones. Experienced agricultural advisors at the UK’s Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) will also be providing training and support in the development of regenerative plans.

Mr Copp said the role of AGW is to assess farms’ compliance with their own plan. “Currently most regenerative claims are not verified at all, and the few verified labels are either limited in scope or require Organic certification as a prerequisite, excluding the vast majority of farmland and hardwiring practices which are inherently not regenerative,” he continued.

Pilot farms were selected based on a variety of factors including agricultural experience, regenerative principles, market or educational impact and geographical diversity. With products ranging from grass-fed lamb to herbs and vegetables, the cohort of farms spread throughout the UK, Australia, Namibia, South Africa, Canada and the USA will partner AGW over the coming year to evaluate standards, plans and auditing procedures – allowing the programme to be trialled and assessed in a range of environments, climates and socioeconomic parameters.

Among the pilot participants is AGW-certified farmer and National Trust tenant, Amelia Millman, who farms at Springwater Farm in Devon alongside her partner, Jason Greenway.

She said: “As young farmers, we are pleased to be part of the Certified Regenerative by AGW pilot, working in close partnership with the National Trust’s Killerton Estate in Devon towards achieving both the National Trust’s and our own regenerative farming aspirations.

“As one of the new generation of British farmers, we want to promote high welfare and sustainable farming practices as much as possible. Working with the National Trust and being part of A Greener World’s pilot regenerative certification will help us to reach that full potential and protect the estate for future generations to enjoy.”

Exmouth residents and voluntary groups have voted to spend £300,000 on two large projects in the town. Last year, a random selected number of households were asked to choose from a list of seven community causes.

Radio Exe News www.radioexe.co.uk

The leading two schemes will each cost £150,000. The cash, known as section 106 money, is taken by East Devon District Council from developers in return for being allowed to build housing.

Just over a thousand households voted. Now the money will be spent on resurfacing a sand astro pitch at Exmouth Community College which is at the end of its life. It’s used by community groups in the evenings, as well as the college for sports including football, hockey, rounders, soft ball, American football, handball, tag rugby, athletics and cricket. Just over half (52%) of respondents said it should receive funding.

The second project is to buy new sports-related equipment for Brixington park, which will be free to use by all. One end of a tarmacked games area with one goal for sports such as football and basketball and side panels for target practise. Outdoor gym equipment will go in too, along with improvements to the informal pitch in the middle of the park, including some drainage improvements, some levelling and new football goals. Out of all households that voted, 41% voted for this project. 

A bit of administrative faffing about has to take place before East Devon District Council can release the funds. Together with Exmouth Town Council, they’re subsquently hoping to work down the list of projects as far as possible and appropriate over the next three years.

The other projects, in order of how many votes they received were:

A free to use concrete track with bumps and small slopes for wheeled sports such as BMX, skateboards and scooters in Carter Avenue Park.                                                                                                                                

Asking for: £60,000. Out of all households that voted, 37% chose this project.

Expanding the current concrete skate park in Phear Park, which is free to use. This is used by skateboarders, scooters and BMX riders. 

Asking for: £240,000. Out of all households that voted, 37% voted for this project.

A back stretch / back exercise wall in Phear Park with exercises listed along its length, this would be free to use. This would help people of all ages to straighten and strengthen their backs and necks.Asking for £5,000. Out of all households that voted,23% voted for this project. 

A new drainage system at Exmouth Rugby Club for the two pitches and grass area next to Marine Way, allowing them to be able to be used more often. Matches and training are often called off because of waterlogged pitches.  Asking for: £210,000. Out of all households that voted, 23% voted for this project.

Additional car parking area at Withycombe Raleigh Common Football Pitches, home of the Brixington Blues and used by other clubs and teams. This would increase the usability of the pitches and make the parking safer.  Asking for: £40,000. Out of all households that voted, 20% voted for this project. 

East Devon District Council were already aware of the local support for Phear Park skate park expansion, and had sought funding through their own capital bids process in case the scheme did not receive enough votes in the s106 sports voting. This capital funding was approved by East Devon District Council’s Budget Setting and Capital Allocations Panel and Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee. If this is approved by their Full Council meeting in early February, East Devon District Council would pay for expansion of the skate park and start this project during 2021. 

In addition, now East Devon District Council are aware of the popularity of the free-to-use concrete track with bumps and small slopes for wheeled sports, they will also start investigating how they might be able to deliver this, if it isn’t soon funded by additional section 106 monies.

Chairman of Exmouth Town Council’s section 106/community infrastructure levy working party, Councillor Fred Caygill said: “I am pleased to say that finally we have a result on the public vote for the allocation of Section 106 funds for community sports projects in Exmouth. health and wellbeing are two particularly important subjects that we should all be encouraging in all sectors and at all levels.”

Councillor Sarah Jackson, East Devon District Council’s portfolio holder for democracy and transparency said: “Despite the ongoing pandemic, ‘the show must go on’ wherever practicable and safe

to do so. It is important that Section 106 money is put to good use within our communities as intended…The 1,082 households that responded represent a great many more individuals across all age groups, which is surely a triumph.

In response to being shortlisted, Councillor Paul Arnott, Leader of East Devon District Council said:

The council is really proud of this great achievement from our excellent officers and staff at Thelma Hulbert Gallery and Wild East Devon. This is a high-level arts prize and it is a great accolade even to be nominated. Good luck to the team for the final judging on Valentine’s Day!

www.thedevondaily.co.uk

The shortlist has been announced for the National Campaign for the Arts’ (NCA) Hearts For The Arts Awards 2021. The awards celebrate the unsung heroes of Local Authorities who are championing the arts against all odds.

East Devon District Council has been nominated for Best Arts Project for the Creative Cabin – a brightly coloured, instantly recognizable, mobile unit taking nature and culture on tour in a ‘Recovery Roadshow’, through months of the pandemic.

This year’s winners will be selected from the shortlist by a judging panel of key arts industry experts and practitioners, including:

Le Gateau Chocolat, Drag artiste and cabaret performer

Paul Hartnoll, musician, composer, founder member of Orbital

Adrian Lester CBE, actor and director

Petra Roberts, Cultural Development Manager, Hackney Council (2020 winners for the Windrush Generations Festival)

Samuel West, actor, director, Chair of the National Campaign for the Arts

Despite the incredible hardships faced by Local Authorities in 2020, this year’s awards have seen the NCA receive a record-breaking number of nominations, as local communities turned to the arts for solace, strength and connectivity during the pandemic. 

Nominations were received from across the UK for each of the three award categories: Best Arts Project; Best Arts Champion – Local Authority or Cultural Trust Worker; and Best Arts Champion – Councillor.

The shortlist was judged by representatives from some of this year’s partners in the awards: Culture Counts; Wales Council for Voluntary Action; Local Government Association; National Campaign for the Arts; and Voluntary Arts Wales.

Discussing East Devon’s nomination Hearts for the Arts Award partners said about the Creative Cabin:

An example of vital innovation blending arts and sciences, to create accessible opportunities for all, to learn and share in any environment. It is a fantastic project, and the way the team have diversified their working due to Covid and brought a much-needed safe space to people who are isolated, lonely and struggling with mental health conditions, is to be applauded.

In response to being shortlisted, Councillor Paul Arnott, Leader of East Devon District Council said:

The council is really proud of this great achievement from our excellent officers and staff at Thelma Hulbert Gallery and Wild East Devon. This is a high-level arts prize and it is a great accolade even to be nominated. Good luck to the team for the final judging on Valentine’s Day!

The winners of the Hearts for the Arts Awards 2021 will be announced on Valentine’s Day, 14th February.

The National Campaign for the Arts present the Hearts for the Arts Awards each year. The awards are delivered by the NCA, in partnership with Culture Counts; the Local Government Association; Thrive; UK Theatre; Voluntary Arts Wales, Wales Council for Voluntary Action.

For more information on the shortlisted nominees visitforthearts.org.uk/campaigns/hearts-for-the-arts/

From Today’s Western Morning News with similar report in last night’s BBC Spotlight:

More people have been vaccinated against coronavirus in the South West than in London, as new figures reveal a patchy start to the vaccine roll-out.

A total of 285,332 in the South West were vaccinated up to January 10 across all six counties in the region. By comparison in London, the worst-hit region for the disease, 237,524 jabs have been administered.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was “hugely concerned” that Londoners have received only a tenth of the vaccines that have been given across the country.

The news came as three regions of England, the South West, North West and West Midlands, all recorded a rise in Covid-19 cases rates over the past week, against a national trend of a slight fall.

London, the East Midlands, eastern England, north-east England, south-east England and Yorkshire & the Humber all saw a fall in case rates.

BBC Spotlight used the interesting phrase “wider South West” because, as Owl keeps pointing out, the formal regional definition of the “South West” includes, to the east: Bristol, Gloucester and Wiltshire.

It is the largest of the nine regions in England. What happens in Bristol is not necessarily representative of what happens here.

From Sidmouth Nub News sidmouth.nub.news:

An update on the Covid-19 vaccinations being given to Sidmouth residents, including the imminent availability of the ‘Oxford’ jab, was among the issues covered at the virtual meeting of the town’s Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, January 13. Here’s a report of the meeting, by the Chamber’s president Richard Eley.

A well-attended Sidmouth Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting, conducted by Zoom, included an enlightening Q & A session with Dr Mike Slot, of the Sidmouth Practice. Dr Slot was able to answer a large number of questions from attendees, and to describe how the roll-out of the vaccine was being undertaken in our area.

At the present time, vaccine is being supplied to Exmouth and is only of the Pfizer variety, which requires storage at very low temperatures. It is expected that the AstraZenaca ’Oxford’ jab, which is more easily distributed, will be available shortly.

Dr Slot explained that the required infrastructure was in place locally to deliver the vaccine, and that the only constraint was one of supply. Sidmouth is lucky to have a delivery team in place, including several retired local doctors who had made themselves available.  

After Simon Jupp MP tried to help Boris out of another “Hoyle” hole, the previous day, by changing the subject. Despite being a “friend at court” our Simon received, in Owl’s opinion, only Boris bluster in reply.

THE Speaker of the House of Commons aimed a furious warning at UK Government Ministers for not providing full and thorough answers to questions from Opposition MPs. [Thursday]

Speaker slams MPs for ‘not respecting’ opposition questions

Sir Lindsay Hoyle issued the warning to Conservative MPs, telling them that the International Trade debate on the future of Brexit Britain in Parliament had “not been very good”. Sir Lindsay reminded UK Ministers that all MPs are representing a constituency and their questions deserve proper respect. 

The Speaker said: “What I will say is that these questions have not been good.

“I am beginning to worry that we have very good answers to one side of the chamber and the answers to the others are not getting the respect they deserve.

“In fact, we had one occasion when it ‘not our responsibility’ and then when another member asked it is our responsibility.

“I want us to be concise in the treatment and the way in which we deal with all members of this house.

“They are representing constituencies and I expect them to get full and thorough answers.

“And not the political games of all sides that seem to be being played.”

The previous day [Wednesday] during Prime Minister’s Questions Simon Jupp posed his question after this exchange on the last question from Sir Keir Starmer concerning the contents of free school meals.

Keir Starmer Leader of Her Majesty’s Official Opposition, Leader of the Labour Party

The Prime Minister says that the parcels are “disgraceful”, but it should not have taken social media to shame the Prime Minister into action. Like the Education Secretary, he blames others, and he invites me to hold him to account, so let me do that because blaming others, Prime Minister, is not as simple as that, is it?

I have checked the Government guidance on free school meals—the current guidance, published by the Department for Education. I have it here. It sets out an

“Example parcel for one child for five days”— the Department for Education, Prime Minister; you want to be held to account—

“1 loaf of bread…2 baking potatoes…block of cheese…baked beans…3 individual” yoghurts. Sound familiar? They are the images, Prime Minister, you just called “disgraceful”. The only difference I can see with this list and what the Prime Minister has described as “disgraceful” is a tin of sweetcorn, a packet of ham and a bottle of milk. He blames others, but this is on his watch. The truth is, families come last under this Government, whether it is exams, free school meals or childcare. Will the Prime Minister undertake—he wants to be held to account—to take down this guidance by the close of play today and ensure that all our children can get a decent meal during the pandemic?

Boris Johnson The Prime Minister, Leader of the Conservative Party, The Prime Minister

The right hon. and learned Gentleman’s words would be less hypocritical and absurd if it were not for the fact that the—

Lindsay Hoyle Speaker of the House of Commons,

I do not believe anybody is a hypocrite in this Chamber. I think we need to be a little bit careful about what we are saying to each other. There was a “not true” earlier and there were also comparisons to others. Please, let us keep discipline in this Chamber and respect for each other. We are tidying up how this Parliament behaves and I certainly expect the leadership of both parties to ensure that that takes place. Prime Minister, would you like to withdraw the word “hypocrisy”?

Boris Johnson The Prime Minister, Leader of the Conservative Party, The Prime Minister

I am delighted to be advised by you, Mr Speaker. Let me confine my criticism to the absurdity—which I hope is acceptable, Mr Speaker—of the right hon. and learned Gentleman attacking us over free school meals when it was a Conservative Government that instituted free school meals—universally approved— not a Labour Government. Of the £280 billion that we have spent securing the jobs and livelihoods of people across this country, uprating universal credit and, in addition, increasing the living wage by record amounts this year and last year, as well as increasing the local housing allowance, the overwhelming majority of benefits—the bulk of the measures—fall in favour of the poorest and the neediest in society, which is what this House would expect.

The right hon. and learned Gentleman takes one position one week and one position the next. That is what he does. That has been his whole lamentable approach—if I can get away with lamentable, Mr Speaker—throughout this pandemic. He says he supports the vaccine now. He says he supports the vaccine roll-out, and he tries to associate himself with it because he senses that it is going well, but be in no doubt, that that was the party that wanted us—this country—to stay in the European Union vaccine programme. That is absolutely true. He stood on a manifesto, which he has not repudiated, to dismantle the very pharmaceutical companies that have created this miracle of science, which is true—

Lindsay Hoyle Speaker of the House of Commons,

Prime Minister, there are questions and sometimes we have got to try to answer the question that was asked of you. To run through the history is one thing, but in fairness, it is Prime Minister’s questions. It was the final question. We have lots of others to go through, so I think I am now going to move on to Simon Jupp in Sidmouth, who is desperate to ask a question of you, Prime Minister.

Simon Jupp Conservative, East Devon

The hospitality industry is the lifeblood of East Devon. Our pubs, restaurants, cafés and hotels provide thousands of jobs, places to meet and places to stay. The generous support package now put in place will tide many of these businesses over for now, but they will need further support. Will my right hon. Friend consider extending the VAT cut for hospitality to give them a helping hand when they are back open for business?

Boris Johnson The Prime Minister, Leader of the Conservative Party, The Prime Minister

I am grateful to my hon. Friend. I know that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor has done everything he can to help businesses throughout this pandemic, and that is why he has extended the grants and why we have the cuts for both the VAT and for business rates. We will do everything we can to help as we go forward, but the best thing would of course be to ensure that we roll out this vaccine programme and bounce back as fast as possible. Any further announcements my right hon. Friend makes will be well ahead of 31 March, by which time we intend to have a Budget.

From its website it appears to be hibernating. Another casualty of the “Beast from the East?”

As we hand in a huge petition against planning changes, our campaigns officer Sam Keyte takes a look at the campaign – and what happens next.

By Sam Keyte 8th December 2020 www.cpre.org.uk

CPRE has today partnered with campaigners from Sum of Us and 38 Degrees to head to Westminster, where we handed in our petitions showing your calls for the government to stop disastrous plans to change our planning laws.

We’ve worked with these other campaigning organisations to offer up a chance for people to have their say on the government’s damaging new ideas for our planning system, and the numbers of you signing our petition says it loud and clear: we won’t be silenced.

We launched this campaign in August 2020, when the government published unnecessary and damaging plans that would dismantle the planning rules (if you want to know more about what impact these laws and systems have on our lives, our potted guide will explain all).

‘The numbers of you signing our petition says it loud and clear: we won’t be silenced.’

The ideas that the government had come up with would hand power over to developers, taking it away from local councils and communities – leading to untold levels of damage to the countryside and the people living and working in it.

Local people weren’t happy – our local county groups told us in overwhelming numbers of the grave concerns they had – and our campaign was born. We launched our petition demanding that the government doesn’t silence communities when deciding what gets built and where – and we were delighted to see so many of you getting mobilised and adding your names.

Strength in numbers… big numbers

The combined total number of signatures on the petitions was a whopping 310,265 people. This is an amazing number, demonstrating the huge level of opposition the government is facing from the public in trying to push through changes – changes that can only stand to harm local democracy and our countryside.

We were delighted to see so many of you add your voices and stand up for local democracy

People raising their voices has been a crucial way to build pressure against the government’s ideas and boost momentum since the campaign launched in August. We’re celebrating this brilliant moment for local democracy: rather than let our voices be squeezed out of plans for local building and development, you’ve helped us to assert that local people are here and won’t be silenced.

‘We want to take a moment to celebrate what we have achieved together.’

And so we wanted to thank everyone for being involved in this journey so far. There will be more twists and turns to come, but this is a momentous point of the campaign, and we want to take a moment to celebrate what we have achieved together over the past few months.

In good company

It’s been great to see that we’ve not been alone in realising that the big changes that the Minister for Housing first announced in the summer of 2020 included some very bad ideas. As well as the overwhelming public opposition shown by the petitions, there’s been huge pushback from politicians, including from the government’s own party.

We commissioned a poll of MPs and found that over half of Conservative MPs weren’t happy with the proposals – the same proposals that had come from their own party! So it came as no surprise to us to see a fiery debate in the House of Commons where 46 MPs spoke out against the plans – and even more wanted to, but the debate simply ran out of time.

Of these 46 MPs publicly voicing their unhappiness with the suggested changes, a huge 33 were from the Conservative Party – including former Prime Minister Theresa May. The issues that they were raising were just as we’ve been saying for many months: that the plans would lead to building on green spaces near to where people live (the very local green spaces that have been so important to so many of us during the pandemic year); that fewer homes that people could actually afford to live in would be built; and that the chances for people to get involved in shaping the future of where they live would be eroded.

And it’s not just the government’s own MPs who have problems with the plans. Organisations from across the environmental, housing and planning sectors have come together to say a big NO to the existing proposals. We were one of more than 30 groups who sent a letter to the Prime Minister warning of the disastrous impacts on nature and people if he dismantled the planning system.

We feel like winners

So, after months of intense campaigning (and more to come), where are we now? Here at CPRE, we’re feeling positive and excited about winning this campaign. We know these plans can be changed. We’ve done it all before – we helped local people to stop fracking in its tracks.

And just a week or so ago, the government looked like they are starting to take our concerns seriously, and may be rethinking one of the most damaging parts of the proposals. We’ll be keeping a close eye on these changes and will keep you informed.

2021 is coming. We’ll continue to demonstrate better ways that things can be done and push the government to change these ill-advised plans. The petition we handed in today is a big moment and a great milestone in the campaign. We’re proud to have been able to raise our voices together – and we’ll keep doing it.

Be a part of it. Join us now, or sign up for our emails to hear the latest news on the campaign each month.

Marcus Rashford scores another goal! – Owl

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has branded some of the free school meal offerings sent to families as “disgraceful” after images of the meagre food parcels went viral online.

www.portsmouth.co.uk

Speaking to the Commons Education Select Committee, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said that he was “absolutely disgusted” after seeing a picture of one of the food packages sent to a disabled mother of two.

Williamson said that the national voucher scheme for free school meals will be re-launched next week after the government faced urgent calls to bring back the programme.

He said: “All schools still have the option of doing locally procured vouchers if that is the route they want to do, but the national scheme will be available from next week.”

‘They’re appalling’

Johnson told the Commons: “I don’t think anybody in this House is happy with the disgraceful images that we’ve seen of the food parcels being offered. They’re appalling, they’re an insult to the families that have received them.”

The Prime Minister added: “It’s not good enough. You can’t assume households have other ingredients to make the lunches, and clearly the packages were totally and woefully inaccurate.”

His comments come after Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford tweeted that he had spoken to the Prime Minister in regards to the parcels.

He wrote: “Just had a good conversation with the prime minister. He assured me that he is committed to correcting the issue with the food hampers and that a full review of the supply chain is taking place.

“He agrees that images of hampers being shared on Twitter are unacceptable.”

Rashford has long campaigned to keep children fed during the pandemic with free school meals.

‘Government response has been far too slow’

Tulip Siddiq, Shadow Children and Early Years Minister, criticised how long it has taken for the government to take action.

She said: “The government’s response has yet again been far too slow, with national food vouchers only becoming available from next week – two weeks after schools moved to remote learning.

“Children are going hungry now – this cannot wait.”

Your child may be able to get free school meals if you receive any of the following:

Income supportIncome-based Jobseeker’s AllowanceIncome-related Employment and Support AllowanceSupport under Part IV of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999The guaranteed element of Pension CreditChild Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit, and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax CreditUniversal Credit – if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

Children who get these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.

Additionally, your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of these benefits and your child is both:

Younger than the compulsory age for starting schoolIn full time education

In regards to infant free school meals, your child will be able to get free school meals in they’re in a government funded school and in:

Reception classYear 1Year 2

Tell your local authority if you also get any of the qualifying benefits. Your child’s school can get extra funding if you do.

How to apply

To apply for the free school meals, you’ll need to enter your postcode into the postcode checker on the government website here.

Based on your postcode, the checker will direct you to the relevant page on your local authorities website.

Different councils have different methods of application – for example, some websites will require you to fill out an online form, whereas others might need you to fill out an application form and email it to the relevant person.

You’ll be able to find all the details to apply on your local councils website.