Since March 2020, tackling the climate emergency has remained a top priority, and over the last year real progress has been made to create a roadmap, which will the show the way to a net-zero Devon by 2050 at the latest.

www.devonnewscentre.info

One year on – A Day of Reflection

Thanks to more than 1,000 contributions from the public, the Devon Climate Emergency Response Group (DCERG) and its appointed Task Group of experts, headed by Professor Devine Wright, created an interim draft carbon plan.

Once completed, that plan will be the blue print to show what we must all do – residents, councils, businesses alike – to ensure that Devon reaches its net-zero ambitions.

Later this year the interim plan will be put to a ‘Citizens’ Assembly’, and then to the public.

It will commit all of the partners of the DCERG, made up of Devon’s public and private sector, local government and local economy, to do what’s necessary to reduce carbon emissions.

Individually, partners have continued within their own organisations to make changes to the way they work, to cut carbon and to enable a greener route back from the coronavirus pandemic.

The lockdown last March prompted urgent change by Devon County Council to encourage more walking and cycling and to help people get around safely while social distancing.

Pavements were widened, new paths created, and roads narrowed to accommodate greener travel options.

Emergency Active Travel Funding was used to provide new cycle routes, cycle crossings and pedestrianised areas in locations including Exeter, Newton Abbot and Barnstaple, as well as Sidmouth, Teignmouth and Totnes.  And over 200 additional cycle parking spaces were provided across 25 sites.

With some industry shut down during lockdown and with people working from home where they could, the county saw considerably fewer vehicles on the roads.  Cycling levels last year were up around 50 per cent compared to 2019.

Research in Summer 2020 showed that during the first lockdown, Devon’s carbon emissions reduced by almost a quarter.

“We have an opportunity to introduce transformative change and not just tinker around the edges,” said Professor Devine Wright.

“Ideas that, pre COVID, were perhaps considered too controversial or too expensive, are now, for a limited window at least, entering the minds of national leaders.”

Dr Phil Norrey, Chairman of the DCERG and Chief Executive of Devon County Council said:

“In a most tragic of circumstances, the lockdowns have given a glimpse of how a more sustainable Devon might look, feel and sound.

“People have experienced quieter streets for walking and cycling, and felt a greater connection and appreciation for green spaces around them.

“Amongst the sadness of the pandemic, there is a huge opportunity to use the economic stimulus measures that are necessary to enable communities to recover, to improve public health, our resilience and our wellbeing as well as address the climate and ecological emergencies.

“As we begin to recover from this pandemic, we must be careful not to fall back into the same old routines. We all must think differently about the way we work and the way we travel.”

In retrospect, how much of our success in achieving a  low incidence of infection, hospitalisation and deaths, compared to the rest of the country, can be attributed to the responsible actions taken by a vulnerable and aged population? 

As Owl reported a year ago. The South West entered the pandemic with the oldest population (so highest expected mortality) and lowest number of critical care beds per head of population.

Owl also reported on the slow early decision taking by some local politicians, compared to MPs.

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com 

It was exactly 12 months ago this evening when Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared on our television screens and told us we had to stay at home.

After weeks of what seemed like purgatory as we saw country after country go into Lockdown, England was plunged into the most drastic restrictions on everyday life since the Second World War.

Schools had already been closed, clubs, cafes, restaurants, theatres, cinemas, bookies and gyms had already had to shut their doors from midnight, and sporting fixtures had already been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic

And then in the evening announcement, the Prime Minister announced the unprecedented lockdown measures in a dramatic night-time TV address, and for us to ‘stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives’.

In his speech, Brits were told we were only allowed out once a day to exercise – the first of what turned out to be many contradictions between the guidance and the law, which has never limited the amount and frequency of exercise – and there were only four reasons to leave home, when they were 13 when the legislation was put into place three days later.

And a year on, we are pretty much in the same position as we were on that fated day 12 months ago.

Clubs, cafes, restaurants, theatres, cinemas, non-essential retail, bookies and gyms are still closed, we are still told to stay at home except for a number of limited reasons, we are still working from home (and for some of us that sadly will be permanent)

There are still severe restrictions on our freedoms and our social activities, some industries have yet to reopen and won’t for several more months, and for much of the year, Devon’s streets have been emptied and its businesses shuttered, many families have lost loved ones.

Since the start of pandemic, across the county of Devon, 32,905 people have tested positive for Covid-19, and 1,033 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test.

But despite the tragic toll that the last year has taken, it could have been so much worse.

Per population, at upper tier authority level, Plymouth has had the fewest deaths of anywhere in England, with Cornwall second, and Devon third. At lower tier level, the South Hams is the lowest, with West Devon second, North Devon third, Torridge fifth, Plymouth sixth, Exeter ninth and Mid Devon 10 ^th .

Tamerton Foilot, Teignmouth North, Barnstaple Sticklepath, and Dunkesewell, Upottery & Stockland have yet to see a death related to Covid-19 (as have Torpoint, Mid Saltash and the Isles of Scilly across the Tamar)

For cases, Devon has had the second lowest overall infection rate (with Cornwall the lowest), and Torbay third, and Plymouth sixth. At a lower tier level, Torridge has the lowest infection rate in England (and is the only place yet still in three figure for cases with 975), South Hams 2 ^nd , North Devon 3 ^rd , West Devon 4 ^th , Teignbridge 5 ^th , Cornwall 6 ^th , Mid Devon 7 ^th , and East Devon 9 ^th in the bottom ten.

Of the areas that have gone longest since recording a cluster of three or more cases, nine of the top 12 are in Devon, with one in Cornwall and one being the Isles of Scilly.

Woolacombe, Georgeham & Croyde, Salcombe, Malborough & Thurlestone and Hartland Coast have gone nine weeks without a cluster of cases, with Bow, Lapford & Yeoford, Barnstaple Pilton, Bratton Fleming, Goodleigh & Kings Heanton, Starcross & Exminster, Tedburn, Shillingford & Higher Ashton and Winkleigh & High Bickington going eight weeks.

And as of last Sunday, more than 250,000 people in Cornwall and 500,000 in Devon have had their first Covid-19 vaccine – 54.9% of adults in Cornwall and 52.1% of adults in Devon – 59.8% in East Devon, 42.2% in Exeter, 73.8% in Isles of Scilly, 52.6% in Mid Devon, 56.6% in North Devon, 46.5% in Plymouth, 56.4% in South Hams, 57.1% in Teignbridge, 58.2% in Torbay, 57.3% in Torridge and 60% in West Devon – numbers that will have risen over the last week.

Devon’s Director of Public Health Steve Brown has said that since the vaccination programme began, the numbers of people with coronavirus needing hospital treatment or dying have reduced significantly, but ‘no vaccine is one hundred per cent effective’

The latest research shows that the vaccine gives about an 80 per cent protection against needing treatment in hospital, and an 85 per cent protection from dying from coronavirus.

Mr Brown added: “There will still be people who catch coronavirus, and particularly those most vulnerable – the elderly and those who have clinical risk – who will potentially get coronavirus and still become seriously ill.

“We are going to continue to get small outbreaks in settings such as care homes, workplaces and schools. But whenever we get an outbreak, the response is quick and swift.

“Agencies (including Public Health Devon, Devon County Council, NHS Devon, Public Health England) come together. We look at how we can put in additional resources, such as additional staff or other appropriate resources, and we step up the cleaning regime for example.

“Such measures are designed to protect and safeguard those people in that setting, and to try to reduce any onward transmission.

“Even when you’ve been vaccinated, it’s still really important that you continue to adopt public health measures – stay at home. If you do need to go out, make sure that you keep social distancing, wear those face coverings when indoors in public spaces, and wash your hands regularly.”

And as the anniversary of the start of Lockdown 1 passes, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has taken a look back at the rise and fall around coronavirus in Devon over the last year, where we are now, and the roadmap back to normality that hopefully we occur this summer.

MARCH

On March 2, three weeks before Lockdown began, the first coronavirus cases in Devon were confirmed with cases at Churston Ferrers Grammar School. Galmpton Primary School and Collaton St Mary Primary School subsequently close, as does Berry Pomeroy Primary School.

Subsequently two positive cases from March 1 from Teignbridge residents were also discovered, although it is certain that Covid had hit the county in February, if not before.

Cases steadily increase in the county, with the first deaths from the virus being announced on March 20, before on March 23, in a televised address to the nation Prime Minister Boris Johnson tells all UK citizens to stay at home and protect the NHS and puts England into the first lockdown

APRIL

Throughout April, cases begin to rise, going from 154 as of March 31 to 855 by April 30, although the true number of cases is expecting to have been significantly higher as a result of the lack of testing that was being carried out.

MAY

As the effect of the lockdown continued, the number of cases in Devon being confirmed fell, with only 302 new positive cases in the month, although again, testing limitations means that the numbers were likely to have been much higher.

Starting in May 2020, the laws were slowly relaxed, as people were permitted to leave home for outdoor recreation from May 13 and to meet with one other person.

May also saw the first of many reports of ‘carnage’ and ‘gridlock’ as people flocked to the beaches, with the repeated fears that this would lead to a spike in infections – the same fears are still repeated almost a year on despite no evidence that any mass outdoor gathering has led to an increase in transmission.

JUNE

On June 1, the restriction on leaving home was replaced with a requirement to be at home overnight and people were permitted to meet outside with up to six people. Outdoor markets and car showrooms also reopened on this date, and all non-essential retail reopened on June 15.

The downward trend of cases being confirmed continues, with June 5 being the first date since the beginning of March where no positive cases within Devon were recorded, and by specimen date, there was not a single day where more than five cases across the county were recorded.

JULY

Most lockdown restrictions were lifted on July 4 as hospitality businesses were permitted to reopen. Gatherings up to thirty people were legally permitted, although the Government was still recommending people avoid gatherings larger than six.

There is a small rise in the number of cases that are confirmed in Devon – but just 62 cases were recorded in the month – and there was just a single death in Mid Devon in the month where Covid was mentioned on the death certificate

AUGUST

While the number of cases in Devon remain very low compared to the rest of the country and below the national average, the average number of cases being confirmed a day has risen from less than two at the start of August to six by the end.

Devon’s Director of Public Health, Dr Virginia Pearson, has said, adding the increase in numbers is largely due to Devon residents returning home from trips abroad, having contracted coronavirus infection while away on holiday.

SEPTEMBER

Schools return from the start of the month, and on September 14, England’s gathering restriction was tightened and people were once again prohibited from meeting more than six people socially. The new “rule of six” applied in both indoor and outdoor spaces, and eleven days later, pubs, bars and restaurants were told they had to shut between 10pm and 6am.

Cases continue to rise in Devon, as the virus begins to spread across the county again, with not all of the new cases linked to returning international travellers, which has been the pattern previously.

And by the end of month, cases had significantly risen, although mainly linked to students arriving at the University of Exeter.

OCTOBER

The month began with cases at the University continuing to rise – at one stage leading to Exeter having the seventh highest infection rate in England – but because it was concentrated around the Uni whose students were told not to mix, the area was not considered for a ‘local lockdown’

The following week, on October 14, the Government introduced a tier system and while much of the north of England was put into tougher restrictions, Devon wasn’t – it was in Tier 1 and continued pretty much as normal, with bars and restaurants open, sport being played, people meeting outdoors.

But the month ended with England being placed into a second national lockdown as a result of rising cases, which had filtered into deaths occurring in the county for the first time in nearly two months.

NOVEMBER

On November 5, national restrictions were reintroduced in England. During the second national lockdown non-essential high street businesses were closed, and people were prohibited from meeting those not in their support bubble inside. People could leave home to meet one person from outside their support bubble outside.

As the county endured its second national lockdown, infection rates initially rose from 88 per 100,000 at the start to 122 per 100,000 by the middle of the month, before falling to 77 per 100,000 at the end.

But as infections increased, the number of patients in hospital in Devon after a positive Covid-19 test rose to a higher number than at the peak of the pandemic.

As the lockdown ended, Devon was placed in Tier 2 – which allowed pubs and restaurants to reopen, but placed a ban on household mixing indoors

DECEMBER

On December 2, the tier system was reintroduced, with modifications, restrictions on hospitality businesses were stricter and most places where initially placed in tier two and three areas, including the whole of Devon.

On December 19, the Prime Minister announced that a new ‘tier four’ would be introduced following concerns about a rising number of coronavirus cases attributed to a new variant of the virus. The tier four rules were like the national lockdown rules imposed during the second national lockdown.

By the middle of the December, cases in Devon had begun to rise again, going back over the 100 per 100,000 threshold by December 14, and bar one day, has continued to rise since, ending the month at 163.6 per 100,000 population, and deaths hit levels in the county not seen since May.

The county briefly had a period in Tier 3, before England moved into its third national lockdown

But despite the doubling of cases in most areas, Devon ended 2020 with only Torbay and North East Lincolnshire having lower infection rates, and with its eight districts all in the bottom 16 of 315 in England, with Torridge having the lowest, West Devon 3 ^rd , North Devon 4 ^th , Teignbridge 5 ^th , East Devon 7 ^th , South Hams 8 ^th , Mid Devon 11 ^th and Exeter 16 ^th .

JANUARY

National restrictions were reintroduced for a third time on January 6. The rules during the third lockdown are more like the rules in the first lockdown. People are once again being told to “stay home”. Unlike during the second lockdown, leaving home for outdoor recreation is again banned.

January 7 saw Devon’s worst day for new cases being confirmed, with 626 added to the database, with nearly 10,000 coronavirus cases in the county confirmed in the month, with the week ending January 22 being the deadliest week of the pandemic, with 99 deaths in Devon occurring.

FEBRUARY

National restrictions remained throughout the month, but on February 22, Boris Johnson unveiled his roadmap out of lockdown, with the hope that all remaining legal limits on social contact could be dropped by June 21.

And as the vaccine rollout gathered pace, as well as the effects of the lockdown, cases and deaths in the county begun to plummet, with deaths more than halving in the space of the month, and the end of the month seeing the start of the week with the lowest number of confirmed cases since the end of September

MARCH

On March 8, the first step out of lockdown was taken, with the return of schools and the allowance that you can spend time in outdoor public spaces for recreation, rather than just for exercise.

Cases across Devon have generally continued to fall, with North Devon, Torridge, West Devon, the South Hams, and Teignbridge having the five lowest infection rates in England, all less than 10 cases per 100,000, with Devon’s infection rate of 18.6/100,000 (and falling) as low as it has been since mid-September.

On Sunday, just nine cases were confirmed in the Devon County Council area – the first time that has been in single figures since September 19.

THE ROADMAP OUT OF LOCKDOWN

MARCH 29

Outdoor gatherings (including in private gardens) of either 6 people (the Rule of 6) or 2 households will also be allowed, making it easier for friends and families to meet outside.

Outdoor sports facilities such as tennis and basketball courts, and open-air swimming pools, will also be allowed to reopen, and people will be able to take part in formally organised outdoor sports.

The ‘stay at home’ rule will end on March 29.

NOT BEFORE APRIL 12

Step 2 will see the opening of non-essential retail; personal care premises such as hairdressers and nail salons; and public buildings, including libraries and community centres.

Indoor leisure facilities such as gyms will also reopen (but only for use by people on their own or in household groups); as will most outdoor attractions and settings including outdoor hospitality venues, zoos, theme parks, and drive-in cinemas. Self-contained accommodation such as campsites and holiday lets, where indoor facilities are not shared with other households, can also reopen.

Hospitality venues will be allowed to serve people outdoors at Step 2 and there will be no need for customers to order a substantial meal with alcoholic drinks and no curfew, although customers must order, eat and drink while seated (‘table service’).

While funerals can continue with up to 30 mourners, the number of people able to attend weddings, receptions and commemorative events such as wakes will rise to 15.

NOT BEFORE MAY 17

Most legal restrictions on meeting others outdoors will be lifted – although gatherings of over 30 people will remain illegal. Indoors, the Rule of 6 or 2 households will apply.

As soon as possible and by no later than Step 3, the Government also plans update the advice on social distancing between friends and family, including hugging – although advice has been to social distance from anyone not in your household, it has never been law.

Indoor hospitality will reopen and other indoor locations to open up in Step 3 include indoor entertainment venues such as cinemas and children’s play areas; the rest of the accommodation sector, including hotels, hostels and B&Bs; and indoor adult group sports and exercise classes.

The government will also allow some larger performances and sporting events in indoor venues with a capacity of 1,000 people or half-full (whichever is a lower number), and in outdoor venues with a capacity of 4,000 people or half-full (whichever is a lower number). In the largest outdoor seated venues, where crowds can be spread out, up to 10,000 people will be able to attend (or a quarter-full, whichever is lower).

Up to 30 people will be able to attend weddings, receptions and wakes, as well as funerals.

NOT BEFORE JUNE 21

The government will complete a review of social distancing and other long-term measures that have been put in place to cut transmission. This will inform decisions on the timing and circumstances under which the rules on 1 metre plus, the wearing of face coverings and other measures may be lifted. This will also inform guidance on working from home.

By Step 4, the government hopes to be in a position to remove all legal limits on social contact and they hope to reopen remaining premises, including nightclubs, and ease the restrictions on large events and performances.

Britain faces a “Covid decade” of social and cultural upheaval marked by growing inequality and deepening economic deprivation, a landmark review has concluded.

Patrick Butler www.theguardian.com 

Major changes to the way society is run in the wake of the pandemic are needed to mitigate the impact of the “long shadow” cast by the virus, including declining public trust and an explosion in mental illness, the British Academy report found.

Published on the anniversary of the UK’s first lockdown, the report brings together more than 200 academic social science and humanities experts and hundreds of research projects. It was set up last year at the behest of the government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance.

The British Academy warned that failure to understand the scale of the challenge ahead and deliver changes would result in a rapid slide towards poorer societal health, more extreme patterns of inequality and fragmenting national unity.

Government-led intervention including major investment in public services is required to repair the “profound social damage” caused or exacerbated by coronavirus across areas including the economy, mental health, public trust and education, it said.

“With the advent of vaccines and the imminent ending of lockdowns, we might think that the impact of Covid-19 is coming to an end. This would be wrong. We are in a Covid decade: the social, economic and cultural effects of the pandemic will cast a long shadow into the future – perhaps longer than a decade,” it said.

The report’s publication came as Boris Johnson delivered an upbeat reflection on what he called one of the most difficult years in the UK’s history, offering condolences to those who lost family and friends to the virus but paying tribute to the “great spirit” shown by the nation.

“We have all played our part, whether it’s working on the frontline as a nurse or carer, working on vaccine development and supply, helping to get that jab into arms, home-schooling your children, or just by staying at home to prevent the spread of the virus,” the prime minister said. “It’s because of every person in this country that lives have been saved, our NHS was protected, and we have started on our cautious road to easing restrictions once and for all.”

The British Academy cautions against overoptimism as the UK thinks about recovery from Covid, however, warning that it is “no ordinary crisis” that can be fixed by a return to normal, but one that thrived amid pre-existing social deprivations and inequalities and which has exposed deep-seated flaws in public policy.

Too many people experienced the pandemic in poor housing, were badly equipped for home schooling and home working and vulnerable to poor mental health, and found themselves at high risk of economic insecurity, the report said, pointing out that “many people are ‘newly poor’ and only one month’s wages away from poverty”.

Areas for action highlighted by the report include:

• Declining public trust: after an initial surge in the first months of the pandemic, trust in UK government and feelings of national unity collapsed, with little sign that progress on vaccinations has halted the trend. Unless addressed, this will erode social cohesion and undermine future public health campaigns.
• Widening inequalities: geographic, health, racial, gender, digital and economic inequalities have been exacerbated by Covid. If not tackled, they risk becoming permanently locked in, scarring the prospects of groups disproportionately affected by the social impact of the virus, such as young people.
• Worsening mental health: soaring mental illness, especially among children, low-income households and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, risks embedding long-term problems if the underlying causes are not tackled.

The report calls for renewed spending on community services, local government, social care and local charities, especially in deprived areas, noting that some of the most effective responses to Covid have been at a local level, where public trust has remained strong. Investment was need to erase the digital divide and establish internet access as a “critical, life-changing public service”.

With unemployment expected to rise, the report questions whether the existing social security system, which is geared more towards helping low-paid workers than people without jobs, could cope with a pandemic-induced recession, saying: “This may prompt reflection on what kind of system the country wants and needs.”

The lead author of the report, Dominic Abrams, professor of social psychology at the University of Kent, said the investment package needed would be expensive, but that much could be achieved by reframing existing policies. “I don’t think this is necessarily about extra money, it’s [about shining] a laser light over existing policies.”

Asked whether he was optimistic that the government was open to making changes on the scale the academy called for, Abrams said this was an opportunity to address a range of serious social issues that were not going away. Without a post-pandemic strategy, he said, “these things will get worse”.

Hetan Shah, the chief executive of the British Academy, said: “A year from the start of the first lockdown, we all want this to be over. However, in truth, we are at the beginning of a Covid decade. Policymakers must look beyond the immediate health crisis to repair the profound social damage wrought by the pandemic.”

David Cameron has drawn criticism from former ministers but escaped official scrutiny by MPs after the Tory-dominated Treasury select committee declined to launch an inquiry into his efforts to lobby government officials on behalf of Greensill Capital.

Kalyeena Makortoff www.theguardian.com (and Times cartoon Moerten Morland)

Parliamentarians have expressed concern over allegations that the former prime minister contacted the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, on his private phone in hopes of securing special access to hundreds of thousands of pounds of emergency Covid loans for the firm, which collapsed this month.

Granting Greensill access to the 100% government-backed Covid corporate financing facility (CCFF) would have meant bending the rules, since lenders are not meant to borrow money through the programme.

Pressure is now growing for the former prime minister to explain his motivations and how much he knew about the lender’s complex business model, which involved lending money to big businesses to pay their suppliers.

The former City minister Lord Myners, who has been raising questions about Greensill for months, said: “David Cameron must have been wearing very effective blinkers to have not had serious suspicions about the Greensill business. He was upfront, he was quite actively involved, and to me, the questions over Greensill’s business were quite evident within an hour or so of meeting the man [the lender’s founder, Lex Greensill].”

Meanwhile, the former Lib Dem leader and business secretary Vince Cable called for tighter rules on lobbying by former leaders. “Cameron has done nothing improper. But the rules should be tightened up so that people cannot lobby for commercial interests in areas where they have had ministerial responsibility once they leave office, which is a pretty wide area for ex-PMs. Also, there is a strong case for a register of interests to be more transparent.”

However, MPs on the Treasury select committee have turned down calls for an official inquiry into Greensill’s collapse and Cameron’s lobbying efforts. The issue was raised by the Labour MP and committee member Angela Eagle, who said there was “public interest in being completely transparent about what’s going on with Greensill, and David Cameron’s role in it”.

The committee, which mostly comprises Tory MPs, decided against launching a formal inquiry that could have compelled Cameron and Lex Greensill – an Australian sugar farmer and billionaire banker – to give evidence to MPs.

Cameron’s office did not respond to requests for comment. The Treasury declined to comment.

The final decision over the future of proposals that would effectively close Teignmouth Hospital will be made by the Health Secretary.

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

Devon County Council’s health and adult care scrutiny committee last week voted overwhelmingly to refer the decision made last December by the Devon CCG Governing Body to the Secretary of State.

The Devon CCG had been satisfied that the case had been made to back proposals for moving services away from Teignmouth Community Hospital, the first NHS purpose built hospital back in 1954, given that a new £8m Health and Wellbeing Centre is due to be built in the heart of Teignmouth.

But last Thursday’s scrutiny meeting saw councillors agree that they were not satisfied with the adequacy of the consultation and referred the final decision over the proposals to Matt Hancock to make.

Dr Paul Johnson, clinical chair of the Devon CCG, said that the decision was based around what is needed from the health system and that they were trying to determine the best thing for the resources and the population that they have.

He added: “It may not be the result that other people think we should have. I’m not driven by bricks and mortar but whether the buildings enable people and staff to do their job. I do think the health and wellbeing centre is long overdue and the more we can integrate with other services, the better and it is an opportunity too good to miss.”

But councillors raised concerns over both the proposed changes to health services in the area, and the fashion and manner of the consultation over the proposals, with Cllr David Cox saying that the CCG consultation was flawed as they decided what they wanted to do, and set the questions to get the answers they wanted.

Cllr Alistair Dewhirst added: “The hospital has an essential place at the heart of the community and this is the last throw of the dice. To allow the hospital to just close would be seen as a blot of your record.

“The whole of the community is against the closure, whatever the consultation says. Residents are afraid of being sent to care homes many miles away if they need to be discharged from hospital, angry at the loss of facilities, they don’t know where to turn due to the lack of a MIU, and they cannot understand why a functioning hospital at the heart of the community should be closed at a time of national crisis when hospital beds are needed more than ever.”

Teignmouth Hospital (Image: Andy Styles)

Cllr Sylvia Russell, who represents the Teignmouth ward, added that ever since the proposals back in 2016 came forward, the ‘sword of Damocles’ has been hanging over the town.

She added: “There is still a cloud over the future of the hospital and I think it is the right thing to do. We owe the people of Teignmouth to show we have done everything we can to support their view that the hospital should be retained. I want them to know we have done all we can to keep the hospital open and the campaigners cannot be ignored and we have to stay with them until the end of the road.”

She also said that as the building is owned by the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust and not the CCG, and there has been no indication from them as to what any outcome over the future of the building would be, there was a flaw in that the wording of the consultation over the suggesting ‘it was likely to be sold off’.

Cllr Martin Shaw added: “They have left the hospital as a building without a purpose. It is a pre-pandemic proposal and doggedly pursued even though the pandemic has changed this massively,” while Cllr Jeremy Yabsley added: “We do need a re-evaluation of hospital beds post-covid.”

Cllr Hilary Ackland, acting chairman of the committee, put forward her motion calling for the decision to be referred to the Secretary of State.

It said: “This Committee notes that the actions of the Devon Clinical Commissioning Group to remove services from Teignmouth Community Hospital when the Wellbeing Centre is ready for use will result in the Teignmouth Community Hospital becoming an empty building, and as the Hospital sits within the Torbay and South Devon Foundation Trust’s estate, no consultation has taken place by the Trust with the Teignmouth area residents on the future of the hospital.

“Therefore, as no consultation process has been undertaken or even suggested by the Trust with respect to the future of the Hospital this part of the substantial change be referred to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the grounds that Scrutiny is not satisfied with the adequacy of the consultation and this Scrutiny Committee has not been consulted, and it is not satisfied that the reasons given for not carrying out consultation are adequate.”

Save Teignmouth Hospital Rally, Teignmouth Triangle, in June (Image: Andy Styles)

Councillors voted by 12 votes to two in favour of referring the final decision to the Health Secretary.

The decision, which had been backed by the CCG Board in December, was to

• approve the move of the most frequently used community clinics from Teignmouth Community Hospital to the new Health and Wellbeing Centre
• approve the move of specialist outpatient clinics, except ear nose and throat clinics and specialist orthopaedic clinics, from Teignmouth Community Hospital to Dawlish Community Hospital, four miles away

• approve the move of day case procedures from Teignmouth Community Hospital to Dawlish Community Hospital
• continue with a model of community-based intermediate care, reversing the decision to establish 12 rehabilitation beds at Teignmouth Community Hospital
• approve the move of specialist ear, nose and throat clinics and specialist orthopaedic clinics to the Health and Wellbeing Centre
• request Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust consider in detail the suggestions put forward for additional services at the Health and Wellbeing Centre
• request Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust consider providing secondary office space at Dawlish Community Hospital for physiotherapists, occupational therapists and district nurses
• request Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust work with Teignbridge District Council to mitigate parking issues for staff and patients as far as possible, and to work to further support and enhance the development of community transport to the hospital sites

The new £8million Health and Wellbeing Centre is to be built by Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust in the heart of Teignmouth and is due to open in 2022, subject to planning permission, with an application submitted this month, but the principle of the development was not part of the consultation as it has already been agreed.

It will house GPs from Teignmouth’s larger practice, Channel View Medical Group, the health and wellbeing team and Volunteering in Health, and subject to the decision by the Governing Body, the most frequently used community clinics – physiotherapy, podiatry and audiology – would also move to the Health and Wellbeing Centre, along with specialist ear, nose and throat and specialist orthopaedic clinics.

One of the largest vaccination centres in Devon is to close due to a lack of vaccine supply.

Lee Trewhela www.devonlive.com

The centre at Exeter’s Westpoint will close from April 1 with the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust stating it will have to wait to receive more information on vaccine supplies before making a decision on when it could reopen.

The news comes after health secretary Matt Hancock said delays to the UK’s Covid vaccine supply in April would not affect people getting their second doses or England’s roadmap out of lockdown.

Mr Hancock said the UK’s supply has been affected by a delayed shipment from India. NHS England warned of a reduction in supply in April in a letter sent to local health organisations last week.

In an email sent to volunteers, Leigh Mansfield – operational lead for the Westpoint vaccine centre – said: “You all be aware of the recent news around vaccine supply to the UK in April.

“What this means to us at Westpoint is that we will not receive any vaccine for first doses from March 29. The National Booking System will remain open to patients in cohorts 1-9, to book their first dose up to and including March 31. Given the very small number of patients booked on April 1-11 inclusive, we’ve taken the decision to close the vaccination centre and will move these patients forward to the end of March.

“On April 12 we will begin our second doses. We will wait to receive more information on vaccine supply for the latter part of April before making further decisions on our opening hours.”

Ms Mansfield added: “This is frustrating for us all, especially as we’ve only just begun to reach our full capacity! We’ve had a taste this week of just how many patients we can vaccinate in a day and it’s been incredible to work with you all and see your dedication and passion for the vaccination programme.

“For some of you, the rest over the school Easter holidays may be welcomed and for others we understand that you may wish to continue to support the wider vaccination effort.

“I would like to take this opportunity to once again say a huge heartfelt thank you to everyone. Your response to the vaccination agenda has been magnificent and for that we are very grateful. We still have a long way to go, so take this little hiatus to rest and recover!”

The vaccine centre opened on January 26 at the same time as The Mayflower Grandstand at Plymouth Argyle Football Club’s Home Park Stadium, allowing for thousands of people across Devon to receive the Pfizer and Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines.

A Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital spokesperson said: “If you already have an appointment over the coming weeks, whether for your first or second dose, this remains in place and it’s really important that you attend it as planned.

“We are contacting a small number of people who are booked to have their vaccinations at Westpoint vaccination centre between April 1-11 to bring their appointments forward to March if possible. Please continue to attend any booked appointments in April unless you hear from us.”

The UK government’s flagship home insulation scheme, intended to kickstart a green recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, has been botched, disastrous in administration, devastating in some of its impacts, and stands in urgent need of rescue, an influential committee of MPs has said.

Fiona Harvey www.theguardian.com

Their outspoken criticism is a blow to the government’s plans for reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions, and comes as ministers prepare to host vital UN climate talks – called Cop26 – in Glasgow this November.

There can be little chance of meeting the UK’s target of net zero emissions by 2050 without a comprehensive programme to insulate Britain’s 19m draughty homes and switch from gas boilers to low-CO₂ heating, the environmental audit committee of MPs said on Monday.

But they delivered a damning assessment of the green homes grant, launched last summer to offer £1.5bn in subsidies for insulation and low-CO₂ heating, and demanded urgent action from ministers. They said the scheme was “rushed in conception and poorly implemented … [the] scheme administration appears nothing short of disastrous”.

They added: “The impact of its botched implementation has had devastating consequences on many of the builders and installers that can do the work, who have been left in limbo as a result of the orders cancelled and time taken to approve applications.”

Far from generating green jobs as the government promised, some businesses offering home upgrades were having to lay off staff because of payment problems.

There were more than 123,000 applications for the grant by the end of February, according to data released last week by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, but only 28,000 vouchers had been issued and only 5,800 measures had been installed.

More than £1bn is estimated to be unspent from the public money allocated to the end of March, which the government now intends to keep back, while allocating only £320m to next year. The environmental audit committee demanded the unspent money should be rolled over instead and the scheme overhauled and turned into a viable long-term grant scheme that would give households and businesses the confidence to embark on renovation work.

Philip Dunne, chair of the committee, said action was urgently needed to avoid further damage to the green homes industry, and start the vital task of refitting the UK’s draughty housing stock.

“Further schemes that endure must be rolled out, boosting the government’s credibility with householders and their contractors, that it is determined to decarbonise the nation’s homes,” he said. “This will give confidence to businesses that they can invest in upskilling and green jobs … Realism needs to be injected into the government. A much better understanding of cost, pace, scale and feasibility of skills development is desperately needed for net zero Britain.”

Ed Matthew, campaigns director at the climate change thinktank E3G, said: “The committee has hit the nail on the head. The industry has been damaged by stop-start schemes and short-term funding, which destroys investment and undermines consumer confidence. The Treasury has to make this the UK’s number-one infrastructure priority and provide the long-term funding it needs. There is no other public investment that can do more to boost jobs while cutting carbon emissions.”

Under the green homes grant, homeowners can apply for vouchers for up to £5,000, or £10,000, to cover most of the cost of installing insulation and other energy efficiency measures, and low-CO₂ heat pumps. But the scheme has been dogged with problems from the outset, with builders complaining of the bureaucracy involved in registering for the scheme, while tens of thousands of homeowners have been frustrated in their applications.

The scheme is administered by a company in the US, and the Guardian has found numerous instances of people unable to get a response from customer services, or given conflicting advice, while builders have complained that heat pump installations in particular have been stymied by the rules.

The government has responded by claiming that people are being put off the scheme by fear of having tradespeople in their homes during the pandemic. Campaigners have rejected that claim, saying the 120,000 applications show people want the grants but cannot get them. Home heating accounts for about 14% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Jess Ralston, analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit thinktank, said it was crucial for the government to act as the UK prepared to host Cop26. She said: “Despite government talking a good game on net zero, it is clear this is failing to manifest into action to cut carbon from our homes. Rushed policies that are chopped and changed seemingly at random risk undermining public enthusiasm for fixing up our leaky homes, damage that could harm future schemes for years to come.”

• Concreting existing farm track. Woodhayne Farm Whitford Axminster EX13 7NRRef. No: 21/0745/FUL | Validated: Sun 14 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey side/rear extension, side extension and balcony to front. Clyst Vale Convent Road Sidmouth EX10 8RLRef. No: 21/0732/FUL | Validated: Fri 12 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of front porch extension. 14 Whitefield Wilmington Honiton EX14 9JJRef. No: 21/0735/FUL | Validated: Fri 12 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Provision of cladding and render; alterations to windows 5 Long Park Woodbury Exeter EX5 1JBRef. No: 21/0719/FUL | Validated: Fri 12 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey rear extension and removal of fence 2 Victoria Place Budleigh Salterton EX9 6JPRef. No: 21/0717/FUL | Validated: Thu 11 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Y1 – Yew Tree 1, prune back overhanging branches on neighbours (Lane End) side of boundary to enable us to put up a fence Y2 and Y3 – Yew Tree 2 and 3, remove dead wood Y4 – Raise crown by removing lower branches at ground level. There is also one branch that is growing out of the shape of tree so to cut this back in line of tree. Yew Trees Clyst St George Exeter EX3 0RERef. No: 21/0727/TRE | Validated: Fri 12 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of lawfulness for the construction of single storey rear extension12 Phillipps Avenue Exmouth EX8 3HYRef. No: 21/0726/CPL | Validated: Thu 11 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replace lean-to and attached substandard store with two-storey ancillary accommodation and linked glazed extension. Hole Mill Branscombe Seaton EX12 3BXRef. No: 21/0712/FUL | Validated: Thu 11 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of 2 x dormer windows to existing garage roof 5 Barnridge Longmeadow Road Lympstone Exmouth EX8 5LGRef. No: 21/0704/FUL | Validated: Thu 11 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Reinstatement of existing loading bay and reinstatement and widening of forestry tracks Land At Columbjohn Wood HeleRef. No: 21/0708/AGR | Validated: Wed 10 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Construction of raised platform to provide base for mobile home (retrospective). Hedgehog Lodge Chapel Croft Millhayes Stockland Honiton EX14 9DDRef. No: 21/0701/FUL | Validated: Wed 10 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of building for mixed A1 (shop) / A3 (cafe) use and associated ancillary works Agricultural Building At Greendale Farm Shop Sidmouth Road Farringdon Exeter EX5 2JURef. No: 21/0707/FUL | Validated: Wed 10 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of lawfulness for the construction of single storey detached garden room12 Avondale Road Exmouth EX8 2NQRef. No: 21/0706/CPL | Validated: Fri 12 Mar 2021 | Status: Approved
• Sub division of existing vacant retail shop unit, installation of new internal staircase to existing residential flat together with alterations to existing shop front. Demolition of flat roof link & construction of single storey rear extension (resubmission of application no. 20/0833/FUL and 20/0943/FUL) 26 And 26A Mill Street Ottery St Mary EX11 1ADRef. No: 21/0685/FUL | Validated: Tue 09 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Oak T1 on aerial view : cut side branch back to boundary fence – the branch gives the tree an unbalanced appearance and caused excessive shading to my garden seating area and pond. Amberley Knowle Drive Sidmouth EX10 8HPRef. No: 21/0683/TRE | Validated: Tue 09 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Deed of variation to amend the mortgagee exclusion clause (MEC) to the Section 106 agreement and deed of variation pursuant to application 12/1016/ Land Adjoining Withycombe Brook (Flora Close) St Johns Road ExmouthRef. No: 21/0687/V106 | Validated: Tue 09 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Deed of variation to amend the mortgagee exclusion clause (MEC) to the Section 106 agreement and deed of variation pursuant to application 09/2292/MFUL Dennesdene Farm (land At Parrys Farm Close) Marley Road Exmouth EX8 4PPRef. No: 21/0686/V106 | Validated: Tue 09 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replacement of existing rear extension pitched roof with flat roof balcony 24D Morton Crescent Exmouth EX8 1BGRef. No: 21/0694/FUL | Validated: Tue 09 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey extensions, provision of render and cladding. 46 Camperdown Terrace Exmouth EX8 1EQRef. No: 21/0693/FUL | Validated: Wed 10 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of two storey rear extension including 2 no side facing dormer windows; construction of raised pitched roof to rear part of the existing garage. 4 Cranford View Exmouth EX8 2EHRef. No: 21/0684/FUL | Validated: Wed 10 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Extend existing ridge line to half hip, raise existing gable with half hip and dormers to improve first floor rooms, alterations to windows. Highfield Higher Way Harpford Sidmouth EX10 0NJRef. No: 21/0695/FUL | Validated: Tue 09 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1- T6 Six lime trees. Re pollard to previous pollard knuckles. 23 Dukes Way Axminster EX13 5QPRef. No: 21/0690/TRE | Validated: Tue 09 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Agricultural storage building Land West Of M5 Moor Lane PoltimoreRef. No: 21/0688/AGR | Validated: Tue 09 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Amendments to detached garage to form ancillary annexe Otter Dell Harpford Sidmouth EX10 0NHRef. No: 21/0681/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of two storey side extension, and single storey rear extension 29 Eyewell Green Seaton EX12 2BNRef. No: 21/0678/FUL | Validated: Tue 09 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Raising of ridge height to provide first floor accommodation and additional bedroom in new roof space, construction of single storey porch extension to front, and provision of cladding. 2 Raleigh Road Exmouth EX8 2SBRef. No: 21/0680/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing shed and construction of new garage (resubmission of application 21/0300/FUL). 3 Withen Cottages Withen Lane Aylesbeare Exeter EX5 2JQRef. No: 21/0666/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Clay lined slurry store. Aplins Farm Monkton Honiton EX14 9QNRef. No: 21/0671/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey extension projecting beyond the original rear wall by 4 metres, measure 2.2 metres to the eaves, and 3.3 metres in total height 36 Hawkins Road Exeter Devon EX1 3UXRef. No: 21/0670/GPD | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of track and siting of agricultural storage container (retrospective) Greenhayes Shute Axminster EX13 7QERef. No: 21/0673/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Retention of gazebo Tale Head Cottage Payhembury Honiton EX14 3HLRef. No: 21/0674/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Alterations, reconfiguration and refurbishment of existing dwelling including window and door installation with associated external works. Alterations to rear gates, garage door and the replacement of roof coverings 20 The Beacon Exmouth EX8 2AFRef. No: 21/0675/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Alterations, reconfiguration and refurbishment of existing dwelling including window and door installation with associated external works. Alterations to rear gates, garage door and the replacement of roof coverings 20 The Beacon Exmouth EX8 2AFRef. No: 21/0676/LBC | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replacement of existing timber storage shed and oil tank with timber workshop and attached carriage shed Land Opposite The Thatched Cottage Salcombe RegisRef. No: 21/0656/FUL | Validated: Thu 11 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of garage to annexe including balcony and landscaping works (revision to 14/2506/FUL) Upper Cottage Rocombe Lyme Regis DT7 3RRRef. No: 21/0655/FUL | Validated: Fri 12 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey rear extension 29 Park Road Beer Seaton EX12 3HJRef. No: 21/0663/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of 4 bedroomed house with integral garage Land South Of The Hill Muttersmoor Road Sidmouth EX10 8RHRef. No: 21/0660/FUL | Validated: Wed 10 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey extension 169 Pound Lane Exmouth EX8 3LERef. No: 21/0658/FUL | Validated: Wed 10 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of first floor side extension above existing ground floor attached garage 25 Brand Road Honiton EX14 2FDRef. No: 21/0639/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed 1-Bed annexe to farmhouse Greatwell Farm Chineway Road Ottery St Mary EX11 1PLRef. No: 21/0640/FUL | Validated: Tue 09 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Proposed agricultural building and access track Land And Buildings South West Of Heathayne Cross Colyton EX24 6RSRef. No: 21/0636/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey front extension. 16 Springfield Road Exmouth EX8 3JXRef. No: 21/0618/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing roof, first floor, side and rear extensions and construction of replacement two storey rear gable extension including first floor terrace and two storey side/rear extension to south east including garage at lower ground floor beneath; new pedestrian entry to boundary wall; relocation of boundary wall to neighbouring property to north Cariad Brampford Speke Exeter EX5 5HERef. No: 21/0634/FUL | Validated: Tue 09 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of the boundary wall and construction of new wall and gates (partially retrospective) The Town Mill Rosemary Lane Colyton EX24 6LSRef. No: 21/0623/FUL | Validated: Tue 09 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• To convert garage into bedroom with en suite South Lodge Old Rydon Lane Exeter EX2 7JWRef. No: 21/0628/FUL | Validated: Tue 09 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Re-render part of front south gable elevation and side east elevation and re-plaster internal fireplace walls of sitting room Little Thatch Higher Way Harpford Sidmouth EX10 0NJRef. No: 21/0619/LBC | Validated: Fri 12 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• First floor side extension above existing garage 3 Whitethorn Close Honiton EX14 2XXRef. No: 21/0595/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replacement of agricultural barn with dwelling (amended design that approved under application 19/0643/FUL) Peradon Farm Clyst Hydon Cullompton EX15 2NGRef. No: 21/0615/FUL | Validated: Tue 09 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of manege, hardstanding and track, and siting of stables and associated storage facilities for private use (retrospective in respect of stable 1 and the muck clamp) Hoppins Farm Southerton Ottery St Mary EX11 1SDRef. No: 21/0585/FUL | Validated: Wed 10 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of lawfulness for the conversion of existing garage, replacement of existing flat roof (over front lounge, porch and garage) with a pitch roof, and creation of new porch47 Clyst Valley Road Clyst St Mary Exeter EX5 1DDRef. No: 21/0589/CPL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Retention of field access (retrospective application) Gulliford Close Lympstone EX8 5DGRef. No: 21/0567/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed residential annexe (demolition of garage and store) 123 Langstone Drive Exmouth EX8 4JERef. No: 21/0568/FUL | Validated: Thu 11 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed porch, adding bio-fold doors to the basement and small patio Keepers Cottage St Marys Lane Uplyme Lyme Regis DT7 3XHRef. No: 21/0576/FUL | Validated: Wed 10 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Retention of shipping container in front garden. Riverside Cottage Taleford Ottery St Mary EX11 1NFRef. No: 21/0573/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of two storey front extension and canopy. St Cecilia Marley Road Exmouth EX8 5DWRef. No: 21/0544/FUL | Validated: Thu 11 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed access road. Fawnsmoor Parlour Fawnsmoor Farm Lyme Road Axminster EX13 5SWRef. No: 21/0531/FUL | Validated: Wed 10 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed new dwelling and car port Land Adjacent To 21 Strawberry Hill LympstoneRef. No: 21/0490/FUL | Validated: Thu 11 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of building for use as registered nursery, and associated ancillary works Greendale Farm Shop Sidmouth Road Farringdon Exeter EX5 2JURef. No: 21/0482/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Use of the land as a caravan site for up to 100 tents, touring caravans and motorhomes from April to October of each year, installation of a sewage treatment plant and siting of portable toilets and showers Part Of Honiton Show Ground Nags Head Road GittishamRef. No: 21/0437/MFUL | Validated: Fri 12 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of dormer window Hartgrove Hill Farm Trinity Hill Road Musbury Axminster EX13 8TBRef. No: 21/0452/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Change of use from offices (B1) to residential (C3) 18A Rolle Street Exmouth EX8 1NJRef. No: 21/0385/FUL | Validated: Tue 09 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing agricultural buildings, and construction of detached dwelling and associated works (alternative to residential change of use of agricultural building to dwelling under class Q approval reference 20/1503/PDQ) Harepathstead Farm Westwood Broadclyst Exeter EX5 3DFRef. No: 21/0383/FUL | Validated: Tue 09 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use from a field to residential garden, retention of new water borehole and pump house, log cabin office, private sewage treatment system and access drive/parking area Waterloo Cottage Membury Axminster EX13 7AJRef. No: 21/0371/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion and alterations to existing outbuildings to provide holiday accommodation, including replacement store The Retreat Sheppards Knap Dalwood EX13 7DZRef. No: 21/0284/FUL | Validated: Thu 11 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• New water borehole. Axecliff Golf Club Axmouth Seaton EX12 4ABRef. No: 21/0191/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Restoration of portico & projecting bay on front elevation works to include: re-plaster and repair all walls & reinstate decorative features to capitals, cornices & parapet; reinstatement of lead flat roof including gutter, re-position & replace cast iron hopper & downpipe, demolish non-original parapet and re-built as original; repairs to sash windows 3no. at first floor & 2no. in entrance hall, including replacing glazing bars and glass; external door to have safety glass, reinstate brass work, new wooden central door knob and add security lock; repair/ & replace external steps and internal stone floor; lower adjacent ground level & install drains; remove asbestos in ceilings and replace with new lath & plaster ceiling(s) to include repairing and finishing skirting boards; re-fix & re-wire replacement signage and decorative ceiling rose 7 new hanging lantern. Poltimore House Poltimore Exeter EX4 0AURef. No: 20/2782/LBC | Validated: Tue 09 Mar 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

This morning South Somerset District Council announced another resignation from the senior management team.

by Andrew Lee leveller.live 

Yesterday we reported the resignation of Jo Nacy. Jo had been in post as S151 officer (Finance Director if you will) for just on a year. Cllr Peter Seib took issue with our reporting. He told us our report on her resignation “makes it sound like a scandal and recent. In SSDC’s case it is neither”. It may not be recent, we cannot comment on that. What we can say is that SSDC councillors were not informed until yesterday. In a circular email from Nicola Hix. Which if the resignation occurred some time ago, will have been disappointing.

The new s151 officer at SSDC will be Karen Watling. She joins SSDC “with a vast amount of local authority experience, and is looking forward to working with us all.” Which is exactly what Jo Nacy would have said a year ago.

Meanwhile this morning Alex Parmley announced the resignation of Martin Woods. Mr Woods has been nothing if not loyal having served the council since 1980. These days a rare and fine record of public service. Mr Woods is/was one of 6 directors of SSDC working directly with CEO Alex Parmley.

Confused situation in Somerset with regard to changes in senior officers – see also:

South Somerset Finance boss resigns

A Devon councillor has been found guilty of breaking conduct rules by swearing on Facebook.

Edward Oldfield www.devonlive.com

An investigation was carried out by Torbay Council after a complaint by a member of the public about “obscene language” in public posts made by Jack Dart, a councillor for Ellacombe in Torquay.

They included a description of the former leader of the UK Independence Party Nigel Farage as a w***er, and using the phrase “F**k Brexit & F**k Boris” – a reference to the prime minister Boris Johnson.

Cllr Dart also described the Government as w*****s and Brexit as a “f***ing disaster”.

Expressing support for Joe Biden in the US presidential election, Cllr Dart described former President Trump as a “f***ing moron” who had put people’s lives at risk and had been “s**t for jobs”.

The 26-year-old Liberal Democrat is a co-founder of Inspire EU, a youth-led group which campaigned for the UK to remain in the European Union.

In November, Cllr Dart published a post on Facebook explaining his use of swear words, saying: “A few people have messaged me to express upset at my language. It’s how I express myself, so I’m afraid it’ll continue long into the future.”

He added: “For those who are here regardless, I have a message for you! F**K TRUMP. BIDEN 2020! Turn the whole f***ing place blue!”

The words were spelled out in full in Cllr Dart’s posts, but letters have been replaced with asterisks in this report as some people may find them offensive.

Torbay Council’s monitoring officer carried out an investigation following a complaint in December by Torquay resident Drew Taylor.

Mr Taylor provided screenshots of the messages he said used obscene language.

The monitoring officer decided that Cllr Dart’s conduct breached the members code of conduct as it “fell short of the high standards” expected from councillors.

The code sets out how councillors’ behaviour should avoid bringing their office or the council into disrepute.

The officer recommended Cllr Dart deleted the Facebook posts, stopped using “obscene language” on social media, wrote a letter of apology, and attended a meeting to give an assurance he was aware of the requirements of the code of conduct.

The councillor’s Facebook page, which has the title “JACK DART LIBERAL DEMOCRAT COUNCILLOR – CO-FOUNDER INSPIRE EU”, has more than 28,000 likes and more than 33,000 followers.

The councillor, who works in social media marketing and is studying for a law degree, said he would stop using swear words on social media, but did not plan to take any further action.

Jack Dart, councillor for Ellacombe in Torquay, on Torbay Council (Image: Jack Dart/Facebook)

He said he had been unaware before being contacted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he had been found in breach of the code of conduct, but said he may have missed an email due to ongoing connection problems with the iPad issued to councillors for official communications.

He said he used strong language to connect with the younger generation, and it was not unusual on social media to see swear words. He had used them on social media for several years, but had moderated his language since becoming a councillor at the age of 24 in 2019.

He said he felt it was important as a young councillor to connect with younger voters using language they used, and he did not want to become a ‘robotic’ politician. He said he did not intend to offend anyone, but accepted swear words might upset some people.

The councillor said he worked hard to represent his constituents and always behaved respectfully in meetings, but the context of social media was different and swearing was more acceptable.

He said: “If people are genuinely upset by the language I am using, I am happy to reduce the swearing on my Facebook page. It is not something I want to do, but if people are upset about it, I will.”

He added: “If people don’t want me to swear on social media, and the council says I have absolutely got to stop, I will have to stop. But that is not who I am. I am serious when I want to be serious, jokey when I want to be, and swear when I feel like it. I would like to keep on, but if people don’t like it, then I will have to stop.”

He said he was aware of numerous complaints made against him, many from political opponents unhappy with his high profile pro-EU national campaigning through his Facebook page, which regularly reached around one million people each month.

Cllr Dart said he had worked hard to represent young people, and had spent two years on a campaign to persuade them to sign up to the electoral register so they could vote.

Mr Taylor, 52, of Torre, Torquay, said he complained about Cllr Dart’s posts because he was concerned about the effect of what he described as the “vile” and “inflammatory” language. He said he considered it gave the wrong impression to young people about what was acceptable in political debate.

The council’s monitoring officer said it was clear that Cllr Dart was acting as a councillor on his Facebook page, and it was reasonable for the public to believe that he made the comments in his “official capacity”.

Mr Taylor was told that Cllr Dart was expected to “promote and support high standards of conduct when serving in his public post.”

The officer concluded that in respect of the allegations about use of obscene language, the councillor’s conduct “fell short of the high standards expected of those elected to represent the residents of Torbay.”

The letter from the officer to Mr Taylor, dated February 1, 2021, reporting the outcome of his complaint, said Cllr Dart would be asked to remove the posts and stop using obscene language on social media where he could be identified as a councillor. He would be asked to write a letter of apology to Mr Taylor and meet the monitoring officer to ensure he was aware of the code of conduct.

Mr Taylor said: “He has been using quite inflammatory and defamatory language, and some of his comments about other politicians were just absolutely vile.

“He is giving the younger generation the impression this is what politics is like, and that is not acceptable. That is why I complained, I felt he was very much delivering the wrong impression.”

After the interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Dart published a post on Facebook about the disciplinary action on Tuesday, March 16, saying the council had found him guilty of breaking the members code of conduct for swearing on social media.

He wrote: “I have always been very vocal on social media, as you know, and part of my style involves being strong with my wording, often using swear words to show emotion when connecting with readers. (As you know, emotion is hard to portray online).

“Swearing is a touchy subject in politics, because if it can offend someone, it’s typically not allowed. Sadly, I disagree with the categorisation of swearing, and that is very clearly at odds with the views of political organisations, including ones I am a member of.”

Cllr Dart said he would stop using swear words on social media for the remaining two years of his term of office, but would not comply with the other recommendations from the monitoring officer.

He said he would not write a letter of apology as he was not sorry for swearing, he would not delete posts as he had published tens of thousands during the five years his Facebook page had been running, many with swear words, and he did not need to meet the monitoring officer about the code of conduct as he had read it was aware of the standards expected.

He added: “Anyone who knows me and has attended council meetings will know I am courteous, professional, and conduct myself well and always treat members of the public and council colleagues with respect.

“Social media is a very different place to face-to-face meetings, and official business. It’s a forum for lively debate and it’s a place where, almost every month, I reach over 1M people. I connect with people and offer my views and opinions from the perspective of a young person. I believe those who follow me do so because they appreciate how I express my views, and the style I do it in.”

Later that day he posted that he had been surprised and overwhelmed by messages of support. The next day he published a post including the phrase “B******S TO BREXIT!”.

On Saturday Cllr Dart published a link to a news story headlined “Love the flag ‘or move to another country’, Conservative MP says”, and commented: “I believe they call this fascism. F**k off. (I’ve decided fascism deserves swear words)”.

The words were spelled out in full in Cllr Dart’s posts, but letters have been replaced with asterisks in this report as some people may find them offensive.

A Torbay Council spokesperson said: “A complaint was received alleging that Cllr Dart had breached the members code of conduct by using obscene language in Facebook posts.

“The matter was investigated by the council’s monitoring officer in accordance with the local protocol for breaches of the members code of conduct.

“In respect of the allegation, the monitoring officer concluded that Cllr Dart’s behaviour fell short of the high standards expected of those elected to represent the residents of Torbay, and recommended that he remove the posts and refrain from using such language in the future.”

It is a place where rare white storks raise their chicks alongside peregrine falcons and purple emperor butterflies, where the trees are filled with endangered turtle doves and nightingales, and where the population of breeding songbirds is the densest in Britain.

Donna Ferguson www.theguardian.com 

For conservationists and wildlife enthusiasts, the Knepp estate in West Sussex is more than just a wildlife sanctuary, it is a symbol of hope: a former arable and dairy farm that is now a world-famous rewilding project, home to some of the rarest birds and insects in the UK.

But the future of this 1,400-hectare (3,500-acre) estate near Horsham – which, in just 20 years, has been utterly transformed by nature into one of most important sites for wildlife in the UK – is now under threat, campaigners say.

Several major sites being considered for development in a draft local plan by Horsham district council will “devastate” the important rewilding project, campaigners say, blocking off any potential to create a vital, protected wildlife corridor linking the estate with the St Leonard’s and Ashdown forests.

“It’s looking more and more likely that the site closest to us – the one right on our border – will be the one they [the council] could go for,” said Isabella Tree, co-owner of the Knepp estate and author of Wilding, a book about how she turned the former farm’s depleted, loss-making land into the site of the largest rewilding experiment in lowland England.

As many as 3,500 new homes could be built on the greenfield site known as Buck Barn, which Tree says would shut off a key route for wildlife to move in and out of the estate as climate change occurs. “If wildlife can’t move in response to temperature rises, then it’s doomed to extinction. Knepp is a biodiversity hotspot and, at the moment, our species are spilling out into the countryside and green spaces around us. If we build these homes, then basically Knepp becomes yet another island. It completely isolates us.”

This could cause a “catastrophic decline” of the rare and endangered wildlife that has made Knepp its home. For example, Tree says, “the small population of nightingales and turtle doves on our land cannot respond to the pressures on them if they can’t move into other areas of land to feed or to break out to nest.”

Isabella Tree: ‘This development would be out in a greenfield site with no infrastructure connecting it at all, and anyone living there would be entirely dependent on a car to do anything.’ Photograph: Anthony Cullen/The Guardian

She fears the influx of so many new residents to the area will also increase local air pollution and put thousands more cars on the roads nearby, further penning in the wildlife of the estate. “There are sites for Horsham district council that are near railway stations and existing infrastructure – that is where housing needs to be built, where people can walk or cycle to shops and schools, without having to get into a car.

“This development would be out in a greenfield site with no infrastructure connecting it at all, and anyone living there would be entirely dependent on a car to do anything. It just seems completely mad.”

Despite fierce local opposition, Tree fears the new local plan could be adopted by the council in a matter of weeks. “This really is a test case that will reveal how seriously the government is taking landscape recovery. We’ve got to act now to save the last little remnants of green space that can actually rebuild our network of nature again, and our landscapes – or it’s gone for ever.”

A Horsham district council spokesperson said the council was required by government to produce a local plan showing how future housing could be built in the district: “It is government policy that every council with planning responsibilities should produce such a plan.” The number of houses that must be built locally was also provided by “a government formula”, the spokesperson added, forcing the council to plan for 1,200 new homes to be built every year in the district.

“Clearly, any additional housing has an impact on the environment,” the spokesperson said. However, the council is working with Sussex Wildlife Trust on the Wilder Horsham District project, a five-year partnership that aims to help wildlife thrive across the district and to create protected networks of land that allows habitats to expand.

“This includes joining up key sites such as the Knepp estate with woodland to the north-east of Horsham and the Mens to the west of Horsham district,” the spokesperson said.

“No decisions have yet been taken on the content of the local plan, but land that is identified to meet the government’s housing requirements will have to provide at least 10% biodiversity net gain and contribute to the council’s Wilder Horsham District objectives, including the provision of a nature-recovery network across Horsham district.”

Other rewilding projects

Wild Ken Hill, Norfolk This project is returning 1,500 acres of Norfolk farmland to nature by letting it become wild. The land includes freshwater marshes, ancient woodland, wood pasture, fen-like areas and acid heathland. It is now home to beavers, free roaming red poll cattle, Tamworth pigs and Exmoor ponies.

Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire This rewilded arable land, owned by the National Trust, has become one of Europe’s most important wetlands. It is now home to a record-breaking 9,600 species of plants, birds and invertebrates – including rare bitterns, cuckoos, hen harriers, short-eared owls, orchids and dragonflies.

Purbeck Heaths, Dorset Seven landowners recently joined forces to create the largest lowland heath national nature reserve in the UK: a 3,331-hectare site similar in size to the town of Blackpool. Fences were removed so horses, North Devon and Longhorn cattle and Mangalica pigs could graze across the land, conifer plantations were restored back to heathland and osprey and ladybird spiders have been reintroduced.

Last Friday, an historic judgement was made in the High Court by Judge Chamberlain, following an application for a Judicial Review by the Good Law Project supported by a Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green MP.

Eileen Wragg www.exmouthjournal.co.uk 

The action was taken because the Government failed to advertise or follow the competitive tendering process, handing out £17 billion of public money to little-known companies to supply PPE.

Even more concerning were the delays in publishing details of the contracts being offered.

There should now be a public inquiry to establish exactly what went on behind the scenes.

Ironically, East Devon District Council is now being asked by the local MP not to raise car parking charges in an attempt to encourage shop and business customers to use the car parks (Journal, February 17).

Time, I believe, to remind Mr Jupp that due to repeated cuts of Government funding to local authorities since 2009, councils have to look for other sources of raising revenue, to provide the mandatory services that they have to provide such as waste collections, clean streets, housing, etc.

Are we to take financial advice from a member of this Government, which has recklessly squandered billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on the disastrous failure of the PPE scandal? I think not.

Mr Jupp would be better advised to focus his attempts to save public money for the office to which he was elected, and leave the running of local councils to those who were elected to do just that.

Pots calling kettles come to mind!

Wants to live in the countryside only Monday to Thursday and could “relocate to a Cheltenham townhouse at the weekend” to enjoy shopping, medical facilities, theatres and restaurants.

Just how many houses do people think they are entitled to? Don’t ask about the buses and how to get to the surgery. And all those second homers spoiling the idyll! – Owl

Will Humphries, Southwest Correspondent www.thetimes.co.uk 

A magazine editor who moved to the Cotswolds to pursue the good life has been ridiculed by locals after she publicly bemoaned the lack of taxis, the small size of schools and the presence of farm vehicles.

Jade Beer, the former editor-in-chief of Condé Nast’s Brides magazine, moved her family out of London six years ago after growing tired of “the sheer mass of people, weary of battling the daily commute and the long hours”. She wrote in the Evening Standard that they were “blissfully happy” after buying a cottage near the market town of Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, “on a sprawling estate and we had views of cows to the front and sheep to the back”.

However, things took a turn for the worse when she realised that the countryside was not serenely quiet.

“Come summer, everyone who owns a motorbike seems to descend on the Cotswolds in large convoys, ditto vintage cars,” she said. She bemoaned the fact that her village had one taxi driver who needed to be booked “a week in advance” and only offered pick-up times he was willing to do. She also said the nearest hospital was 45 minutes away, and claimed her house was haunted.

She added: “In the immediate vicinity of our home there are half a dozen holiday rentals that are let almost year-round . . . We’ve seen mobile cocktail vans pull up outside for hen parties and cars thoughtlessly blocking shared driveways. If you are unfortunate enough to buy a house next to one, there is little you can do about it, since the owners typically do not live locally themselves.”

Beer said she wished she lived in the countryside only Monday to Thursday and could “relocate to a Cheltenham townhouse at the weekend” to enjoy shopping, medical facilities, theatres and restaurants.

Her comments provoked a storm of local ridicule. “What a ridiculous, small-minded, entitled, pompous moaner,” one person said.

Another said: “I live in the Cotswolds and I speak for many here. Move to Cheltenham if you must or, preferably, back to London and stay there. People like this push prices up and squeeze locals out of the housing market.”

Alun White, mayor of Stow-on-the-Wold town council, told The Times: “People should study an area before they move to it. We are deep in the heart of the country here and you can’t expect inner-city services.”

Beer is not the first media figure to come unstuck in the country. Liz Jones, the Mail on Sunday columnist, had her mailbox shot at in 2009 after she wrote disparaging remarks about the locals in Dulverton, Exmoor. She moved back to London in 2012.

The Conservative party has been asked by the election watchdog to explain how Boris Johnson found £60,000 to pay for the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat.

James Tapper www.theguardian.com 

The Electoral Commission said it had contacted the party “to establish whether any sums relating to the renovation works fall within the regime regulated by the commission”.

The inquiries are likely to lead to further tension between the watchdog and some Conservatives. Last year the party’s co-chair, Amanda Milling, condemned the commission as being “simply not fit for purpose” and the party called for the watchdog to be abolished unless it was stripped of many of its powers.

Labour said the prime minister should say whether any “special favours” are owed to donors who allegedly funded his and fiancee Carrie Symonds’ extensive redecoration of the flat they share above 11 Downing Street.

The Daily Mail reported yesterday that a “secret” £60,000 payment for part of the work was made by the Conservative party last summer. This was reimbursed by Lord Brownlow, the newspaper reported, but the donation was not declared to the Electoral Commission or the House of Commons register of interests.

Lord Brownlow is an entrepreneur and former Tory vice-chairman who was made a life peer in 2019 by Theresa May.

Symonds’ £200,000 interior redesign is not covered by the £30,000 annual allowance that the prime minister receives for his accommodation, and Downing Street has been trying to set up a charity to pay for it.

Allegra Stratton, the prime minister’s press secretary, said earlier this month that “every twist and turn” of the refurbishment would be recorded, but added: “Conservative party funds are not being used to pay for any refurbishment of the Downing Street estate.”

The Electoral Commission sought to play down its inquiries, saying that it talked regularly to all political parties about funding, adding: “We are in contact with the party to establish whether any sums relating to the renovation works fall within the regime regulated by the commission.”

A Conservative party spokesperson said: “All reportable donations to the Conservative party are correctly declared to the Electoral Commission, published by them and comply fully with the law. Gifts and benefits received in a ministerial capacity are, and will continue to be, declared in government transparency returns.”

All the major political parties have been fined by the Electoral Commission in recent years, but it has been targeted for criticism by many pro-Brexit MPs and campaigners.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, said the commission was not trusted to be impartial. Meanwhile, the committee on standards in public life, an independent body which reports to the prime minister, announced last summer it would be conducting a review of electoral regulation including the Electoral Commission’s remit.

The Conservative party submitted a lengthy criticism of the commission to the CSPL’s review, including a call for the commission’s powers to be handed over to Companies House. Others calling for abolition included Jon Moynihan, who donated £100,000 to Johnson’s leadership campaign.

That was followed in October by news that the commission’s chair, Sir John Holmes, a career diplomat, had been forced out of his position last year.

Labour has said that the Tory call to abolish the Electoral Commission is a “harmful and worrying step for the integrity of our democracy”.

Counting at the May elections will be delayed in England because ballot papers will need to be quarantined in case people have sneezed Covid onto them.

Where and how will they be securely stored? – Owl

By Christopher Hope, Chief Political Correspondent www.telegraph.co.uk

Thousands of council seats, along with mayoral elections and Police and Crime Commissioner elections will take place in England, as well as assembly elections in Scotland and Wales, on Thursday May 6.

New guidance, titled Covid Secure Elections 2021, from Lawyers in Local Government – a group which represents council solicitors – “recommends that Ballot papers will be quarantined for 24 hrs prior to being handled by staff”.

This will mean that the count will start on Saturday May 8, not Friday May 7.  

The group said this was “in the pursuance of limiting risk, and making sure the process is as safe as possible given many people used to count are over 50”. The last over-50s are due to be vaccinated just a week before election day.

One of the concerns is that tipping out the ballot papers could allow germs left there by voters to infect people counting the papers.

Jim McManus, Hertfordshire County Council’s director of public health who helped drew up the guidance, told the Telegraph added: “From our perspective, we also looked at what other elections did and will continue to review the evidence.

 “Our continued question is whether tipping out large quantities of ballot papers from boxes can generate aerosols.”

However, Association of Electoral Administrators which represents council returning officers played down concerns about the safety of polling cards which are mailed out to voters ,saying “there is no need to quarantine ballot papers before commencing the verification or count process” as long as usual Covid safety protocols are observed.

It also emerged as many as one in four council workers might not turn up to help with the count. Somewhere in the region of 100,000 are needed to staff polling stations on May 6.

Around 40,000 polling stations will be open to voters from 7am to 10pm on the day, with two or more staff in each.

Some councils are struggling and looking to fill up to 100 vacancies, while others have just a handful of posts outstanding.

The Telegraph has learned that 2,000 civil servants and volunteers from the National Citizen Service have now been drafted in to help deal with the shortfall.

Election teams are also looking to recruit reserve polling station staff, to avoid any last-minute issues should anyone need to self-isolate.

Polling expert Lord Hayward said the final result of the elections might not be available for up to five days after election day this year.

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “The Government is providing a range of support to ensure these polls are COVID-secure and effective.”

BORIS Johnson and his Cabinet have broken the UK Government’s transparency rules by failing to disclose ministers’ outside earnings, it has been reported.

Laura Webster www.thenational.scot

According to the Ministerial Code, the Government must publish a statement “covering relevant ministers’ interests” twice a year – there has not been one published since July 2020. The last to appear before that was in December 2019.

Payments and other interests worth millions of pounds have now not been published for nine months.

Alistair Graham, the former chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, has said the failure to publish these interests is “scandalous”.

The failure to put out the information is understood to be linked to the resignation of Alex Allan, the PM’s independent adviser on ministerial standards. He quit the role last year in protest as Johnson refused to sack Priti Patel over alleged bullying.

Allan has not been replaced after four months – it is unclear whether the post was ever advertised.

The revelation that ministers are breaching the rules comes as Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross demands Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation over claims she broke the Scottish Government’s Ministerial Code.

The UK’s latest list on ministers’ interests was due to be published in January and, with Allan’s former position still vacant, it is not clear when this document will be released.

According to OpenDemocracy, it could take months to publish it even once Allan is finally replaced. This is because there is a backlog of 137 ministers to go through, and compiling the information involves interviews and correspondence.

Some ministers have large portfolios to comb through. For example, Jacob Rees-Mogg is estimated to be worth between £70 million and £200m. He also has a 20% share in an asset management firm, among other holdings and investments.

Zac Goldsmith was also included in the most recent Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated net worth of £285m.

A spokesman for the Cabinet Office insisted a new list would be released in “due course”.

Money raised from the sale of council homes will be diverted away from building new social housing under new plans announced by the government.

www.independent.co.uk

Under the policy confirmed by ministers on Friday councils will not have to use the receipts from Right To Buy sales to build council homes to replace those sold off.

Housing and homelessness campaigners have criticised the move and say it will make the housing crisis worse for people on low incomes and lengthen council waiting lists.

Under the announcement, councils will soon be able to use the cash to fund schemes to help people buying houses, which are generally targeted at people on higher incomes.

The cash will be available to use for shared ownership homes, which in some parts of the country can be unaffordable to even relatively wealthy buyers.

It will also be available to fund ministers’ First Homes scheme, which offers market rate properties with a 30 per cent discount for qualifying buyers.

While individual councils will on paper be able to choose to keep funding social housing instead, the ministry of housing acknowledged concerns that there could be “a potential implicit pressure for councils to favour supplying shared ownership properties because of their lower debt costs” with council budgets under pressure.

The ministry said it would explain why this would not be a problem in the future.

Polly Neate, chief executive of the charity Shelter, said the policy was “a step in the wrong direction”.

“We are already selling off more social homes than we build every year. Now the money from these sales will be funnelled into home ownership schemes that are far out of reach for average renting families, rather than building more of the secure and affordable social homes we so desperately need,” she said.

“With more than a million households on the waiting list, and potentially many more people facing homelessness in the aftermath of this pandemic, this new proposal is the last thing we need.

“The government should instead be focusing on building a new generation of social homes that could actually tackle the housing crisis.”

Council homes sold under Right To Buy tend to end up in the hands of private landlords, with an estimated 40 per cent of all those sold under the scheme now rented out for profit.

The number of council homes sold under the policy increased five-fold in six years after David Cameron’s government lifted a cap on the policy and increased discounts.

A pledge by the government that homes sold would be replaced like-for-like is nowhere near to being met, with around two thirds not replaced as of 2020.

As of June 2020, 85,645 homes have been sold through the policy since it was updated in 2012, but only 28,090 built to replace them.

In a consultation response posted to its website, the ministry for housing, communities, and local government said the government intends to “allow local authorities the option to use Right to Buy receipts to provide properties for shared ownership as well as for social and affordable rent.

“Since the receipts consultation was issued, the government has announced the new First Homes scheme, which will enable first-time buyers to access discounts of at least 30 per cent on new build properties in their area compared to market prices.

“Local authorities, who know their local areas best, will have the flexibility to shape the scheme to support those most in need of help in their area. To support them in helping to deliver First Homes, the government will also allow local authorities to use Right to Buy receipts to fund First Homes.”

The ministry added: “We recognise that some respondents were concerned about a potential implicit pressure for councils to favour supplying shared ownership properties because of their lower debt costs, while others noted practical questions not previously encountered in Right to Buy, such as whether receipts from staircasing would count as Right to Buy receipts. We recognise that local authorities may also have questions around using receipts to fund First Homes.

“We will publish guidance clarifying all these practical questions and making it clear that there is no obligation on any local authority to use Right to Buy receipts for shared ownership properties or First Homes and that it will be down to individual authorities whether they make any use of this flexibility based on the needs of the local area.”

All coastal towns in England will be eligible for government funding to help them reopen as restrictions are eased, under new plans set out by ministers.

BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the £56m fund would also “spruce up” high streets and help councils welcome visitors back safely.

Pubs can erect marquees in their gardens for longer and there will be a crackdown on “cowboy parking firms”.

Labour said it was a “drop in the ocean” in terms of what areas needed.

England’s current “stay at home” regulations are expected to be lifted on 29 March, with most restrictions eased in various steps by the 21 June, based on certain conditions being met at each stage.

Announcing the latest tranche of funding, Mr Jenrick acknowledged it had been “an incredibly difficult period for retail and hospitality”.

He said the government would do everything it could to help businesses reopen safely.

There has been concern about how coastal areas in particular will cope with an expected influx of visitors.

When the first lockdown was eased last June, seaside resorts were gridlocked, with Bournemouth declaring a “major incident” as people flocked to the beach.

Mr Jenrick said that this time, £6m of the £56m Welcome Back fund would be specifically allocated to support coastal areas.

The remaining £50m will be distributed by central government to councils for things such as improving green spaces and providing more outdoor seating areas, markets and food pop-ups.

He also announced the government would be “cutting red tape” to allow pubs to erect marquees in their gardens for “the whole of the spring and summer”, rather than the 28 days currently permitted, so people can meet up with their family and friends “whatever the weather”.

And in a bid to attract more shoppers to the high street, ministers have announced a crackdown on cowboy parking firms.

There will be a new appeals process to try to curb unfair tickets and caps will be introduced on private parking fines.

The struggles of the hospitality sector amid multiple lockdowns have been well documented. And the independent retailers’ trade body Bira says the past 12 months have been the worst of its members’ lives – with crucial in-person Easter and pre-Christmas trade lost.

Once non-essential shops can open again, from 12 April in England, and any help to attract people back will no doubt be welcome. Businesses will want to make the most of pent-up demand in a safe way.

The same goes for hospitality. Assuming social distancing will still be in place at least to start with, maximising outdoor space will be crucial for venues which have it – especially during the first phase of their reopening when only outdoor service will be permitted.

Packages like these for high streets and towns won’t fix the long-term challenges facing town centres: shoppers going online, leaving big high street stores increasingly empty. Some customers have grown so used to internet shopping during a year of lockdowns that the habit will stick.

The hope will be, however, to make this a summer to remember after a winter to forget.

Government officials say this will “give drivers more confidence in heading into town knowing they won’t be unfairly penalised by rogue operators”.

Mr Jenrick said: “As we move to the next stage on the road map out of lockdown, we are all looking forward to being reunited with friends and family outdoors and making a safe and happy return to our favourite shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants.

“Our Welcome Back Fund gives every city, town and high street support to prepare for a great summer. This funding will help councils and businesses to welcome shoppers, diners and tourists back safely.

“As soon as the road map allows, we need to get behind our local businesses and enjoy all that this country has to offer and that we’ve been missing so much.”

But Labour has accused the Conservatives of presiding over “decades of decline”.

The shadow communities secretary, Steve Reed, said: “This is just a drop in the ocean compared to how much the Conservatives took away over a decade when they pushed our high streets and seaside towns into deep decline – and it’s not clear which areas will benefit.

“The Conservatives have done nothing to level the playing field between high street shops and online retailers. Now they want to hollow high streets out by selling off temporarily closed shops to wealthy developers so they can never reopen as shops again. “

“Last year I wrote about chocolate cake at a planning meeting on Facebook. Someone commented ‘I hope they choke on their cake’ and I ‘liked’ that comment. That was enough for the executive and officers to pursue me for six months, subjecting me to a standards hearing and splashing my name in all the papers saying that I had ‘incited violence’.

“They pretended to feel threatened by my cake story they spent £5,000 of public money and concluded that I’d brought the office of councillor into disrepute. So it’s hilarious that now the leader of Teignbridge Conservatives is standing squarely behind the comment ‘I know where you live… we are going to literally f*** you lot up you bull****ing thieving b****rds’.”

Cllr Liam Mullone who leads the Newton Says No party

A recommended read, draw your own conclusions – Owl

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

Teignbridge District Council’s HQ [Compare Blackdown House – Owl]

Conservative leader asked to denounce “intimidation”

Police are investigating reports that the son of a prominent Teignbridge politician sent threatening messages to a councillor.

Cllr Liam Mullone (Newton Says No party) has reported comments allegedly left on Cllr Mullone’s Facebook page by Andrew Bullivant, the son of Conservative leader on Teignbridge District Council, Phil Bullivant.

The comments are understood to have involved allegations of unfounded criminal behaviour by the ‘Newton Says No Group’ that Cllr Mullone leads, as well as threats towards him. One comment is believed to have said: ‘I know where you live… we are going to literally f*** you lot up you bull****ing thieving b****rds.’

Cllr Mullone has said that he takes the threats seriously and has called for Cllr Bullivant to step down from his role because he hasn’t condemned the action and harassment allegedly made against him.

He said: “Cllr Bullivant, when asked to simply disavow his son’s lies and threats, merely said that I was ‘reaping the whirlwind’. By which he seems to mean that you should expect threats and intimidation if you question his tactics.

“We raised a legitimate concern: that his son was friends with the lead developer and the lawyer advocating for NA3 – people the council had to fight, at massive public expense, in judicial review – and asked whether this was healthy. We did it through the proper channels. And the price for asking questions, apparently, is sanctioned intimidation.

“My problem, and that of my group, was entirely with Cllr Bullivant and the fact that you advocated for, and voted on, a development that would directly benefit your son and his friends. We had the right to raise this conflict of interest and we did it via the proper channels. We reluctantly accepted that you are allowed to do that. We left it there.”

He added: “It was your son who decided to spring to your defence and take this into all-out war, and to continue with it, and you seem to think that this is all right and proper, because we dared to question you in the chamber?

“I have to take threats seriously because I have a family, but I’m not bothered about the insults. I showed them to the whole council mostly because I find the hypocrisy sort of funny.

“Last year I wrote about chocolate cake at a planning meeting on Facebook. Someone commented ‘I hope they choke on their cake’ and I ‘liked’ that comment. That was enough for the executive and officers to pursue me for six months, subjecting me to a standards hearing and splashing my name in all the papers saying that I had ‘incited violence’.

“They pretended to feel threatened by my cake story they spent £5,000 of public money and concluded that I’d brought the office of councillor into disrepute. So it’s hilarious that now the leader of Teignbridge Conservatives is standing squarely behind the comment ‘I know where you live… we are going to literally f*** you lot up you bull****ing thieving b****rds’.”

But Cllr Bullivant said that he had no plans to step down from his role, the allegations of impropriety by him have not been proven, and that Cllr Mullone and his colleagues have previously resorted to attacks on those in favour of the NA3 development, including the ‘Rogues Gallery’ set up on their website before their election to the council.

Cllr Liam Mullone leads the Newton Says No party

He said: “In his attempt to justify fighting the NA3 development, Liam Mullone and his colleagues have resorted to a series of attacks against anyone who has a different opinion or believes in delivering the homes approved under the neighbourhood plan approved in 2013.

“The often vicious and malicious attacks have been made without recognition or acknowledgement of the facts and seem designed to vilify Teignbridge District Councillors, Teignbridge Officers and anyone who dares to question the NSN narrative.

“The allegations have been treated very seriously by Teignbridge who have incurred considerable costs in having independent examination of the facts and in every case found that the tactics employed by the NSN group have lacked credibility and have never been based on the true facts.”

He added: “In my case, they tried to implicate my family and I in a planning issue affecting part of NA3.

“Despite my adhering strictly to the full code of conduct and taking no part in any debate over the application and withdrawing from discussions during the debate, NSN then accused me of taking part in a debate over a different application, from a different land owner with a different team of advisers that had or has no connection with me or my family. This issue, because of the serious nature of the allegation was referred by me to the legal team of Teignbridge to conduct an independent review and establish the true facts.

“The resulting investigation carried out by a qualified person with no association with Teignbridge or any political party was completed last year and found that there were no conflicts of interest, and that the correct declaration of interest and actions had been taken and I had fully met the requirements of the Council.

“The matter was also passed by NSN to the police who confirmed no offence had been committed.”

Cllr Phil Bullivant is the opposition Conservative leader on Teignbridge District Council

Cllr Bullivant continued: “Despite the evidence, the in depth investigation, the lack of any link between the two planning applications the latest desperate moves by NSN and their supporters to move attention away from their actions is very concerning, particularly to anyone who believes in the truth.

“Their latest attacks seek to implicate my son, an estate agent who practices in Plymouth and Bristol because he has an unconnected professional relationship with one of the parties that brought forward the application that I declared an interest in and therefore took no part in discussions or decisions is not worthy of comment as the fact speak for themselves.

“NSN would do better to look after the interests of College and Ambrook wards rather than pursue their vindictive and aggressive agenda designed to sully the reputation of and bring down Teignbridge District Council.”

A police spokesman said: “Police are investigating reports that threatening messages were sent to an individual in Newton Abbot between November 11, 2020, and January 25, 2021. Police enquiries continue.”

At a time when the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital was battling Covid outbreaks, experiencing severe pressures and working with a significant number of staff absences, an announced visit by inspectors was carried out.

Anita Merritt www.devonlive.com

A focused inspection was carried out at the hospital by independent health and social care regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on January 19, because the trust had experienced more than one outbreak of hospital transmitted Covid-19.

The aim was to observe infection prevention and control measures, and speak to staff.

Just days before, the hospital revealed it was currently in the midst of its biggest surge of coronavirus patients since the pandemic began, with numbers expected to keep rising over the next few weeks.

At that stage, 186 people had died of the virus at the hospital as of January 12, and the total number of beds occupied with Covid-19 patients was 94, as of January 7. The total number of Covid related absences was 300 on January 6.

At the time of the CQC inspection, more than 7,000 of the 8,000 hospital site staff had been vaccinated, and patients were being vaccinated in line with the government directed vaccine program.

Also more staff had been given influenza vaccines than ever before.

The results of the inspection have been published today and the hospital has been praised for the ‘effective’ way it has been dealing with the pandemic.

It was also acknowledged the toll that dealing with the virus has placed upon staff, but that they have continued to deliver great care.

Amanda Williams, CQC’s head of hospital inspection for the South West, said: “I am pleased to report that Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital had effective processes in place to support standards of infection prevention and control, including managing cleanliness and creating a suitable environment.

“Staff received training in safe infection prevention and control procedures in line with national guidance and were aware of the trust’s IPC (infection prevention control) policies.

“In addition, the trust was focused on learning from mistakes and continuously improving IPC practices. There was an action plan in place to meet identified goals. Auditing of all infections had taken place and learnings had been shared across the trust.

“However, there were isolated occasions, particularly during busy periods, when some infection prevention control measures were not being followed according to recommended guidance.

“We have asked the trust to monitor this and take action to assure themselves of compliance regarding the appropriate levels of personal protective equipment, including enhanced personal protective equipment, to ensure its use is in line with national guidance.”

It was confirmed that all frontline staff were Covid-19 tested twice a week, and agency and bank staff were tested on their arrival to the ward, with results provided in minutes.

During the pandemic it was noted elevated levels of staff sickness had been experienced by the trust and it had created increased risk during the ongoing pandemic.

In December 2020 it had caused the trust to raise an internal incident alert.

The report said: “The strain of this was raised during our inspection by staff and leaders and was recognised by all as a strain on staff wellbeing.

“We were provided with data which showed that some improvement in staff sickness levels was evident. Senior team leaders considered this was due in part to improved testing of staff and improved infection prevention and control procedures within the trust.

“We observed support material and access to support services within the hospital. These included posters,leaflets, and screensavers. Staff told us they were able to raise concerns they may have about their physical and mental wellbeing and felt they would be heard.”

It added: “It was evident from speaking with staff that the challenges created by the pandemic had a physical and mental effect on their wellbeing, but they remained passionate about providing quality care to patients.

“We saw staff provide care in a compassionate way regardless of the difficulties created by Covid-19, and patients were comforted and reassured by kind and caring staff.”

Hospital leaders were praised for recognising staff fatigue by making wellbeing a major focus, such as having additional annual leave, rewards, and a full suite of support for staff psychological and physical health.

In terms of combating the numbers of patients with Covid-19, it was reported that all patients were tested for Covid-19 with a test on admission to the hospital, and then on their third and fifth day.

It was noted there was a plan to increase the frequency of patient testing to every other day.

It was added patients were tested 24 hours prior to being discharged to a care home, to their home with a package of care or if going home to a member of the family who was vulnerable.

Key points noted during the inspection included:

• Leaders operated effective governance processes. Staff at all levels were clear about their roles and accountabilities. Governance structures and the communication within them were effective to ensure that changes and learning supported patient safety across the trust.
• Leaders understood and managed the priorities and issues the service faced. They were visible and approachable in the service for both patients and staff.
• Staff felt respected, supported and valued. The service had an open culture where staff could raise concerns without fear.
• It was evident from speaking with staff that the challenges caused by the pandemic were both physically and mentally challenging, but they remained passionate about providing quality care to their patients.

• The service collected reliable data and analysed it. Staff could find the data they needed, in easily accessible formats. The information systems were integrated and secure.
• Leaders and teams used systems to manage performance effectively. They identified and escalated relevant risks and issues and identified actions to reduce their impact.
• All staff were committed to continually learning and improving services. There were systems and processes for learning, continuous improvement, and innovation. Leaders and staff also collaborated with partner organisations to help improve services for patients.

RD&E chief executive Suzanne Tracey said: “We welcome the CQC inspection and report that underlines the excellent work that has gone on across the Trust to keep our patients and staff safe, during one of the most challenging periods ever experienced by the NHS.

“We have worked very hard to ensure that we have followed – and at times gone above and beyond – the national guidelines recommended by PHE in our drive to be safe. As we move into a lower prevalence period we must continue to be vigilant, and we will continue to review our infection control measures to ensure that they are proportionate and effective.”