Conservatives nearly knocked into third place!

Britain’s top engineers are urging the government to stop buildings being demolished.

By Roger Harrabin www.bbc.co.uk

Making bricks and steel creates vast amounts of CO2, with cement alone causing 8% of global emissions.

They say the construction industry should where possible re-use buildings, employ more recycled material, and use machinery powered by clean fuels.

They are concerned about “embodied emissions”, which is the CO2 emitted when buildings and materials are made..

They believe that unlike carbon from aircraft, vehicles and gas boilers, embodied emissions are not in people’s minds.

They suspect few people realise there’s a carbon impact from, for instance, building a home extension.

The report, steered by the Royal Academy of Engineering, said a new way of thinking is needed before planning new homes, factories, roads and bridges.

Prof Rebecca Lunn from Strathclyde University, one of the report’s authors, said: “Our biggest failure is that we build buildings, then we knock them down and throw them away. We must stop doing this.”

Fellow author, Mike Crook, adjunct professor at Imperial College, challenged the government’s £27bn road-building programme because of the embodied emissions created to obtain the concrete and tarmac, as well as the use of very polluting machines to construct the highways.

Prof Crook told BBC News: “We have to radically revise the way we look at things.

“The most important thing is to maximise the use of existing road infrastructure by using smart motorways to maximise every inch of tarmac.”

Speaking in a personal capacity, he added that the decision on Heathrow expansion should be re-visited following stronger warnings from climate scientists.

Prof Crook said questions should be asked whether projects such as HS2 – with its massive embodied carbon – will really benefit future generations.

media captionClimate change: Should we be demolishing buildings?

The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers’ Dr Julie Godefroy urged the government to set targets for the construction industry to move swiftly towards zero carbon, including embodied emissions.

She observed: “We have to avoid demolition and new-build. Often most of the material in an existing building is underground – so we should seek to use existing foundations.”

media captionAbout 88kg of explosives were used to reduce the tower to 10,000 tonnes of debris

A spokesperson for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) responded to a request from BBC News for a comment by stating that the UK was a “world leader in tackling climate change”.

They added: “We are committed to reducing emissions from the construction sector, and have set up the Construct Zero programme to support the industry to achieve their climate commitments.”

The spokesperson said that the government, earlier this year, had set out their Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, which was “the government’s comprehensive assessment” of how industry, including the construction sector, could decarbonise in line with the government’s net-zero plans.

Also, they explained, ministers this week had announced £220 million of funding to help UK industry reduce their carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency.

Refurb over rebuild

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) estimates that 35% of the lifecycle carbon from a typical office development is emitted before the building is even opened. The figure for residential premises is 51%.

It wants the government to change the VAT rules which can make it cheaper to rebuild than to refurbish a standing building.

Its managing editor Will Hurst said: “This staggering fact has only been properly grasped in the construction industry relatively recently. We’ve got to stop mindlessly pulling buildings down.”

Life expectancy has risen in Devon, despite the impact of the pandemic causing stalling and falling levels across much of the UK.

Edward Oldfield www.devonlive.com

Figures released by the Officer for National Statistics (ONS) show that for men in the area, life expectancy at birth was 80.7 years in 2018 to 2020 – up from 80.4 years in 2015 to 2017 – a rise of 14 weeks.

For women, it rose by 22.4 weeks, taking life expectancy at birth from 84.2 years in 2015 to 2017 to 84.6 years in 2018 to 2020, although the rise was not seen in all parts of the area.

Life expectancy in Torbay has fallen – life expectancy at birth for men was 78.6 years in 2018 to 2020, down from 78.7 years in 2015 to 2017.

For women, life expectancy at birth fell from 82.8 years in 2015 to 2017 to 82.5 years in 2018 to 2020.

Life expectancy also fell for men in Plymouth, down from 79.0 years in 2015 to 2017 to 78.8 years in 2018 to 2020.

However, for women, it rose from 82.2 years in 2015 to 2017, to 82.5 years in 2018 to 2020.

The figures released this morning by the ONS are the first to include higher death rates seen in 2020 due to coronavirus.

Life expectancy at birth in the UK in 2018 to 2020 was 79.0 years for men and 82.9 years for women.

Compared to 2015 to 2017, that was seven weeks less for men, and almost no change for women (a slight increase of 0.5 weeks).

Pamela Cobb, Centre for Ageing and Demography at the ONS, said the coronavirus pandemic led to a greater number of deaths than normal in 2020, leading to virtually no improvement in life expectancy for women and life expectancy for men falling back to levels reported for 2012 to 2014.

She said: “Life expectancy has increased in the UK over the last 40 years, albeit at a slower pace in the last decade.

“This is the first time we have seen a decline when comparing non-overlapping time periods since the series began in the early 1980s.

“These estimates rely on the assumption that current levels of mortality, which are unusually high, will continue for the rest of someone’s life.

“Once the coronavirus pandemic has ended and its consequences for future mortality are known, it is possible that life expectancy will return to an improving trend in the future.”

Life expectancy for those aged 65 years was another 18.5 years for men and 21.0 years for women.

These estimates are very similar to those for 2015 to 2017, with a slight decline of a week for men and an increase of 3.1 weeks for women.

Male life expectancy between 2018 and 2020 was highest in the South East (80.6 years) and lowest in Scotland (76.8 years), with a similar pattern for women, with the highest levels in London (84.3 years) and lowest in Scotland (81.0 years).

The impact of reduced life expectancy – like the impact of the pandemic – varied across the country.

There were significant reductions in male life expectancy at birth in England (7.8 weeks) and Scotland (11.0 weeks) in 2018 to 2020 compared with 2015 to 2017.

In Wales, male and female life expectancy at birth saw non-significant reductions between the same periods.

There were large falls in male life expectancy at birth in the North East (16.7 weeks) and Yorkshire and The Humber (16.2 weeks).

For women, it significantly reduced in the West Midlands (9.9 weeks).

Meanwhile, the South West saw a significant increase in life expectancy for women (17.7 weeks) and an increase in male life expectancy (5.7 weeks).

The continued improvement in life expectancy observed in the South West coincides with lower excess deaths and lower mortality involving Covid-19,compared with other regions of England.

See online DevonLive article for detailed data tabulation.

“Woman” in this case is Councillor Jess Bailey, and this is leafy West End West Hill and Aylesbeare ward. Since this is next to Ottery St Mary, Owl is surprised the monitoring officer did not order her to be “Tarred and Feathered”!

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

A councillor has been ordered to make a public apology for stopping trees being cut down.

Cllr Jess Bailey, who represents West Hill and Aylesbeare on East Devon District Council, had stood on a public verge under an oak and beech tree and then parked her car under them in January 2021 when a developer attempted to cut them down.

Her actions protected the trees until a Council tree officer attended and served a Tree Preservation Order on them.

But property developer Robert Compton had complained about her actions, and a standards investigation carried out in Cllr Bailey’s actions upheld a complaint that she did not conduct herself in a manner or behave in such a way so as to give a reasonable person the impression that you have brought the office or the Council into disrepute.

As a result of not following the police request to leave the scene, Cllr Bailey has been directed to make a public apology – but she has said that she was doing what she thought was right and in the interests of the community she was elected to represent.

The incident happened on Saturday, January 16, 2021, during England’s third national lockdown, and because she introduced herself when she arrived as the councillor for West Hill, it was accepted that she was acting as a councillor and not a private individual at the time.

Jess Bailey in front of the protection oak and beech tree in West Hill (Image: Jess Bailey)

Cllr Bailey said: “I started to receive worried phone calls from residents, I quickly went to Oak Road, West Hill to see what was happening. The woodland village of West Hill has been blighted by developers pre-emptively felling trees over the years and I am always concerned about this controversial practice. It particularly worried me that this felling was happening on a Saturday during lockdown.

“A large birch had already been felled and an oak and beech were soon to be removed. These formed part of a highly prized avenue of trees formally recognised as a ‘valued view’ by the community in the Ottery St Mary and West Hill Neighbourhood Plan, a planning document which has been voted on by residents.”

She added: “Despite my best efforts and a series of frantic phone calls to Council officials I could not get a tree officer to attend at the time to protect the trees. The Council has in the past declined to protect these very trees with a TPO on the basis that they were not under immediate threat. Yet on the day when the trees were under immediate threat no one from the Council was available to protect them.

“I was at a loss to know what to do and therefore felt I had to take direct action to save the trees. I was determined to save the wonderful trees and so I stood on the public verge underneath them which prevented further work. I was not alone in being concerned about what was happening – other residents were equally dismayed.

“I have the utmost respect for the police who I’m certain were only trying to do their best in the difficult situation that was lockdown. They were however unclear on their power to send me home – which was not surprising given the constantly changing rules and laws at this time. I believed (and still believe) that I was lawfully present within lockdown rules.

“When talking to the police I felt hugely conflicted between staying to protect the trees and leaving as the police indicated I should. After a while of engaging and explaining their views to me the police became more insistent that I should leave or I would be issued with a Covid fine if I did not. I duly left and went home without any fine being issued. When I left, my car remained parked for the weekend on the verge, still under the trees.”

The oak and beech tree in West Hill protected by Cllr Jess Bailey (Image: Jess Bailey)

Cllr Bailey added: “As a result of my actions the trees are still standing, and had I not taken the action I did – including not leaving immediately on the arrival of the police – I have no doubt the trees in question, and possibly others, would have been removed.

“It is incredibly common for developers to suddenly fell beautiful and mature trees to make way for development and in most instances no one can do anything about it. This time because of my intervention I am pleased that a mature oak and beech that form part of a beautiful avenue of trees were retained.”

The report of East Devon District Council’s monitoring officer dismissed the majority of the complaints made by Mr Compton, saying that taking videos / photos of the scene is not a breach of the code of conduct and would not be generally unacceptable, nor was requesting a TPO.

And he said that while unpalatable to some and of course to the complainant, he did not consider that her behaviour, where she stood under one of the trees to prevent it being felled and organised for a car to be parked under the tree for the same purpose, from an objective standard, was sufficient to amount to causing disrepute to the role of councillor or to the Council.

The report said: “The land in question is public highway and had the complainant wished to prevent anyone from exercising their lawful right to ‘use’ the highway when the works were to be undertaken, then there are mechanisms to secure a temporary suspension of those rights which would have precluded anyone from being able to stop the works in the way that happened.”

But the report did conclude that as a councillor, not leaving when requested to do so by the Police, who were concerned from a Covid and unauthorised gatherings perspective, particularly given the sensitivities and concerns around Covid, does not set a good example to others in terms of respecting authority and would reduce public confidence in the role of councillor.

It said: “I consider that this conduct and behaviour is such that it would give a reasonable person the impression that Cllr Bailey has brought her office into disrepute and as such is a breach of the code of conduct.”

Cllr Bailey said: “I am disappointed that the Monitoring Officer has found me to have ‘brought the office of councillor into disrepute’, when trying to protect trees. I was doing what I thought was right and in the interests of the community I have been elected to represent.”

Members of Barnstaple Town Council are urging the Government to help alleviate the current housing crisis in the region.

Lewis Clarke www.devonlive.com

Councillor Peter Leaver put forward a motion which was approved at the council’s meeting declaring a crisis in the rented housing market in the area.

He told the meeting that the situation has become ‘heartbreaking’ in North Devon with stories of people being made homeless.

Cllr Leaver said: “Parishes across North Devon including Bideford and Ilfracombe have declared a crisis in the rented housing market in their areas.

“I’m asking that we do the same here in solidarity with them.

“I’m sure that all of us who have been on Facebook or who watch the television have heard the heartbreaking stories of families being made homeless in North Devon through no fault of their own. This is because of the change in private renting.”

He said private rented accommodation was now being used for holiday lets, meaning as tenancies come to an end, people had nowhere to move into.

“The blame for this is being talked about; faults in the planning system and the council not getting its act together, although our district council is doing a lot about this,” Cllr Leaver added.

“It has to be said North Devon has over-delivered on housing in the three years up to January 2021 by one and a half times what is expected.

“All of the major housing allocations in the Local Plan now have at least outline planning consent.

“This is not a matter of building ourselves out of a problem, there are other measures which need to be taken into account.

“This motion asks the town council to recognise this crisis in North Devon which affects everybody, not just the coastal communities but towns as well.

“Secondly, we write to our MP and government to propose some straightforward measures which can be taken very quickly to help alleviate the problems happening this autumn as we move into winter for people likely to lose their houses.”

Cllr Ian Roome backed the motion, saying: “North Devon needs more social housing to rent.

“The increase of people claiming Universal Credit is 114 per cent in England but in Devon 144 per cent.

“In North Devon it is 188 per cent of over 50s claiming.

“It’s because homelessness is not only about homes, but also about wages.

“We pay less in North Devon than anywhere else.

“The house prices are sky high compared to anywhere else. We need more social housing for rent, not to buy.

“People can’t get a mortgage, and people are being priced out of the housing market.”

The first Covid-19 booster vaccinations have been administered in Devon.

Philippa Davies sidmouth.nub.news

The jabs are being offered to people most at risk from Covid-19 who have already had two doses of a vaccine. In line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, they will receive either one dose of the Pfizer vaccine or half a dose of the Moderna vaccine.

The priority list includes:

• people aged 50 and over

• residents of care homes for older adults

• frontline health and social care workers

• people aged 16 and over with a health condition that puts them at high risk of getting seriously ill from Covid-19

• carers aged 16 and over

• people aged 16 and over who live with someone who is more likely to get infections (such as someone who has HIV, has had a transplant or is having certain treatments for cancer, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis)

People who are pregnant and in one of the eligible groups can also get a booster dose.

How can I get my booster?

The NHS will contact all those who are eligible for the jab by letter, text or email. Most will receive an invitation to book their booster dose through the National Booking Service within the next three weeks, and the jab will be given at least six months after they had their second dose. People are being urged not to contact the NHS for their booster dose before then.

The nearest mass vaccination site for people in East Devon will be the Greendale Centre on the A3052. The jabs will also be offered at pharmacies and GP practices, and there will be pop-up vaccine clinics, as with the initial vaccination programme.

Vaccine teams will visit care homes and offer both staff and residents the vaccine at the same time.

Third doses for people who are severely immunosuppressed

A third dose is being offered to people over 12 who were severely immunosuppressed at the time of their first or second dose, including those with leukaemia, advanced HIV and recent organ transplants. This offer is separate to the booster programme.

These people may not have a full immune response to vaccination and therefore may be less protected than the wider population. These patients are being identified through their GP or consultant and invited to book their third dose. There has been high take-up of this offer in Devon.

A good day in court.

goodlawproject.org

For months, Government has been refusing to hand over evidence in our challenge concerning Abingdon Health, the testing company awarded £85 million worth of contracts without competition. Yesterday we took Government to Court to fight for this evidence – and we had a good day. 

The Judge ordered the search of Matt Hancock’s WhatsApp messages and personal email accounts. We believe this is the first time a Judge has ordered a Minister, or ex-minister, to hand over their personal WhatsApps and text messages.

In fact, the Judge seemed to share our view more generally that Government’s explanations for why they haven’t recovered information from Ministers’ devices simply do not stack up, and he ruled as follows:

• Lord Bethell must provide a Witness Statement to the Court to explain – once and for all – what happened to his phone.
• Government needs to provide a Witness Statement to the Court explaining how they are going to ensure they recover all the necessary data from Bethell’s phone.
• In addition to coughing up Lord Bethell’s private emails, Government must also trawl Matt Hancock’s personal emails and WhatsApps for relevant information as to how these contracts came to be awarded with no competition. 

We will now get to see previously hidden messages from the Ministers involved in awarding these lucrative contracts. We will also issue an application against Professor Sir John Bell in respect of his documents (to cover WhatsApp, University of Oxford emails and personal emails). He has previously refused to share any of his records, despite his hugely significant role in the contract awards. 

Will these documents shed more light on the murky goings on in the awarding of these contracts? Contracts which Ministers overruled their own legal advisors to sign, leaving taxpayers with a multi-million pound bill when it turned out the tests didn’t even work.

The Judge remarked yesterday that Good Law Project is “holding the government – correctly – to high standards of conduct, both in the awards of contracts and generally” – and we will continue to do so. 

We will be publishing more extraordinary revelations later this week.

In the 2019 election the Exe Valley ward was contested by only two candidate who polled as follows:

Fabian KIng Liberal Democrat    378 votes

Kevin Wraight, Conservative      289 votes

This time Labour has joined the fray. So much then for all the talk about forming a “progressive alliance” to counter the dominance of the Conservative Party under the first past the post system at the next general election!

This what Martin Shaw wrote on on the bias that the first past the post “winner takes all” system produces between votes cast and seats gained in his “Seaton and Colyton Matters blog after this year’s County Council elections:

Analysis of the 6th May [County Council] election results shows the challenge facing the opposition in future elections in East Devon. The bottom line, reported here before, is that the Tories got 83.3 per cent of the seats for 43.8 per cent of the vote. The non-Conservative parties and Independents between them got 16.7 per cent of the seats for 56.2 per cent of the vote.

These figures make an overwhelming case for (1) proportional representation and (2), so long as we’ve got the First Past The Post system, a Progressive Alliance, if the opposition is to win under the existing system.

Indeed a serious worry emerges. The Tory share of the vote which gave them this majority of seats, 43.8, was 7.6 per cent higher than their vote in the EDDC elections of 2019 – when they lost control of the council for the first time. The Tory vote in 2019 was exceptionally low (the result of the pre-Brexit confusion), meaning that even with split opposition votes, they lost a lot of seats.

If the Tories consolidate their return to their normal 40-45 per cent range in 2021, the current progressive majority at EDDC will lose ground unless more serious steps are taken towards a Progressive Alliance strategy. See longer post here.

Candidates explain why they want your vote

Joe Ives – Local Democracy Reporter www.devonlive.com

Voters in Exe Valley, a ward in East Devon, will go to the polls on Thursday to elect a new representative for East Devon District Council.

The by-election was called following the resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor Fabian King in July, who said he was stepping down to focus on his business which had been affected by Covid.

The vote will be a three-horse race between Mike Daniel (Labour), Kevin Wraight (Conservatives) and Jamie Kemp (Liberal Democrats).

Polls will open at 7am on Thursday, September 23, and close at 10pm.

The three Exe Valley candidates have explained why they are standing, what they see as the most important issues in East Devon and in the Exe Valley in particular, and what they would like to do if elected.

Mike Daniel – Labour

1. Why are you standing?

“I’m standing for the same reason I think many candidates choose to, which is that I want to do more for the area I live in and feel that this is a great way to do so.

Beyond that I know I can bring a unique background as a district councillor in that I have years of experience working in local government as I currently work for Devon County Council as part of the highways department. This experience means I understand the quirks of local government from both sides and that I’ll be able to hit the ground running faster than others.”

2. What are the most important issues in East Devon and in Exe Valley in particular?

“Listening to fellow residents from across the ward over the last few weeks, there’s a real commonality in many of the issues raised, whether it be poor infrastructure, lack of affordable housing, or simply rubbish going uncollected, which is a sense that the area is forgotten or treated as a poor relation compared to other parts of East Devon.

“It was only a few weeks ago now that we all saw this in practice where the Conservative and Liberal Democrats on the planning committee by a majority forced an industrial digestate plant on our area against massive local opposition.”

3. What would you like to do if elected?

“Obviously there are big picture issues that I would like to get movement on such as making sure that the new local plan provides affordable, sustainable housing that the community needs and increased support for our more rural areas who suffer from being cut off in regards to both transport and broadband.

“But the most basic bread-on-the-table issue I want to resolve is that lack of feeling listened to that permeates the area by establishing a frequent series of community forums/councillor surgeries so that people can actually meet with their district councillor on a regular basis and not simply hoping a hidden-away email address is monitored, as is all too common.”

Kevin Wraight –Conservative

1. Why are you standing?

“I have been lucky to live in the Exe Valley for quite some time and now this opportunity has arisen. I want to be elected so that I can work for my neighbours and the area I love so much.

“I am already doing much for the community including working with Network Rail to put signs on the level crossing asking motorists to switch their engines off whilst waiting for trains to pass, which will help to keep the air quality as high as possible for the residents.”

2. What are the most important issues in East Devon and in Exe Valley in particular?

“Having spoken to many Exe Valley residents, I know that broadband is a big issue, especially in the outlying areas. This will be a major focus for me and has highlighted how important it is for homes and businesses to have fast, high-quality broadband connections. The covid pandemic has underlined this with many of us forced to work, study, carry out leisure activities and internet and shop from home.

“The environment is also of major importance to the community, we must fight to preserve it and do our bit towards reducing the effects of global warming in our valley.

“Our communications and infrastructure must be kept to a high standard. By this, I mean the roads, bus routes, footpaths and cycle lanes, and if elected I look forward to working as your [Exe Valley residents’] councillor on these issues, especially looking at ways to reduce the speed of vehicles through our villages which is an area of great concern to many residents. It isn’t about grand plans; I want to work on the day to day issues that can be changed.”

3. What would you like to do if elected?

“If I were to be successful I would begin working with our parish councils to draw up a list of priorities which I can carry forward on their behalf to East Devon District Council, but also to our county councillors and ultimately members of parliament – people I know and already work with. I can’t truly represent the Exe Valley unless I have input from the community and liaising with my neighbours will be my first priority.”

Jamie Kemp – Liberal Democrat

1. Why are you standing?

“I’m standing because I’ve lived in the heart of the Exe Valley for quite a few years now and I care about our communities. Too often, though, the needs of villages in the rural areas are just overlooked, particularly with the Exe Valley and its location – sort of being stuck up in the top corner of East Devon.

“I believe I can provide a voice to make sure that East Devon Council actually listens to the residents of the Exe Valley.

2. What are the most important issues in East Devon and in Exe Valley in particular?

“Obviously we’ve all gone through the pandemic and that’s been quite challenging, I think, for everybody. We face all kinds of uncertainties going forward and we need to maintain our essential services – it’s a definite priority.

“We also need to have proper control of the planning systems. There are too many developments now that are in the interests of a very small minority and not the residents of the Exe Valley – big anaerobic digestate plants and all that. They’re starting to cause issues across the Exe Valley with the scaling up of the industry – if I can call it an industry – and that’s something that’s really really important.”

3. What would you like to do if elected?

“If I’m elected on Thursday, I would like to repay the trust and expectation placed in me by speaking out fearlessly for the communities of the Exe Valley.

Speaking about the current coalition controlling East Devon District Council, Mr Kemp said: “I think the Democratic Alliance is a good thing. It leads to open discussions from different political backgrounds. Rather than fighting against one another, I think it’s very important that we work together.”

Exclusive: Government accused of ‘wasting time and taxpayers’ money’ after spending heavily on legal challenges to prevent Freedom of Information releases

Jenna Corderoy www.opendemocracy.net

The UK government has spent at least half a million pounds on legal fees trying to prevent the release of information under Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation over the last five years, openDemocracy can reveal.

At least six government departments spent heavily on legal challenges to decisions from the information regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office, to release information in response to FOI requests.

The Department of Health and Social Care spent almost half a million pounds on legal costs challenging decisions from the ICO that they must release information FOI, including spending more than £129,000 fighting on a single case, to try and stop the release of ministerial diaries. Eventually, a judge ruled that most of the information should be released, against the wishes of the government.

Elsewhere, the Department for Work and Pensions launched three appeals against ICO decisions since 2018, spending more than £80,000, while the Department for Education has racked up a bill of more than £52,000.

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The fees included outside counsel as well as the cost of lawyers from the Government’s Legal Department. Some of the cases are still on going but in most the government was ultimately forced to release the information.

Commenting on openDemocracy’s findings, Duncan Hames, director of policy at Transparency International UK, said: “These figures will no doubt come as a shock to taxpayers who have effectively bankrolled these attempts to obstruct the public’s right to know.

“The government should stop wasting time and taxpayer money opposing legitimate freedom of information requests and do what it’s required to by the law,” he added.

I expect that for the government, spending £20,000 to make a journalist give up is good value

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spent £13,000 trying to avoid having to disclose the register of interests of its special advisers to The Times. 

In another case, DHSC spent £20,000 trying to stop journalist Sid Ryan from obtaining information about fire safety in hospitals. Ryan was told his Freedom of Information request was “vexatious”, but a tribunal disagreed and ruled against the government.

The tribunal recognised Ryan’s work as having serious purpose and value. But during the appeal, a witness for the Department of Health said: “The department’s view (which I share) is that Mr Ryan is trying to prove a conspiracy theory of his own.” It was suggested that the department should apologise to Ryan for making that remark.

Ryan left journalism shortly after the tribunal. He told openDemocracy: “The process was so slow, so physically and mentally draining for the requester and to be branded as vexatious and a conspiracy theorist after all that work was deeply upsetting.

“For me, that whole process was a complete waste of time. But I expect that from the government’s perspective, spending £20,000 to make an investigative journalist give up is very good value for money.”

openDemocracy. All rights reserved

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spent £38,950 trying to block a request from another journalist, who had asked to see copies of official ministerial diaries. The ICO ruled that the information should have been released, but the department appealed to the tribunal.

The appeal was later dismissed, and internal communications obtained by The Guardian revealed how the government knew it had little chance of succeeding.

Other government departments were unable to tell openDemocracy how much they had spent on appeals, claiming that it would cost too much to investigate and provide figures. This includes the Cabinet Office, which runs a controversial Clearing House unit that vets FOI responses from across government.

News of the scale of government spending to avoid transparency comes ahead of a parliamentary inquiry into Freedom of Information launched in the wake of openDemocracy’s revelations about the Clearing House.

openDemocracy went to court after the Cabinet Office appealed against the ICO’s ruling that it should disclose the advice the Clearing House gives to other government departments

openDemocracy also asked for how much the government had spent on fighting the ICO’s ruling, only to be told that final invoicing costs have not yet been confirmed.

Details of the scale of government spending to prevent FOI disclosure come as a new poll for openDemocracy found that seven in ten UK adults were concerned by the sharp fall in FOI responses across government departments.

Views on government transparency are shared across the political spectrum, with 83% of Conservative voters and 76% of Labour voters agreeing that it is important for democracy, according the poll, which was carried out by SavantaComRes.

‘Opposition for the sake of it’

Author Andrew Lownie has spent four years and £250,000 fighting for the release of Lord Mountbatten’s diaries, after his attempts were blocked by Southampton University, which owns the archive, and the Cabinet Office. Lownie said the government seemed to have a policy of opposing transparency.

“If the government directed the money they spend on frustrating FOI requests on actually assessing and releasing material then there might be greater confidence in FOI,” he told openDemocracy.

“The policy seems to be opposition for the sake of it, even on files which pose no threat to security or data protection.

“The Cabinet Office and Southampton University have consistently refused to say how much they have spent on my fight to see the Mountbatten diaries and letters, beyond Southampton admitting to £33,000 just on a QC for the case management hearings.

The policy seems to be opposition for the sake of it, even on files which pose no threat to security

“Given I’ve spent £250,000 on subsidised rates with a young barrister and they have deployed very expensive QCs in a double defence, it probably runs to double that – all for material which should never have been closed in the first place and is innocuous. Might that money not be better spent on the NHS?”

The government said it was “committed to being open and transparent”, but needed to “balance the need of making information available with our duty to protect sensitive information”.

A spokesperson said: “Just like any other public authority, under the FOI Act the government has a right to appeal ICO rulings and set out our position when we feel there is a need to protect particularly sensitive information, including related to national security and personal data.

“We routinely disclose information beyond our obligations under the FOI Act, and are releasing more proactive publications than ever before.”

It is said that the greatest curse of the Chinese philosopher, Confucius, was to say to his enemies, “may you live in interesting times”. This is pretty much what 2021 so far feels like to a British citizen today.

Paul Arnott www.sidmouthherald.co.uk 

Understandably, we don’t like to wear a hair shirt every day, but when this year comes to be summarised on New Year’s Eve it will be impossible for commentators not to note the withdrawal of the British from Afghanistan, or the manifest lack of preparation the Conservative government had made to protect the lives and interests of those Afghans who had fought against the Taliban insurgency alongside us.

Boris Johnson will hope that with the sacrifice of the now ex-Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, political patron of East Devon’s MP Simon Jupp, the story can “move on”. Mistakes made, lessons learned, and all that old flannel.

This cold attitude, thank heavens, does not take into account the innate sense of justice and kindness present in many millions of British people, who do not judge everything by its price or what a series of actions can do for them. As testimony to this, since the chaotic departure from Kabul, I have been inundated with offers from good people to provide homes for refugees. And this is where the cynical Confucius got it wrong; it’s not about being cursed by having to live in “interesting times” but how individually and collectively we respond to them.

For that reason, I feel the people of Exmouth and East Devon should take great pride that last weekend Exmouth received 60 Afghan refugees – on a temporary basis it is important to add – who are now lodged in a hotel booked by central government. This is one part of government making up for the selfish idiocy of another, and is to be welcomed.

The refugees are 60 people in 12 family groups. There are 28 children under 12, with 37 under 18. There are quite a few young parents, and none are older than 57. There is one disabled child, and fortunately there are eight fluent English speakers who have volunteered to translate. Of the total, six families already have close links to families in the UK and this will have implications for resettlement when offering more permanent accommodation.

So far, local people – bar the usual keyboard warrior best left in their own shavings – have been nothing but welcoming. And in particular here I would like to fly the flag for local government, which in this case has been a magnificent and multi-agency response including Devon County Council, East Devon District Council and Exmouth Town Council. All these are democratically elected authorities, and you pay for them through various chunks of your annual council tax.

They have risen to the occasion and I can report to you that they have responded with extraordinary speed. Matters like this are profoundly complex. We need to think of clothing, medical help, a small amount of financial assistance, catering, and child welfare – just some of the many matters which need daily attention.

And then there is the further assessment of need, and where these people would like to live. As I said above, some already have connections in the UK, and all previous examples of this kind of inward migration prove that such refugees go on to be productive, tax-paying members of the local communities. I have no doubt that from a local government, national health and policing perspective all that can conceivably be done is being done now.

Yet we all know that at times of fear like this for these unfortunate Afghan people the hand of friendship means as much as material help, and so I applaud Exmouth mayor, Cllr Steve Gazzard, and

other local councillors like Eileen Wragg and Joe Whibley who have got themselves down to the hotel as fast as possible and uttered that crucial word: WELCOME.

Ambulances have waited for almost 67,000 hours – more than seven years – outside the region’s three main hospitals in the past two and a half years, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

Olivier Vergnault www.devonlive.com

According to figures obtained from the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT), ambulances crews, and therefore patients, have had to wait a total of 26,448 hours outside the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske in Truro between January 1, 2019, and June 30, 2021.

Over the same period of time, ambulances had to wait a combined total of 27,120 hours outside A&E at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth and 13,425 hours outside the emergency department at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in Exeter. Converted into days, these figures equate to 1,102 days (three years), 1,130 days (just above three years) and 560 days (one and a half years) respectively.

The figures mean that ambulances crews have spent a combined total of more than seven years waiting outside Devon and Cornwall’s three main hospitals in the past two and a half years, up to the end of June 2021, before being able to discharge their patients.

The figures also show that ambulances waited almost 24,000 hours outside the three hospitals in the first six months of 2021 alone – almost the same at the total for the whole of last year.

Ambulances and crews tied up outside the region’s hospitals are unable to attend other incidents, even if they might be more urgent.

In a joint statement, all three hospital trusts apologised for patients having to wait longer to get into emergency departments and insisted investment was taking place across Devon and Cornwall to alleviate the pressure by creating extra capacity, with new theatres and diagnostic facilities in Plymouth and at the former NHS Nightingale hospital in Exeter and a new ward unit under construction at Treliske.

The three trusts say they are also encouraging people to embark on careers in care and trying to recruit more hospital staff, but also have to ensure their staff are not overworked so they can do their jobs properly and are looked after.

A lack of beds at the region’s hospitals, underfunding in the NHS and hospitals in general and the lack of a cohesive social and health care programme, which would allow for so called ‘bed-blockers’ to be released and cared for in the community when they no longer need hospital care, have all been blamed over the years for increasing ambulance waiting times.

Peter Levin, from the watchdog West Cornwall Healthwatch, said many patients used to be discharged from acute hospitals to recover in community hospitals, but these had been closed down.

“The acute hospitals say it’s not their job to provide rehabilitation and recovery facilities,” Dr Levin said. “They do exist in Cornwall but they are in community hospitals, and NHS Kernow has made it its mission to close such beds. We’ve already lost the only two community hospitals in Penwith. Two more – Fowey and Saltash – are on the way. That’s 40 beds gone, with some residents discharged from Treliske being sent to the other end of the county as a result.

“What is needed is ‘joined-up thinking’ that covers a patient’s entire journey from admission to hospital through to recovery and rehabilitation. It is sadly absent at present.”

In August health and care leaders issued a joint letter describing “ongoing extreme surge in demand”, which included 700 people in need of care and support that was currently unavailable in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The letter said more than 20 care homes were closed due to Covid-19, while more than 400 people had visited the Royal Cornwall Hospital’s emergency department over the weekend of August 21 to 22; the NHS 111 telephone advice service had received more than 2,000 calls during the same period, and some patients with dementia were not being treated in locations designed for their needs.

Cherilyn Mackrory, the Conservative MP for Truro and Falmouth, said she was very much aware of the situation and insisted she had been in regular contact with both the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust and SWASFT to discuss what steps they were taking to ease these issues and how she could help.

“It’s been an unprecedented summer in Cornwall, with record visitors,” she said. “With that comes huge demand on our NHS – particularly on the emergency department at Treliske. We’ve all seen the stories and the pictures of the ambulances queued up outside. This is not an ideal situation and to any of you who have had to wait for an ambulance, I can only apologise.

“There is a lot of hard work going on to address this. The ambulance queues, in particular, are exacerbated by Covid restrictions at the hospital, with people not being allowed to wait in corridors and therefore having to stay with ambulances, therefore causing further delays and backlogs both at the hospital itself and also with the ambulance service.

“Obviously another ongoing issue is – much as I don’t like the term – so-called ‘bed-blocking’, with people who are otherwise able to leave the hospital being kept in because of the lack of social care plans to get them home.

“This is currently being addressed by the new administration at Cornwall Council on a local level, but I would also be remiss in not commenting on the recent changes announced by the Prime Minister, unprecedented as they are, which will put a considerable boost into our health and social care system.”

A SWASFT spokesman said: “NHS services across the South West, including our ambulance trust, have been under significant pressure during the Covid-19 pandemic and especially this summer.

“We work closely with our hospital partners to manage the issue of handover delays at hospital emergency departments, so that our crews can respond to the next patient as quickly as possible.

“We treat around half of our patients over the phone or at the scene of incidents, without needing to take them to hospital. We provide clinical care to our patients until they are handed over to hospital staff, and offer welfare support to our colleagues at various hospitals in our region.”

The crisis has highlighted the lack of a holistic approach to health and social care, meaning many patients who may be medically fit to leave hospital are unable to do so because there is not enough social care provision in the community.

Only last week, it was revealed that there were 150 so-called ‘bed-blockers’ at Treliske.

Anne Thomas, chief executive of Cornwall Care, which runs 16 care and nursing homes in the county, said her industry was acutely aware of the problem.

“We are working hard with all social care and voluntary providers in Cornwall to help get people home from hospital”, she said. “An emergency ‘care bunker’ team has been set up for that purpose this week, which includes both care and voluntary sector teams working together.

“Our aim is to give people the support they need in their own homes, and to do that effectively we’re using every resource possible – regardless of whether that comes from a range of different providers.

“We’re in the middle of a health and social care emergency, and working together is vital.”

The joint statement from all three hospital trusts added: “There are no easy answers to resolving these issues, which have increased since the start of the Covid pandemic.

“Patient safety is our number one priority and people are seen based on urgency and need.

“Emergency departments (EDs) are under extreme pressure due to the rising demand for services across the health and care system in Devon and Cornwall in recent years and patients are more unwell, meaning that more of the patients coming through our doors need to be admitted to hospital.

“Some patients come to our EDs with minor conditions which could be treated more quickly and effectively elsewhere.

“Care providers also have rising demand for their services and are experiencing significant pressures due to a shortfall of people wanting to work in the care sector, which can impact on the ability to discharge people with very complex needs promptly from hospital and free beds for people waiting to be admitted from ED.

“These issues have been further complicated throughout the pandemic by the need for additional infection prevention and control measures and the need to keep patients with Covid separate from others.”

The three hospital trusts and SWASFT all reiterated the same message, urging both residents and visitors not to call 999 unless it was a genuine, life-threatening emergency and to get themselves vaccinated against Covid.

The US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri has claimed that officials in Boris Johnson’s office knew he had “crush” on her when he was mayor of London.

Matthew Weaver www.theguardian.com 

Arcuri also claimed that the mayor was aware she going on international trade missions approved by his promotional agency, London & Partners (L&P), despite claims from Johnson’s lawyers that he was not expecting her to attend the trips.

Giving evidence to members of the London Assembly via video link, Arcuri repeatedly said that the grants and access to L&P trips she gained between 2013 and 2014 had no connection to her friendship with the mayor.

Johnson made no mention of Arcuri in his declaration of interest as mayor, and when news of their alleged affair broke in 2019, he said there was no relationship to declare.

Arcuri’s evidence to the Assembly oversight committee suggested that the interest should have been declared.

Asked if the mayor’s office aware of this relationship, she said: “People knew that there was an interest of the mayor in me and that he had somewhat of a crush on me when we went to events. Everyone could see the dramatic difference of this man when I entered the room. People kind of assumed what they wanted. But there was never any discussion about any of this.”

Frequently referring to herself in third person she added: “They assumed whatever they wanted, it didn’t change the fact that Jennifer Arcuri was the most annoying, perseverant hustler. Even when they said no, I didn’t listen.”

The hearing was focused on lessons that could be learned for the future, as the committee has been advised it cannot investigate the conduct of former mayors.

When Arcuri was still a MBA student at London, she persuaded Johnson to launch her tech startup Innotech in April 2012 and he went on to speak at three more of the company’s events. She also secured £11,500 in sponsorship from L&P for two of these events and secured a place on L&P trade missions led by Johnson to the Far East, New York and Israel, despite initially being refused places and not meeting the agency’s criteria for a place.

Arcuri told the committee: “My relationship with the mayor or my non-relationship had really no bearing on my complete pursuit of London and my ability to build a business.” She added: “When you’re hustling something from nothing, especially with clocks ticking with me getting a visa, I have to be everywhere, find everyone, interested in London because ultimately that helps my events.”

Last year the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) decided against launching a criminal investigation into Johnson’s conduct surrounding Arcuri despite finding evidence that officials were influenced by the close relationship between the pair.

Lawyers for Johnson had told the IOPC that as mayor he was unaware that she was due to attend trade missions that he led. “If and when Ms Arcuri did attend any such events, our client was not previously expecting her to attend,” they said in an email.

Arcuri was asked if she told Johnson she was due to attend the trade missions. She said: “Yes. With New York I remember calling him specifically saying, ‘Look, you can fake it everywhere else, but they’ll eat you alive in New York. You can’t fake it.’

“The other discussion was before Tel Aviv, where I made sure to give him a mouthful about never connecting to public wifi.”

She added: “He wasn’t really a fan of technology at that time. I was [asking him] do you have a private VPN? Have you set up two-factor authentication? Don’t connect to free wifi. Has anyone trained you on any of this? I mean, those were the discussions on trade missions.

“He would oftentimes ask, ‘How was the trade mission, was it beneficial for you? And I would say, ‘Yes all is well.’ There would never be any kind discussion beyond that.”

Arcuri claimed that at one stage she was in the offices of L&P every other day. She also said she dealt with senior officials in Johnson’s office including Eddie Lister, then deputy mayor for policing, and Will Walden, the mayor’s head of communications.

She recalled that there was rumour at the time of the trip to Singapore and Malaysia in November 2014 that news of her relationship with Johnson was about to appear in the press. She said: “Maybe the day before the Malaysia trip, there was some talk of journalists seeding a story at City Hall, where there was going to be as some kind revelation of a relationship.”

Later, at the high commissioner’’s house in Singapore, she said she asked Walden if the story was going to run. “He said, don’t worry about it,” she said.

She added: “When the mayor did show up at the events I stayed back. This was not why I was there. I didn’t want to ask his permission.”

Headteachers say the government needs to be on “high alert” to curb school Covid outbreaks, after more than 100,000 children were absent with confirmed or suspected infections last week – the highest number for England during the pandemic.

Richard Adams www.theguardian.com 

The figures from the Department for Education showed that fewer than 92% of pupils were present in classrooms on 16 September, with 59,000 absent with confirmed cases of Covid-19 and a further 45,000 off with suspected cases.

In total, 122,000 children were absent from state schools for Covid-related reasons last week, including 16,000 marked off as isolating and another 2,000 “due to attendance restrictions being in place to manage an outbreak,” according to the DfE.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “These national figures mask some significant issues arising at a local level, and we already know of schools that are struggling to keep classes open due to outbreaks occurring.

“It is crucial that both central and local government are now on high alert and are ready to react quickly if and when cases rise rapidly or outbreaks occur. The next few weeks will be crucial.”

The 103,000 pupils with confirmed or suspected cases is higher than the number at the end of the last school year, a little more than two months ago. In mid-July the DfE said just 82,000 children were absent with Covid cases.

Secondary schools were the worst hit, with nearly one in every 100 pupils off with confirmed Covid cases. Including non-Covid absences, the overall absentee rate for secondary schools was 10%, twice as high as pre-pandemic absences.

One in every 100 teachers in all types of state schools were also absent with Covid last week.

The statistics are the first official signs of the spread of the virus within schools and colleges since the start of the new school year, when the use of preventive measures such as mask-wearing, social distancing and small group “bubbles” was halted by the DfE.

In July more than a million children were absent but that included 930,000 self-isolating because of classroom contacts. This year the DfE has ruled that children who are close contacts of confirmed or suspected cases do not need to self-isolate unless they also display symptoms.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said he was aware of schools where “significant numbers” of students were absent.

“We are hopeful that the vaccination programme for 12- to 15-year-olds will help to reduce this level of disruption. However, the government must also take more action to support schools and colleges,” Barton said.

“It should launch a public information campaign to encourage twice-weekly home testing among pupils in the appropriate age groups, provide funding for high-quality ventilation systems in schools and colleges, and commit to providing more support if onsite testing is directed under the contingency framework.”

Barton also urged the government to publish its plans for A-level and GCSE exams in spring, saying it was “extremely frustrating” that guidance had still not been issued.

Nadhim Zahawi, the new education secretary, said it was “fantastic” to see more than 91% of children back in the classroom, compared with 87% at the same time last year.

“That’s down to the hard work of teachers, support staff as well as families, whose efforts have been heroic in making sure children can get back to school safely,” Zahawi said.

“The rollout of the vaccine to those aged 12-15, which started this week, is another significant step in building the walls of protection from the virus across society.”

Kate Green, the shadow education secretary, said: “The Conservatives’ chaotic failure to plan ahead or to listen to Labour, parents and teachers and get ventilation and mitigations in place saw over 122,000 children out of school again last week. This is not good enough. The Conservatives have left schools in a mess; the new education secretary urgently needs to set this right.”

Is this the start of taxing “land banking”? – Owl

Developers who hoard land face a new tax to help pay for the cost of the cladding crisis. Rishi Sunak is to announce a levy on housebuilders with profits over £25 million in his autumn budget.

Melissa York www.thetimes.co.uk

The chancellor’s tax is expected to raise at least £2 billion over the next decade to pay for the removal of flammable cladding from high-rise buildings. MPs have estimated that the cost of fixing the crisis could total £15 billion.

Yesterday the government published draft legislation for the Residential Property Developer Tax. It shows that ministers want to tax profits made on land that has secured planning permission even if no homes have actually been built. There are 1.1 million homes awarded planning permission that have not been built, according to the Local Government Association.

Critics have accused housebuilders of stockpiling planning permissions to restrict supply and keep prices high. However, a government review on land-banking from 2018 concluded that the problem was overstated.

The draft legislation was published days after Michael Gove was appointed housing secretary with a directive from Boris Johnson to break the deadlock on cladding. Gove replaced Robert Jenrick, who drew fury from leaseholders when he announced a £5 billion package to remove cladding from buildings over 18 metres tall this year.

Flat owners in buildings under 18 metres have only been offered loans to remove cladding. High-rise buildings with other fire-safety flaws such as wooden balconies and missing fire barriers are not eligible for support.

The profits on high-end rental flats in Build to Rent developments could be taxed to fix unsafe buildings. Goldman Sachs and John Lewis have recently invested in the sector.

Builders of student housing will not have to pay the tax if students live there for less than 165 days a year.

However, developers of retirement homes will have to pay unless they also provide “personal care”, the consultation suggests.

Affordable housing is within the scope of the tax but most developers build this at cost or with charitable housing associations, who are exempt.

A Treasury spokesman said: “We want to ensure the biggest residential property developers help fund the removal of unsafe cladding, and obtaining planning permission is a key part of the development process. We are consulting extensively on this tax.”

Jackie Weaver wants to inspire women to stand for public office. Too often, she says, women step back, bow out and listen to the negative voices, external ones – as heard in her now-infamous Handforth parish council meeting – and internal voices.

Amelia Hill www.theguardian.com 

The celebrated chief officer of the Cheshire Association of Local Councils tries to think of good leaders but things being as they are, she can’t think of any real-life examples. “A good leader is somewhere between the dictator/tyrant and the boss who wants to be everyone’s friend,” she says.

Weaver eventually comes up with a list: Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones (“She’s the most evil of the lot but she knows what she wants and, ultimately, she does what she has to do to survive and to keep her family safe”), Queen Elizabeth I (“She was shrewd, determined and prepared to sacrifice her personal life for the greater good”).

But she then runs out of women, before adding: “Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek.”

“He embodies everything I admire in an authority figure: he’s powerful and in control but also caring for his staff and the opposite of Captain Kirk, who was far too emotional and easily distracted by the ladies,” says Weaver, who has written a self-help book, You Do Have the Authority Here!

Her interest in local democracy is her battle cry. But it was her refusal to be emotional and her determination to retain control that propelled her to international fame in February.

Thanks to a 30-second video clip, what happened during the Handforth Zoom parish council meeting is now infamous. But what was less well known was that, after the incident, the men in the meeting – both of whom have stepped down – made a formal complaint against Weaver to the Cheshire Association of Local Councils.

“The association were hauling her over the coals,” laments her husband, Stuart. “They set up a panel of executives to investigate her.”

Weaver is more sanguine: “It is right and proper to investigate any formal complaint,” she says. “If they had upheld the complaint, the panel could ultimately have removed me from my job but that wouldn’t have been a logical conclusion to come to.”

When the video went viral, however, the association decided, as Stuart puts it, “to side with the rest of the country”.

“The men in the meeting wouldn’t have challenged me if I’d been a man,” Weaver says. “That’s partly why women are vastly under-represented in positions of authority.”

This matters, says Weaver, because no society can be properly representative if it doesn’t offer a range of different perspectives and experiences.

But Weaver practises strong love: “If you’re going to move up the ladder at work, head up a committee or take on some form of leadership you need to put yourself out there and not wait to be invited. Your work won’t always speak for itself and sometimes you need to highlight to others what you have done.”

Having said that, Weaver concedes that women often expect too much of themselves – and certainly more than men do. “That needs to change,” she says. “But it can’t be changed from the outside. Only you have the power to change it for yourself.”

Since February, Weaver has been an international cause célèbre. Her name has been celebrated in songs and poems – although she is scathing about Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ballad in her name. “The music was pompous but more importantly, he didn’t bother to contact me, not even to drop me a text, despite performing the song on Good Morning, Britain. He’s a man with power and I felt somewhat used by him. His behaviour just seemed supremely arrogant. I guess musical theatre was in the doldrums at that moment and he had nothing else to do,” she says.

More happily, Weaver has also appeared at the Brit awards, Celebrity Mastermind and had a guest slot as herself in The Archers. “I’ve had the most wonderful time,” she says.

“But when all this has finished and the world forgets me, I’m still going to be remembered by the people around me in Cheshire as the woman to go to if they need help with local issues,” she adds. “That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning: being the person who solves problems in a parish council.”

#WhatWouldJackieWeaverDo?

On being happy: ‘You are not unique, special or perfect and that is absolutely fine.’

Say YES to: Getting on with your life – do the stuff you want to do. Tell your loved ones how you feel and compliment other people

Say NO to: bucket lists and saving the best for later. Being vague and hinting at what you want. A relationship full of drama. Dusting skirting boards.

Expect the unexpected and arm yourself: expect life to be full of adversity. Don’t panic if something goes wrong. Be tenacious. Read signs very carefully at airports!

Stay calm and healthy: don’t let argument escalate, focus on your objective. Don’t go into a meeting with all guns blazing. Tell yourself you’re in control and at any time you can leave the situation. Things are never as embarrassing as you think.

The saga of on/off development of the now derelict hotel site has been running from the early days of East Devon Watch.

Just type – Seaton Heights – into the search box to reveal the twists and turns.

The last planning application posted yesterday was this:

Erection of No. 9 x 2-bed and No. 14 x 3-bed and 19 x 4 bed two storey detached holiday homes with associated parking and amenity space Seaton Heights Harepath Hill Seaton EX12 2TFRef. No: 21/1782/MFUL | Validated: Fri 10 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision.

The application is made by Lyme Bay Leisure Ltd (new web site coming soon – lovely image of the Seaton wetlands though).

In 2015 planning permission for a 12 bedroom hotel, 38 holiday lodges and a restaurant/leisure complex was granted permission (14/0667/MFUL).

Since then a new Premier Inn has been built in Seaton and this permission has lapsed.

This application is for 39 “units”, one of which will be used as an office/reception and cafe.

• Installation of 12 fascia signs and 8 projecting signs. Land South Of Lily Cottage Exeter Road Whimple EX5 2PSRef. No: 21/2430/ADV | Validated: Fri 10 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of freestanding totem sign. Land South Of Lily Cottage Exeter Road WhimpleRef. No: 21/2429/ADV | Validated: Fri 10 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of conditions 2 (approved plans) and 6 (external materials) of application 20/0711/FUL. Hillhead Orchard Hillhead Colyton EX24 6NJRef. No: 21/2442/VAR | Validated: Fri 10 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replacement garage Badgers Brook Smallridge Axminster EX13 7LYRef. No: 21/2434/FUL | Validated: Fri 10 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• TP1 – Contorted Hazel – Crown lift to 4m over driveway. TP2 – Crab Apple – Reduce to make 5m in height x 5m spread. TP3 – Magnolia – Reduce by 1 1/2 m off to make 3m height x 4m spread. TP4 – Liquid Amber – Reshape and trim back laterals to 1.5m. TP5 – Willow – Crown lift to 3m over lawn TP6 – Cotoneaster – Remove. TP7 – Conifer – Remove. Silverdale Bickwell Valley Sidmouth EX10 8SGRef. No: 21/2425/TCA | Validated: Thu 09 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Storage shed for straw / hay Broadhayes Farm Stockland Honiton EX14 9ELRef. No: 21/2420/AGR | Validated: Thu 09 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed single storey side extension 10 Walcott Way Dunkeswell Honiton EX14 4XPRef. No: 21/2416/FUL | Validated: Wed 08 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of front porch. 14 Pale Gate Close Honiton EX14 1QRRef. No: 21/2417/FUL | Validated: Wed 08 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of condition 2 (approved plans) and condition 4 (roof light heights) of application 19/1065/FUL Pegasus House King Street HonitonRef. No: 21/2410/VAR | Validated: Tue 07 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Orangery extension to existing annexe building. Danes Hill House Dalwood Axminster EX13 7HHRef. No: 21/2411/FUL | Validated: Tue 07 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Demolition of existing dwelling and construction of new dwelling. The Vicarage Stockland Honiton EX14 9EFRef. No: 21/2405/FUL | Validated: Tue 07 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of rear extension 34 Long Culvering Cranbrook Exeter EX5 7ESRef. No: 21/2409/FUL | Validated: Thu 09 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey side extension. 2 Brooklyn Stowford Sidmouth EX10 0NARef. No: 21/2399/FUL | Validated: Thu 09 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of existing garage building to form annexe. Panorama Highcliffe Close Seaton EX12 2QARef. No: 21/2394/FUL | Validated: Mon 06 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replacement refrigeration plant 3 – 7 Magnolia Walk Exmouth EX8 1HBRef. No: 21/2395/FUL | Validated: Fri 10 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of rear sun room extension. Metcombe Court Higher Metcombe Ottery St Mary Devon EX11 1SHRef. No: 21/2384/FUL | Validated: Mon 06 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of side dormer62 Bapton Close Exmouth EX8 3LQRef. No: 21/2386/CPL | Validated: Mon 06 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Window graphics applied to the inside of the windows to approximately 100mm in height in black and orange. The Arches Visitors Centre The Esplanade SidmouthRef. No: 21/2400/ADV | Validated: Mon 06 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed replacement dwelling and new internal driveway Home Farm Chalet Home Farm Hotel Wilmington Honiton EX14 9JRRef. No: 21/2373/FUL | Validated: Wed 08 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of existing barn to residential use and replacement of existing agricultural building Higher Barn AxmouthRef. No: 21/2379/FUL | Validated: Fri 10 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Conversion of outbuilding for use either as annexe or holiday accommodation, including alterations to existing roof to create pitched roof and provision of associated parking area. Cutlers Hill House Higher Greenway Lane Sidmouth EX10 0LYRef. No: 21/2372/FUL | Validated: Thu 09 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Internal alterations to create first and second floor flats, and installation of replacement windows. 80 High Street Honiton EX14 1PDRef. No: 21/2378/LBC | Validated: Thu 09 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Internal alterations to create first and second floor flats, and installation of replacement windows. 80 High Street Honiton EX14 1PDRef. No: 21/2377/FUL | Validated: Thu 09 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Partial demolition of the boathouse, confirming material start for application 14/0784/OUT. The Boatyard The Harbour Axmouth Seaton EX12 4AARef. No: 21/2360/CPE | Validated: Wed 08 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Internal alterations, side extension, new window opening The Old Toll House Exeter Road Honiton EX14 1AZRef. No: 21/2361/FUL | Validated: Tue 07 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension and part conversion / 1st floor extension of existing garage 2 Barleycorn Cranbrook Exeter Devon EX5 7ABRef. No: 21/2359/FUL | Validated: Mon 06 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Internal alterations, side extension, new window opening The Old Toll House Exeter Road Honiton EX14 1AZRef. No: 21/2362/LBC | Validated: Tue 07 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of 2no. dwellings and associated access 1 Heath Cottages Broadclyst Exeter EX5 3GZRef. No: 21/2369/FUL | Validated: Tue 07 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Rear and side extension, additional rear and front dormer windows, rooflights to side, loft conversion for habitable use. 26 Windsor Mead Sidford Sidmouth EX10 9SJRef. No: 21/2350/FUL | Validated: Mon 06 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• C1 hotel change of use to C3 dwelling house, demolition of flat roofed rear extension, installation of in-roof photovoltaic panels to main roof and external rendering to side and rear walls. Glendevon Hotel Cotmaton Road Sidmouth EX10 8QXRef. No: 21/2344/FUL | Validated: Wed 08 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Proposed pedestrian footpath Village Hall Clyst St Mary Exeter EX5 1AARef. No: 21/2345/FUL | Validated: Fri 10 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed replacement garage, with single storey rear extension to main dwelling and associated works. Cadbury Cottage Cranes Lane East Budleigh Budleigh Salterton EX9 7DZRef. No: 21/2352/FUL | Validated: Thu 09 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of timber gates to existing driveway, construction of porch and single storey extension to the east of existing dwelling with associated landscaping Southerleigh Church Road Lympstone Exmouth EX8 5JTRef. No: 21/2319/LBC | Validated: Mon 06 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of timber gates to existing driveway, construction of porch and single storey extension to the east of existing dwelling with associated landscaping Southerleigh Church Road Lympstone Exmouth EX8 5JTRef. No: 21/2318/FUL | Validated: Mon 06 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replacement of doors, installation of French drain and secondary glazing, and installation of oil tank and greenhouse in garden Barton House Church Hill Otterton Budleigh Salterton EX9 7HURef. No: 21/2300/LBC | Validated: Tue 07 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replacement of doors, installation of French drain and secondary glazing, and installation of oil tank and greenhouse in garden Barton House Church Hill Otterton Budleigh Salterton EX9 7HURef. No: 21/2299/FUL | Validated: Tue 07 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• 2 x ash trees- ash dieback present (felling) ; Purple Norway Maple : dying (felling) 2 oaks already planted in anticipation but will plant more when space is available. 1 Acer and/or Holm Oak to be planted to replace the norway maple 1 Tipton Lodge Tipton St John Sidmouth EX10 0AWRef. No: 21/2286/TRE | Validated: Fri 10 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Retention of existing barn with external alterations Hackhams Farm Buckerell Honiton EX14 3EHRef. No: 21/2288/LBC | Validated: Mon 06 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Retention of existing barn with external alterations Hackhams Farm Buckerell Honiton EX14 3EHRef. No: 21/2287/FUL | Validated: Mon 06 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing conservatory, single storey rear extension and conservatory, and pitched sun roof over rear extension 2 Bussells Cottages Huxham Exeter EX5 4EWRef. No: 21/2263/FUL | Validated: Thu 09 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Reserved matters application pursuant to outline application 20/1001/MOUT seeking details of layout, appearance, scale and landscaping for a residential development of 39 dwellings (Zone A) Winslade Park Clyst St MaryRef. No: 21/2235/MRES | Validated: Fri 10 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Re-slate whole roof and carry out roof repairs where necessary 11 Sid Lane Sidmouth EX10 9ANRef. No: 21/2226/LBC | Validated: Tue 07 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Reserved matters application pursuant to outline application 20/1001/MOUT seeking details of layout, appearance, scale and landscaping for a residential development of 40 apartments (Zone D) Winslade Park Winslade Park Clyst St MaryRef. No: 21/2217/MRES | Validated: Fri 10 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Enlargement (and conversion) of the existing detached garage to form an annexe and a single-storey store to the rear. 34 Monmouth Way Honiton EX14 2GYRef. No: 21/2175/FUL | Validated: Tue 07 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Resubmission- Installation of a battery storage power plant up to a 6.5MW with associated works Dunkeswell Airfield Dunkeswell Industrial Estate DevonRef. No: 21/2169/FUL | Validated: Mon 06 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of log burner in lounge area 3 Home Farm North Rousdon Lyme Regis DT7 3YARef. No: 21/2152/FUL | Validated: Wed 08 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of 2 no. 2-bed and 2 no. 3-bed holiday units including access, amenity space, and associated works The Bungalow Poltimore Exeter EX4 0AARef. No: 21/1976/FUL | Validated: Mon 06 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Sycamore, – Pollard to a level previously pollarded approximately 3m above adjacent outhouse. This will reduce height and tree root water intake impacting very close buildings. The Farmhouse Rousdon Lyme Regis DT7 3XRRef. No: 21/1944/TRE | Validated: Fri 10 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use from agricultural barn to use class E(b) (catering venue) Yellingham Farm Payhembury Honiton EX14 3HERef. No: 21/1835/FUL | Validated: Wed 08 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of No. 9 x 2-bed and No. 14 x 3-bed and 19 x 4 bed two storey detached holiday homes with associated parking and amenity space Seaton Heights Harepath Hill Seaton EX12 2TFRef. No: 21/1782/MFUL | Validated: Fri 10 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

Devon’s covid infection rate is now lower than the national average.

[Up to date data can be found on the Devon Covid dashboard]

Joe Ives, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

Government figures for the week up to Sunday, 12 September show that the average rate of infection across all Devon councils was 295 per 100,000 of the population. In the Devon County Council area, which excludes Plymouth and Torbay, the rate of infection was 255 per 100,000.

In contrast, the average infection rate across the country is now 337 per 100,000 of the population.

The only council area to report a rise in cases was Torridge, which recorded 248 new cases, 57 more than the previous week. The infection rate in the district is at 361, the highest in the county.

Plymouth recorded 822 new cases, 354, or 30 per cent, less than in the previous week. The rate of infection in the city is now 316 per 100,000 of the population.

Torbay also reported a significant drop in infection, recording 120 fewer cases than in the previous week. Its total of 431 cases represents a 22 per cent drop on the previous seven days. The rate of infection in the Bay is now 316 per 100,000 of the population.

Devon councils will be hoping this trend continues ahead of the autumn and winter months. This week the government set out “Plan A” and “Plan B” scenarios for the winter. “Plan A” is designed to prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed and promotes vaccines and testing. “Plan B”, to be used if the NHS is coming under “unsustainable pressure”, includes measures such as a return to widespread use of face masks.

Hospitalisations 

The decline in infection rates in Devon have continued to translate into a reduction in hospitalisations. The latest figures [Tuesday 14 September] show that across Devon, 128 people are in hospital as a result of covid, eight fewer than the previous week.

Of these 128 patients, 58 are at Derriford, 42 are at the RD&E, 21 in Torbay, while 7 are being cared for in north Devon.

Fourteen of the patients in hospital with covid in Devon are on mechanical ventilation beds.

Deaths

Deaths have risen in Devon, with a further 29 people dying within 28 days of a positive covid test in the most recent seven day period (up to and including Sunday, 12 September), thirteen more than in the previous week.

Eighteen people died in the Devon County Council area, which excludes Plymouth and Torbay. In Plymouth, nine people lost their lives, whilst three deaths were recorded in Torbay.

The total number of people who have died within 28 days of positive covid test in Devon is now 1,183.

Vaccinations

Eighty-seven per cent of adults have had their first dose of a vaccine in the Devon County Council area, which excludes Plymouth and Torbay, with 82 per cent receiving both doses.

In Plymouth, 84 per cent have had one dose, while 76 per cent have had both.

In Torbay, 86 per cent have received one dose, while 79 per cent have had both jabs.

This means that vaccination rates in Devon are still slightly behind the rest of the UK. Eighty-nine per cent of adults in the country have had one dose, while 82 per cent have had both jabs.

Violence against women may not be in crime plan 

Philip Churm, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk 

But police commissioner says she takes it seriously

The police and crime commissioner for Devon and Cornwall says she wants people to know she takes violence against women seriously, but might not include it as part of the new police and crime plan. 

Addressing the Devon and Cornwall police and crime panel in Plymouth on Friday, Alison Hernandez responded to suggestions that tackling gender-based violence isn’t given high enough priority in her draft plan.   

Unveiling her strategy for 2021-25, Commissioner Hernandez said key community priorities are breaking the cycle of violence, reducing drugs harm, tackling antisocial behaviour and improving road safety. 

But panel member Cllr Laura Wright (Labour, Exeter, St Thomas) said, although ensuring the safety of women was clearly indicated in the report, the commissioner had not given it the weight it deserved. 

Cllr Wright said: “All the way through the commissioner’s update report, I really strongly heard the voice of women through the Safer Streets project funding and bids …  with the focus on women and girls in public spaces – their safety.” 

Cllr Wright highlighted the focus on community safety, extra out of hours support for victims of domestic abuse, and investment for domestic abuse perpetrator-focused programmes.   

The plan also mentions a stakeholder recommendation that there should be a specific focus on women, children and families and highlights the national focus on victims of domestic abuse.  

But Cllr Wright added: “When we come to the draft plan itself, we have to go to page 10 before we see a small paragraph which then highlights this work that’s being done and that you want to carry forward.

“Here, at last, I can hear the voice of the woman elected to a position where her voice on these matters can actually echo down through the ranks of the force and reverberate around the streets of Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.”

Cllr Wright asked Ms Hernandez to speak more about gender based violence.    “Would you amend this report and pump up the volume of your voice and give more prominence to your plans  to tackle the violent crimes that disproportionately affect women and girls?” she asked.

Ms Hernandez made it clear that she is committed to tackling abuse and violence against women and wants this to be publicly known.  

“I will go back and reflect on how we enable people to understand that I do take that seriously,” she said.  

“I am actually wondering whether I need to have a policy written around this – as opposed to it being necessarily in the plan – but a policy about what I’m doing in relation to violence against women and girls.” 

But Ms Hernandez said it was important to note that, although violence against women is an important issue, it is crucial to see the statistics in perspective.   “I will just highlight that men are more likely to be a victim of crime than women, and that more men are likely to be murdered than a woman,” she said.

“This plan is for everyone. I do not want young boys thinking that they can’t report violence against themselves because we ‘only care about women’. So I have to get the tone right on this, in particular.”

In the draft plan the police and crime commissioner lists her priorities as: 

• Breaking the cycle of violent crime
• Tackling antisocial behaviour
• Reducing harm caused by drugs
• Improving road safety

She adds: “I am committed to tackling and reducing all forms of violence. This includes focusing on ending violence against women and girls, addressing domestic and sexual violence and learning from the national end-to-end rape review, driving out modern slavery, countering terrorism and extremism and reducing murder and homicide rates – the most serious outcome of violence.” 

The meeting began with a minute’s silence in remembrance of the people murdered in the mass shooting in Plymouth last month.

Members were updated on efforts to support Keyham residents in their recovery. The commissioner told the panel how she has been supporting partnership efforts across the city and how she made additional resources available in the immediate aftermath of the shootings. 

Ms Hernandez is also supporting a funding application to central government to help the community in the longer term.

Cliffs in a popular Devon seaside town have crumbled again in the latest of a series of falls this year.

Sam Beamish www.devonlive.com

People in Sidmouth witnessed the incident which happened by the town’s beach and near the Esplanade at around 5pm today (September 18). [Saturday].

The moment was captured on camera by Chris Heywood who was walking along the seafront at the time.

He said: “I’ve been at the Sidmouth Classic Car Show today and walking the Esplanade aftewards.

“I just saw the cliff fall and then dust – there was no sound.

“I wouldn’t say it was scary because we were far enough away, standing by the pedestrian area and crossing.”

Chris Heywood caught the cliff fall on camera

It is not the first landslide to have occurred this year in Sidmouth.

Back in June there were four colossal landslides at the same beauty spot.

They were so large that they prompted a warning from Beer Coastguard Rescue Team.

Coastguards asked people attending the beach to stay clear of the cliffs in case another incident occurs.

And In May, this year there was another cliff fall at the same spot.

People sat on the sand watched as part of the cliff face crumbled down, leaving behind a huge sandy red cloud that could be seen across the beach.