At last clarity!

The right wing think tank “Onward” publishes new research.

It shows that Devon and Cornall are among the areas within the region that need the greatest support (low wages, part time work, brain drain, poor connectivity).

But, according to the Western Morning News (which backs “The Great South West”), business leaders and politicians insisted yesterday that the challenges can be met providing Government makes the right investments.

So that’s all right then – pass the Catchup Ketchup! – Owl

www.ukonward.com

This morning we publish Levelling up the South West. The new research note, backed by a group of MPs from the South West of England, examines the relative performance of the South West economy against a number of indicators, covering earnings, employment, skills, local industries, and connectivity.

Read the research

On many metrics, the South West performs around average among UK regions, but this hides the notable deprivation in certain parts of the region, especially in pockets of Devon and Cornwall.

Much of the work in the South West is part time, and those below the median are paid poorly compared to their counterparts in the rest of the United Kingdom.

• Almost a quarter (23.2%) of 25-49 year-olds work part-time, compared to a fifth (19.5%) across the UK. Almost every constituency (90%) has part-time employment above the UK average, the highest of any region.
• The bottom 60% of part-time workers earn less than their counterparts in any other region. The bottom tenth earn 13% less than the bottom tenth nationally.

This is paired with a skills shortage among young people, a ‘brain drain’ as graduates leave for jobs elsewhere, and a greater reliance on less productive, lower-paying sectors.

• Devon is particularly short on highly-qualified young people. Just 24% of 20-29 year-olds have a degree, the fourth lowest of any other NUTS2 sub-region.
• Devon has twice the national share of students as its share of degree-educated young people, indicating a severe ‘brain drain’ as graduates leave the county for opportunities elsewhere.
• Cornwall and Devon are the top 2 regions for employment in retail and accommodation and food, but the median wage in these sectors is 26% and 31% less than average, respectively.

Unemployment rates have fallen much slower than other regions since the Great Recession.

• The South West has experienced the slowest decline in unemployment since the post-recession peak in 2011. Unemployment fell from 6.1% in 2011 to 3.2% in 2019.
• Contrast the South West’s post-recession recovery with Northern Ireland, where unemployment fell from 7.4% to 2.6% over the same period.

Connectivity is poor both in terms of transport and digital infrastructure.

• In Cornwall and Devon, the number of jobs reachable within 60 minutes by car is two times below the UK median, and five times below the median for jobs available within 90 minutes.
• The South West has almost twice the proportion of homes below the broadband universal service obligation as the national average (4.2% compared to 2.5%). In West Devon, 12.4% are below the USO, the eighth worst in the country.

Selaine Saxby, Conservative MP for North Devon, said:

“Onward’s findings are a stark insight of the need to level up across the country, not just in the north but here in the south west too, where we may have affluent areas, but we also have significant pockets of deprivation in places like Ilfracombe and Barnstaple in North Devon.

“We live in a beautiful part of the country, a desirable place to live, but it is not sustainable, for example, that our brightest graduates move elsewhere, seeking opportunities in better connected parts of the UK with stronger infrastructure, depriving local businesses of their talent and their ability to make a difference.

“The story of the South West is one of complex inequality that is not easily reflected in traditional interregional figures, particularly around the coast. I hope that the Government will take these findings seriously, as if it is truly to make a difference and level up the country as a whole, the south west cannot be ignored, and indeed deserves a special focus in its own right given the unique situation within which it finds itself.

“I am immensely grateful to Onward for their diligent work, research, and analysis, which goes deep into the intraregional figures and equality, and teases out the true picture, laying bare the reality of the situation on the ground.”

Cherilyn Mackrory, Conservative MP for Truro and Falmouth, said:

“I welcome this report by Onward which clearly shows why it is so important that the South West is not left behind by the Government’s ambitious levelling up agenda. The South West including the beautiful part of Cornwall which I represent faces a unique set of challenges due to a variety of factors, historical, geographical and economical. With our leaving the EU we now have a chance to address these issues and bring about real positive change that the South West needs.”

“This report highlights the challenges, both in jobs and skills as well as digital and physical connectivity that our region faces. It is for the Government to take notice and deliver on the change we need to ensure that not only are we not left behind, but instead prioritised and put at the forefront of this critical levelling up agenda in the future.”

John Penrose, Conservative MP for Weston-super-Mare, said:

“By definition, levelling up will need a different mix of reforms and improvements for each part of the country, because we’re all starting with a different mix of problems. So Onward’s work is essential for putting flesh on the policy bones, to show what it will mean in detail for the South West.”

Sewage treatment chemicals have been added to the growing list of products in short supply because of the UK’s chronic lorry driver shortage, it has emerged.

Lisa O’Carroll www.theguardian.com 

The government has told wastewater plants in England and Wales they may be able to discharge effluent that had not been fully treated because of disruption caused by “supply chain failure”.

In a regulatory position statement issued on Tuesday, the Environment Agency introduced a waiver that would mean some companies would not have to go through the third stage in the treatment of sewage if they did not have the right chemicals.

The waiver relates to a feared shortage of availability of ferric sulphate, an acidic solution used to suppress the growth of algae, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

It said the temporary relaxation of the rules would last until the end of the year to allow “discharges from water treatment works that cannot comply with permit conditions because of an unavoidable shortages of chemicals to treat effluent”.

A government spokesperson said the water supply to consumers would not be affected and any waste company that wished to avail of the waiver needed prior approval from Defra.

It also said that no water company had yet notified it of a shortage of ferric sulphate but it was introducing the regulatory position as a precautionary measure.

The chemicals industry is the latest in a series of sectors hit by the chronic shortage of lorry drivers caused by Brexit and the pandemic.

In recent weeks Nando’s has been hit by shortages of chicken, McDonald’s ran out of milkshakes and Ikea is struggling with supply of about 1,000 products including mattresses.

The Chemical Business Association said it had been warning Boris Johnson, transport secretary Grant Shapps and business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng since June this year about the potential disruption in the supply of critical chemicals for the water and agriculture industry.

A recent survey of its members showed that 93% were experiencing haulage shortages, up from 61% in the first quarter of the year.

One of its concerns is that the driver shortage will be worse in the chemical industry because of the requirement for additional qualifications for anyone carrying hazardous substances.

“We are seeing a real crunch on the driver front,” said Tim Doggett, CEO of the CBA.

“My concern and what I have said to the Department for Transport this morning is the game of musical chairs we will see. If you have a driver faced with a job which means he doesn’t have to get out of his cab to deal with dangerous substances and one that gets paid the same and has to handle hazards and be specially qualified to do so, you know which job the driver will go for,” he added.

A government spokesperson said: “This action is strictly time-limited and there are robust conditions in place to mitigate risks to the environment.

“The most sensitive and high-risk watercourses will not be affected and any company planning to make use of this short-term measure must first agree its use with the Environment Agency, which will be checking compliance.”

The South Western Ambulance Service has declared a major incident due to “extreme levels of pressure”.

Chloe Parkman www.devonlive.com

In a letter sent to staff, the ambulance service is urging any staff members, who are able to provide additional service either day or night, to come forward immediately.

In a statement within the letter, a spokesperson for South Western Ambulance Service said: “South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust have declared a Major Incident. This is due to extreme levels of pressure.

“Any SWAST staff member who is able to provide additional support for both days and nights, please contact the ROC directly.

“Thank you.

“South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.”

And, it is not the first time the ambulance service has made an announcement of the kind.

Back in May, South Western Ambulance Service declared a critical incident due to “extreme pressures” on paramedics in the region.

The NHS Foundation Trust tweeted that some patients may need to wait longer for an ambulance while others might need to seek help elsewhere.

In a statement on Twitter, a spokesperson for the ambulance said: “We have declared a critical incident due to extreme pressures on our service.

“As a result, some patients may wait longer for an ambulance while others could be advised to access alternative services if their call is not life-threatening.

“We need you to only call 999 in a genuine, life-threatening emergency so we can help those most in need.”