Owl understands that congratulations are in order for the previously sacked Secretary of State for Defence (under Theresa May, leaking secrets) and then for Education (under Boris Johnson, exam fiasco).
“For helping Boris Johnson into No 10”?
Even in the middle of a crisis Boris Johnson can’t maintain any sense of gravitas.
Fifty Ukrainians have been granted visas under a scheme for refugees with family links to the UK, the Home Office has announced.
It is about 1% of the 5,535 people who have applied since the programme launched 48 hours earlier.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was “doing everything possible” to speed up efforts to issue the travel permits.
The Ukrainian ambassador praised the UK effort but urged for the “maximum” number of people to be admitted.
The UK has steadily increased its visa offer to refugees from the Ukraine war, extending it to parents, grandparents and siblings as well as “immediate family” and extending the visas to three years.
But it has faced criticism that its scheme is less generous than the European Union’s, while France accused the UK of a “lack of humanity”, saying that 150 refugees were turned back at Calais for lacking a visa.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said 200,000 Ukrainians would be eligible to travel to the UK as he extended the offer of visas to a wider range of family members.
As of 10:00 GMT on Sunday, the Home Office said 11,750 had begun applications online, while 5,535 had completed them.
It added that 2,368 had booked a visa appointment to submit their application and biometric information, while “around 50” visas had been granted.
Asked if it was acceptable that about 1% of applications had been granted in the first 48 hours of the scheme, Ms Patel said it was “the first scheme in the world that’s up and running in this short period of time”.
“This is an incredible scheme and we are doing everything possible, surging capacity across every single application centre across the EU,” she said, adding that staff were being flown into Ukraine’s border countries to speed up applications.
Ukraine’s immediate neighbours have taken in the majority of the 1.5 million people estimated to have fled the war, with more than half of them arriving in Poland.
‘Not turning people back’
France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wrote to Ms Patel on Saturday, saying that 400 Ukrainian refugees had arrived at Calais to cross the Channel, but 150 were sent back and told to obtain UK visas at embassies in Paris or Brussels.
Mr Darmanin said the response to people in distress was “completely unsuitable” and showed a “lack of humanity”, calling for the UK to put consular staff at Calais to help Ukrainian refugees cross.
But Ms Patel said it was “wrong to say we are turning people back” and said the Home Office already has people working in Calais to support Ukrainian families.
Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, said that the visa process could be simplified, adding that any issues could be resolved later but right now the “maximum” number needed to be admitted.
He said any “bureaucratic nonsense” should be cleared away, although he said it was necessary to continue security checks.
But he said the UK was at the “forefront of the effort” to support Ukraine.
Neil and Simon,
You will be returning to Londongrad today to vote on legislation to streamline the imposition of sanctions including “slashing” the “grace period” for registering property from 18 months to “just” six.
If any amendments are tabled to reduce this further, will you vote for them?
Owl
But they say it doesn’t mean it’s outsourced
Joe Ives, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk
A night-time telephone alarm service to help elderly and vulnerable people with health emergencies will be handled by a private company for at least a year following a controversial decision by the cabinet at East Devon District Council (EDDC).
But some councillors say that just because the service is run by a private company doesn’t meant it is outsourced.
In September 2021 the council decided to hand over part of its night-time Home Safeguard service to private company Night Owl for an initial period of four months because of staff shortages.
Now officers say the shortages are even worse with the number of vacant overnight call-handler positions tripling to six, meaning a longer contract with Night Owl is needed.
Home Safeguard is a 24/7 telecare alarm service provided by EDDC for older people, those living with long-term conditions or anyone else who may be vulnerable because of their specific needs, such as younger people with learning disabilities. It provides a monitoring and support service to residents of East Devon, in both the private sector and within EDDC sheltered housing.
The service receives an average of 21 calls a night. Council officers say they have lost too many night-time staff and are finding it almost impossible to fill the six vacant positions, meaning more help from private company PPP Night Owl is needed.
Officers say the problem is not limited to EDDC and that their research shows similar posts being advertised elsewhere, at higher pay grades. They say: “it would be inappropriate to advertise [the vacant positions] again, given the high chance of failure.”
Officers concluded: “The issue appears to centre around the unsociable nature of working permanent nights and the impact this has on private lives.” They said the change in working patterns made possible through covid is also having an impact.
As a result of the problems, EDDC extended Night Owl’s contract for a full year. Unlike the council’s in-house service, Night Owl staff are not based in East Devon but at offices in Chichester, Exeter and Ashburton.
Officers say that the company has so far “delivered a consistent, high quality and seamless service to our thousands of service users.”
They argue that a longer-term contract will safeguard the service, saying that right now the private company “could walk away in four weeks and we’d have no way of delivering the service,” leaving vulnerable people in East Devon at risk.
It is hoped that the next 12 months will provide a temporary breather, allowing the council to work out how to make its vacant positions more attractive to potential employees.
Leader of the council Paul Arnott (Democratic Alliance Group, Coly Valley) said: “Personally I’m extremely reassured that this doesn’t represent any thin end of the wedge towards this happening in perpetuity.
“We’re dealing with circumstances at an incredibly difficult time.”
Councillor Paul Millar (Labour, Exmouth Halsdon) said he was concerned that service users were not being consulted about the changes.
Speaking at cabinet Cllr Millar said: “Our neighbouring Labour authority in Exeter have kept this service in-house permanently and have recognised the value of it by advertising it at a higher grade.
“Given that this is such a unique and valued service I have to confess my deep-seated personal disappointment that the paying conditions of this role have not been more urgently reviewed.”
He added: “This kind of outsourcing has been discredited nationally, whether temporary or permanent”, urging the council to bring the service back in-house in 2023.
Councillor Steve Gazzard (Liberal Democrats and Democratic Alliance Group, Exmouth Withycombe Raleigh) said he had “grave reservations” about the move, adding: “I’m really not happy that we could be on the way of privatising this service.”
The description of the move as ‘outsourcing’ provoked disagreement amongst councillors.
Cabinet member councillor John Loudoun (Democratic Alliance Group and Independent East Devon Alliance, Sidmouth) said: “Colleagues need to be careful in bandying around those phrases because it then starts sending the wrong messages to people.”
Cllr Millar replied: “I’ve always understood this as outsourcing and we just seem to be changing the language we’re using to fit what we’re doing.”
He and his Labour colleague Jake Bonetta (Honiton St Michael’s) have since asked Cllr Loudoun to apologise for his comments.
It i not exactly clear what word best describes the situation – or why it matters.
In their report of last September officers did describe the measures as “outsourcing.” However, in their recent report officers said it was “absolutely not the case” that the move can be seen as outsourcing.
They concluded: “We are simply delivering the service in partnership and we gain significant operational benefits and service resilience by doing so.”
The decision to extend the contract by one year was passed unanimously by EDDC’s cabinet.
The NHS is “flying blind” and “woefully unprepared” to cope with England’s rapidly ageing population, senior doctors have warned as stark new figures reveal the country has only one full-time geriatrician to care for every 8,000 older people.
Andrew Gregory www.theguardian.com
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) said the drastic shortage of specially trained physicians to look after the rising number of elderly people and a lack of NHS workforce planning meant England was “sleepwalking into an avoidable crisis of care for older people”.
Its analysis of NHS and Office for National Statistics data shows there is just one full-time geriatrician for every 8,031 people over the age of 65 in England. There are also regional disparities, with one geriatrician caring for more than 12,500 over-65s in the east Midlands, while the figure in north-east and central London is one per 3,254.
Estimates suggest that by 2040 there could be as many as 17 million over-65s. But the college warns that many doctors will soon be requiring geriatric care themselves as 48% of consultant geriatricians are due to retire within the next decade.
The RCP said the health service was short of staff across all specialities and the shortage of geriatricians was one example of why the health service needed more workforce planning. It said there was no publicly available data on the number of staff the NHS needed to train now to meet future demand for care.
The college has joined more than 100 medical organisations calling for a change to the health and care bill that would require ministers to publish regular assessments of the numbers of staff in the NHS and social care system.
“I have dedicated my career to working in the NHS – a service that I am fiercely proud of – and yet it scares me to wonder what might happen should I need care as I get older,” said Dr Andrew Goddard, the president of the RCP. “There simply aren’t enough doctors to go round, not least within geriatrics.
“The workforce crisis we’re facing is largely down to an astonishing lack of planning. All successful organisations rely on long-term workforce planning to meet demand and it’s absurd that we don’t do this for the NHS and social care system. The government needs to … make workforce planning a priority.”
Dr Jennifer Burns, the president of the British Geriatrics Society, said the crisis would only worsen with the “predictable rise” in the numbers of older people across the country. “It is absolutely vital that these fundamental issues around the recruitment, retention, development and support of the workforce are addressed, and that there is a properly resourced strategy for future needs,” she said.
Danny Mortimer, the chief executive of NHS Employers and deputy chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said the RCP analysis highlighted “the growing mismatch between the demand for and availability of geriatricians”.
He added: “Sajid Javid’s recent commissioning of a workforce strategy is a very welcome step, but as the government’s health and care bill continues through parliament, we would urge the government to accept amendments requiring the health secretary to publish regular, independent assessments of the numbers of staff the NHS and social care system need now and in future.”
East Devon District Council has joined the show of support for the people of Ukraine and their families, following the Russian invasion.
person Philippa Davies www.exmouthjournal.co.uk
The county and district councils have condemned Russia’s actions and pledged to work together to support Ukrainian refugees seeking sanctuary in the UK.
They have also agreed to give particular support to families in Devon whose relatives in Ukraine are fleeing the conflict.
East Devon District Council Chair Councillor Ian Thomas said: “On behalf of East Devon District Council, I want to express horror at the unprovoked invasion and heinous treatment of the sovereign nation of Ukraine and its people by Russia.
“These are uniquely challenging circumstances. Whilst movement of displaced refugees from the war zone is at an early stage, it is clear that an enormous level of support is needed.
“I’m confident that East Devon officers and members will step up to the plate in response to this humanitarian crisis, taking an active role with our local government partners in support of wider refugee needs.
“In the interim, we have joined with many across the globe in a statement of solidarity and support for Ukraine, by flying the nation’s flag at both Blackdown House in Honiton and Exmouth Town Hall.
“It is unbelievable and heart-breaking to see this tragedy unfolding before us. We can only hope that sanity, humanity and kindness will soon be restored.”
East Devon District Council Leader Councillor Paul Arnott added: “The constructive and practical engagement of all the Devon districts, working under the Team Devon flag with the County, is absolutely essential. The challenges this crisis will inevitably provide need direct political solutions both nationally and locally, and East Devon, as part of Team Devon, will make sure that our response meets the expectations of our many concerned residents.”
Individually, councils have also taken steps to cut Russian links, such as through contracts for energy provision. Any few remaining investments within the Devon Pension Fund that are linked to Russian assets are being sold off quickly.
Devon councils say they have long worked together, alongside health and voluntary sector partners and local communities, to provide safe sanctuary and resettlement for refugees, most recently Syrian families and those fleeing conflict in Afghanistan.
Keir Starmer has called on the Conservatives to sack their co-chair, Ben Elliot, for being “at the heart” of links between the party and Russian money.
Rowena Mason www.theguardian.com
The Labour leader said Elliot should step back from his role or be removed after revelations about his firm’s Russian business and the Tories accepting donations from wealthy Russians or companies linked to Russia.
Elliot has been chair of the party while it has taken donations from Lubov Chernukhin, the wife of Vladimir Putin’s former finance minister, and Aquind, a company co-owned by the billionaire Viktor Fedotov.
Neither is subject to any sanctions and the Conservatives have previously said in relation to Chernukhin and Aquind that all donations were “properly and transparently” declared in line with electoral law. Chernukhin, who has British citizenship, has condemned the invasion of Ukraine and called Putin’s regime “despotic”.
Elliot is also co-owner of Quintessentially, a “concierge” service for the super-wealthy that has counted many Russians among its clients, including reportedly Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner who has also faced calls from Starmer for UK sanctions to be imposed on him.
Quintessentially this week deleted a webpage detailing its presence in Russia, with about 50 staff in the country.
An archived page version said: “Quintessentially Russia has nearly 15 years’ experience providing luxury lifestyle management services to Russia’s elite and corporate members. Our office employs over 50 lifestyle managers, each of whom has completed a specialised training programme. They work around the clock 365 days per year to provide personal concierge services to each member. From restaurant bookings to backstage concert access, a bespoke luxury lifestyle is at our clients’ fingertips.”
A spokesperson for Quintessentially said the group “completely condemns President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine” and was monitoring its member base to ensure it was not servicing any individual or corporate body on sanctions lists, confirming that there were none so far.
With concerns heightened after the invasion of Ukraine, Starmer said it was time for the Conservatives to act to remove Elliot. Speaking during a visit to Birmingham Erdington, where Labour won a byelection on Thursday, Starmer said: “I think there is growing concern about the links between the Conservative party and Russian money. Ben Elliot is at the heart of that. We need to strip Russian money away from our politics, not to allow it to influence our politics.
“There will always be this danger if the Conservative government doesn’t go really hard on this that people will say it must be because you are reliant on Russian money that you are not going more quickly.
“So, it’s in everybody’s best interests that Ben Elliot steps back from his role – and I think he should actually be sacked from it.”
A Conservative source said: “This Conservative government has been leading the world in arming and training Ukrainian troops and imposing severe sanctions on Russia while Keir Starmer attempts to score cheap political points.”
In a reference to a row over support for Stop the War, the source added: “He would be better off trying to rid his own party of the Putin apologists who blame Nato for the invasion of Ukraine, many of whom sit as Labour MPs.”
Abramovich has said he is a non-political person and was not linked to Putin or the Russian state.
Meanwhile the former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith called for British politics to be “scrubbed clean” of Russian money, saying: “It’s all political parties: we’ve all got to clean house … I think it should all be revisited, all of what went on in the past.”
Duncan Smith suggested it was not just politicians who had been too lax about accepting Russian cash but also “lawyers, estate agents, accountants – enablers” who should now reconsider their roles.
David Davis, the former Brexit secretary, called on the government to use legislation due to be passed next week to force UK citizens to sever their links with Russian companies if the government believed they were connected to the Kremlin.
“We are in an economic war,” he said. “One of the things we should do in the economic crime bill is that we should require British citizens not to hold posts on the boards of companies which the government believes have a link with Putin. They should certainly not be in receipt of large sums of money from such companies.”
Commentators and the Opposition parties continue to press the government to speed up sanctions.
Tom Peck, again, in yesterday’s Indy:
” … If you’re wondering why it is that France can just seize a superyacht that belongs to Vladimir Putin’s de facto deputy, Igor Sechin, while the UK makes vague commitments to maybe do this kind of thing in 18 months or so, you might find the answer just by staring out the window.
By staring, that is, at the grey spring sky and the driving rain and wondering just what it is that makes this dreary windswept island the go-to destination for the world’s super-rich. They’re here because we want them to be here. We have welcomed them, and their money, in ways that France, Germany, the US, and everywhere else in between would simply never do, by offering them tax arrangements that are an affront to the basic dignity of every British mug that actually works for a living. …”
Meanwhile:
Boris Johnson has backed down on plans to allow Russian oligarchs 18 months to register ownership of luxury properties in the UK, slashing the proposed “grace period” to six months.
And he announced plans to streamline the process of sanctioning individuals with links to Vladimir Putin, by removing the legal requirement for government lawyers to show that measures are “appropriate” before implementing them.
Is this the best that our “world leading” government can do? How long does it take to “register legitimate ownership”- Owl
Plans for 21 homes near Cullompton have been refused because of their impact on the countryside.
Ollie Heptinstall, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk
The application would have led to the properties being built at Westcott, a small community by the main road to Exeter which is home to The Merry Harriers Inn.
A report to the Mid Devon planning committee on Wednesday said the mix of single and two-storey homes, nine of which are classed as ‘affordable’, had been designed “to a high environmental standard” and included solar panels.
But it concluded the scheme was “located in the countryside and outside of a defined settlement within the local plan.”
It added: “The development will result in a market led housing scheme in an unsustainable location that fails to preserve the character and appearance of the countryside.”
Officers therefore recommended refusal, a sentiment shared by members of the committee.
Speaking at the meeting, applicant Mr Rowe claimed the council’s planning team had previously supported his application for Westcott, only to change their stance in January.
He said “like stupid sheep” he and his team had agreed to alter a previous application to the updated low-energy one, on the basis of having officers’ support.
Mr Rowe then warned that his appeal statement: “has been prepared and written” should his proposal be rejected, “and this time we will have no hesitation in claiming full costs. This is over a six-figure sum.”
However, members of the council were told the application was located outside a settlement boundary not included in the local plan, a decision unaltered by the location of a bus stop nearby.
A planning officer added that it was not considered to be an “exception site” to this rule, due to the majority of the homes being planned for sale on the open market.
Members refused the scheme by a margin of eight to none, with three abstentions.
“Now we’ve got remote owners who have no connections who just see it as a business opportunity. It makes a difference when you have got a transient people coming through. Obviously people enjoy it but it’s sapped the soul out of the village.”
Charles Gray www.dailypost.co.uk
The hot topic of second home ownership and holiday properties have long been a talking point in parts of North Wales.
In recent years, frustrations over the issue have been most keenly felt in north west Wales – a problem which many have argued has been exacerbated by the pandemic.
Over the past couple of years, many prospective home buyers saw properties ripped from their grasp as house hunters from outside these areas – aided in large by a new found flexibility of working from home – started looking for properties in these picturesque and largely rural heartlands.
Last year, members of campaign group Hawl i Fyw Adra (Right to Live Locally) marched 17 miles from Nefyn to Caernarfon (Gwynedd’s administrative centre) to protest the lack of action over the issue, a visible display of the strength and depth of feeling about the problem in these communities.
But the issue surrounding second homes and holiday lets – and more importantly, the effect they have on communities – are not unique to North Wales.
Say hello to Staithes – a village in North Yorkshire that has long been a popular tourist spot.
It is renowned for its picturesque beauty and is a source of great pride to its residents.
But that beauty has not gone unnoticed by people looking for a slower pace of life – or even an investment opportunity – and recent years have seen frustrations grow.
The coastal village near the famous town of Whitby has seen a wave of shrewd-minded outsiders buying up seafront cottages seemingly to capitalise on increasing visitor numbers.
Only 20 per cent of homes are now understood to be owned by locals and the sparsity of familiar faces has made it feel as though it has lost something integral for those who call it home.
Staithes was once one of the region’s largest fishing ports and is perhaps best known for the 19th century Staithes Group of painters.
On a visit to the village, YorkshireLive found residents bemoaning the “faceless” nature of those who purchase properties to let as holiday homes, claiming it is taking places away from young people who want to make a home there.
The growing number of visitors to the village’s historic streets – particularly during the last two years – has felt “overwhelming” for many and, while it has its benefits, has brought various parking problems.
One long-term resident of Staithes living on the north side of the village said that there were now an “awful lot of holiday cottages” and that a count of the number of people who actually lived in the bottom end of the village totalled just 50.
The woman, who did not want to be named, said: “There’s always been a holiday industry and it’s kept people going but it tended to be people with cottages who would regularly come and stay so they would be part of the village.
“Now we’ve got remote owners who have no connections who just see it as a business opportunity. It makes a difference when you have got a transient people coming through. Obviously people enjoy it but it’s sapped the soul out of the village.”
She added: “I think it’s the same in most villages. Particularly after Covid when people have made their escape from the cities and seen the benefit of being in places like this.
“There’s no way I could complain about living here because it’s so beautiful and people are more than welcome to come but it does have an impact on how you live. The atmosphere has changed.”
Further up the steep road live the Harrisons, made up of husband and wife Colin and Marina, their son Alex and dog Rory. The family owns a further two holiday cottages in the village that they rent out but are keenly aware of the problems the lack of residential housing brings.
Mr Harrison, who grew up in Staithes, said: “I’ve seen it go in phases over the years when it’s been very popular and then you can’t fill a house for love nor money. At the moment it’s in high demand.
“I think people have realised how important quality of life is to factor in when deciding where to live. Here I can work from home and take the dog out along the coast on my break.”
But, he continued: “To me there’s not a community like there used to be. Growing up as a child everyone was related in some way and all the old ladies wore the Staithes bonnets and fishing was still a business.
“There was a steelworks as well so you had workers from there. That’s certainly changed.” He added he felt a bit of a “hypocrite” for complaining while owning two holiday cottages, which he said he was making a good amount of money from.
Another issue around the village’s narrow roads is parking, with visitors often pulling up in front of homes despite warning signs. Mrs Harrison said: “You get some people being cheeky and saying that they were told to come this way when there’s about five signs on the way down saying you can’t.
“The last couple of years so many people have been coming to stay that there aren’t enough spaces. These issues aren’t specific to Staithes or the Yorkshire Coast, though. We watch programmes about Cornwall and Scotland and Norfolk and it’s the same there too.”
The enthusiasm for living in Staithes is not necessarily shared by the younger generation, though, according to 17-year-old Alex, who said life can get pretty boring due to the lack of activities. But he and his dad are both members of the local lifeboat organisation and he admitted that, in time, he may be drawn back to the village.
The sense of a lack of community was not a universal opinion. Across the bridge and in the centre of Staithes is Dotty’s Cafe, which features regular performances and community events organised by owner Trudy Ward.
Trudy Ward outside Dotty’s Tearoom in Staithes, North Yorkshire (Image: Dotty’s tea room)
In between serving people in the packed out venue, Ms Ward said that the events had been “fantastic” for business. She also raised the issue that some of the houses were coming up for sale as people get older and find it harder to walk up and down the steep bank into the village.
It is at the top end of the village – away from the throng of tourists – that many permanent residents live. Shop owners near the public car park also flagged the housing and parking issues.
Louise Cole, who used to work in the information centre but now runs a gift shop, said: “After the lockdown it just went ballistic and parking was a massive issue. Some of them got quite abusive and were effing and blinding.
“I had tickets thrown at me. When people realise it’s nothing to do with us they tend to calm down and apologise.”
On the housing issue, Ms Cole said: “It’s a shame really. We have got two kids but prices are going up and houses get sold straight away. The next generation can’t move in to their own village.”
Parking is monitored by the local council and people can either pay by cash or using contactless. However, the difficulty in getting an internet signal can often cause problems.
Shop owner Dawn Coultas said: “You get about 20 people coming in to ask about parking every day. There’s a private parking area that only allows people to stay for 10 minutes and that often gets people.”
Retiree David Linley owns a cottage near the seafront, which he bought during lockdown to spend half his time. He said he was aware of the housing issues but summed up why the place was so magical to him and countless others: “I love it here. I like the people and I find it quiet. It’s a very happy place.”
A ‘citizen science’ project to assess the level of pollution in the River Otter is about to get under way.
person Philippa Davieswww.sidmouthherald.co.uk
Armed with water quality testing kits, the Tipton St John environmental group Eager Beavers will start regularly monitoring different sections of the river, using transparent turbity tubes that show the level of sediment present in the water.
The county councillor for the Otter Valley, Jess Bailey, contributed from her Locality Budget to pay for the testing kits, which arrived this week.
The group’s co-founder Lisette Johnston said: “I am going to be testing the Metcombe brook outside of my house, so this is one of the tests we perform.
“We also look at the temperature, total dissolved solids and phosphate levels.
“The important thing is to test in the same places on a regular basis and monitor levels of pollution, signs of wildlife and invasive species.”
River pollution can come from fertiliser and pesticides in agriculture and run-off from roads, as well as sewage discharges. The tests will enable the group to establish what kind of pollution is present, and its likely source.
If the tests reveal serious contamination, the group will take their findings to South West Water and possibly the Environment Agency.
Meanwhile, the Eager Beavers have been accepted as ambassadors for the East Devon Area of Natural Beauty, and are likely to become involved with a Parish Nature Recovery Project being trialled in Harpford and Newton Poppleford. The project will mainly focus on river corridor and hedgerow management.
They have just finished a Recycle and Raise initiative, in which plastic waste is collected and sent to a reprocessing centre in Exeter to be made into items such as garden furniture and fence posts. The money raised is donated to MIND and Dartmoor Zoo.
Lisette added: “We have received a landmark tree from the Devon Wildlife Trust to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which will be planted in June. In the meantime, we have been clearing verges in Tipton in readiness for planting wildflowers and seeds for the bees and pollinators.”
The Eager Beavers are also continuing their regular litter picks in Tipton St John, with the next taking place this Sunday, March 6. Lisette will be offering free seeds to people who come along and help. Litter picks and rubbish clearing have been carried out lately in the area; a few weeks ago they removed a tarpaulin from the river Otter at Salston.
Parking fees to double to £2 per hour at 21 East Devon car parks
Philippa Davies & Joe Ives, Exmouth Journal
Fees at 21 of East Devon’s car parks are to double to £2 per hour, despite strong opposition from businesses, Conservative councillors and MP, Simon Jupp.
East Devon District Council has approved a budget that included the price increase in 21 seaside town car parks and a rise to £1.50 per hour in six others.
From April the £2 fee will be introduced in a number of car parks, including Exmouth’s Imperial Road short stay, Imperial Road Recreation Ground long stay, Queen’s Drive, Foxholes, Queen’s Drive Echelon, Camperdown Terrace and Beach Gardens, as well as Budleigh’s Lime Kiln, Rolle Mews.
A rise from £1 to £1.50 will be introduced at six other EDDC car parks: Exmouth’s London Hotel,
Honiton’s Lace Walk, King Street and New Street North and South, and Seaton’s Orchard Road. The budget was agreed at the full council meeting on Wednesday, February 23, with 29 votes in favour, 12 against.
In a column in this newspaper earlier this month, East Devon MP Simon Jupp said: “I have heard from businesses who fear shoppers will drive to out-of-town supermarkets or shop online even more, with visitors choosing to go elsewhere.”
At the end of last week, two petitions against the parking fee increases across East Devon gathered around 1,800 signatures; one organised by the Sidmouth Chamber of Commerce, the other by Sidmouth resident Mike Goodman.
The chamber’s vice-chair, Sally Mynard, addressed a virtual meeting of the council on Monday, February 21.
She said: “It is obvious this will significantly impact trade in our towns which are struggling to recover from Covid, and which are under long-term pressures from the internet and out of town competition. We feel the proposal has not been thought through and has not allowed consultation. “There has been no impact assessment, and little concern for the economic health of our communities and the businesses they support. It looks like a panic measure: lack of evidence, lack of consultation, lack of proper debate and discussion.”
The chair of Sidmouth Town Council, Ian Barlow, also spoke at that meeting, describing the increase as ‘ridiculous’ and ‘a gamble’.
He said: “I think you are risking an awful lot for possibly a gain, but you do not know that, and certainly from previous experience you will not gain from it.”
Speaking after the meeting on Wednesday where the budget was voted through, the leader of East Devon District council Paul Arnott said: “I think that the majority of councillors are very disappointed that the Conservatives sought to weaken the budget by opposing it. Fortunately, they lost very clearly.”
Concerns have been raised that the floodplain created by the Lower Otter Restoration Project will become a ‘magnet’ for paddleboards and canoes, and that these will disturb wildlife.
Philippa Davies, Exmouth Journal:
The Otter Valley Association supports the project but thinks more should be done to make sure birds and other wildlife are protected when the scheme is finished next year.
The project will allow the lower valley to become tidal twice a day, recreating an estuary like the one that existed there 200 years ago. It will comprise approximately 55 hectares of mudflat and saltmarsh, providing a new wildlife reserve of international conservation value.
The Otter Valley Association thinks, in view of this, byelaws should be drawn up to prevent boat users accessing the estuary from the sea, which they currently have a right to do.
Chair, Bob Wiltshire, said: “During the summer months it is possible to hire paddle boards and kayaks at the end of the beach. “Although the people hiring these craft are advised not to launch into the river from the back of the beach, some do so. “We are particularly concerned that when this project is completed, it will act as a magnet. “I have written to EDDC (East Devon District Council) to ask if byelaws can be written to prohibit this taking place.
“Everybody I have spoken to has expressed their concern and wants it to be well known in the public domain.”
However, Clinton Devon Estates, which is managing the project, is hoping byelaws will not be necessary.
Head of wildlife and conservation, Dr Sam Bridgewater, said there had been discussions with EDDC on the issue, and byelaws are not being ruled out.
But he would prefer to take a less authoritarian approach, allowing people to enjoy the estuary while steering them away from sensitive wildlife habitats. He said visitor access could be managed through the design of pathways, the use of natural barriers such as hedgerows, and through signage.
There are also plans to have a ranger on site to keep an eye on visitors and wildlife.
The Otter Valley Restoration Project is due for completion in the spring of 2023.
Where the UK could act, and could make a difference, would be to impose meaningful sanctions on Putin’s favourite oligarchs. It has failed to do so. When Keir Starmer asked Johnson “why on earth” Roman Abramovich has not faced sanctions (as Johnson claimed last week he had done, and subsequently had to correct the record), he could only reply that he “could not comment on individual cases”.
Tom Peck www.independent.co.uk
The whole of the Commons were up on their feet for more than a minute, applauding in a moving show of solidarity with their guest in the public gallery, Vadym Prystaiko.
Boris Johnson, being Boris Johnson, was unable to suppress his trademark smirk as he did so. It will not be lost on him that almost a fortnight has now passed since he became the first prime minister ever to be interviewed under police caution, and as yet nobody has asked him a thing about it.
The ambassador seemed genuinely humbled by the gesture, though the speed at which the house shot to its feet would be outdone seconds later, by the speed at which His Excellency’s eyes rolled to the back of his head.
Ukraine has not found gestures of solidarity hard to come by in the last horrific week. They are grateful for them. Why wouldn’t they be? But they also know that gestures of solidarity are easy. It’s harder to take action, and there has been plenty of action. But what’s really hard is to take action that you don’t want to take. UK government ministers have taken to saying, whenever asked, that they are “leading the world” in action against Putin, a claim that lacks any demonstrable evidence whatsoever.
Germany cancelled Nord Stream 2, despite being heavily dependent on Russian oil and gas. The UK was keener than others to kick Russia out of the Swift payment system, precisely because it doesn’t rely to the same extent on Russia being in it, in order to pay them for the energy it needs. Germany has committed to spending a very long overdue extra £84bn on defence.
Where the UK could act, and could make a difference, would be to impose meaningful sanctions on Putin’s favourite oligarchs. It has failed to do so. When Keir Starmer asked Johnson “why on earth” Roman Abramovich has not faced sanctions (as Johnson claimed last week he had done, and subsequently had to correct the record), he could only reply that he “could not comment on individual cases”.
There are two flats near Westminster, worth £11m, owned by Putin’s former deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov. Shuvalov was one of the oligarchs gathered for last week’s preposterous meeting with Putin in the Hall of the Order of St Catherine. He is on the EU’s sanctions list but not on ours.
What did Johnson think of that? “We are doing everything we can to expose ill-gotten Russian loot blah blah blah yadah yadah yadah murble burble make it go away.”
He’s not doing everything he can. He knows as well as the next person that the UK’s entire economic model is based on incentivising dubious foreign wealth to park itself here and the small matter of a terrifying land war in Europe is not going to be enough to make them do anything about it now.
Speak to any of London’s obscenely wealthy immigrants, and I’ve spoken to a few, and they all tell you variations of the same thing. They’re not here for the staggering beauty of London’s grey skies and general low quality of life. They’re here because comparable countries, like France or Italy or Germany, simply don’t let them do the kind of outrageous nonsense they get up to here.
There are no shortage of bankers in the City, working for the usual handful of major investment banks, whose salaries get paid directly offshore, and if they want to use that money to buy a property abroad, quite possibly in the country of their actual birth, they’ll never have to pay a penny of tax on it.
The UK’s “world beating financial sector” is world beating precisely because nobody else lets them get away with it. Which is precisely why, even at this unimaginably rarefied hour, all Johnson can do is swat away the questions about the things he hasn’t done and hope they’ll go away.
They won’t go away. And nor, in all likelihood, will the oligarchs. We don’t even want them to. We’re all much happier clapping in solidarity and hoping for the best.
“All donations to the Conservative Party are from people on the electoral register in Britain, those donations are properly declared.” So that’s OK then? – Owl
A Russian Conservative donor previously married to one of Vladimir Putin’s ministers gave the party another £80,000 in the last quarter, the latest figures have revealed.
The party accepted £80,250 from ex-Russian banker Lubov Chernukhin in the last three months of 2021, according to figures released by the Electoral Commission today.
A British and Russian citizen, she was married to Vladimir Chernukhin, who was a deputy finance minister under Mr Putin and was chairman of Russian state development corporation VEB.RF, which has been placed under sanctions by the UK this week.
Mrs Chernukhin has donated around £2m to the Conservatives since 2012.
Tory Party criticised for Russian donations
The Conservative Party has been criticised for accepting donations from people with links to Russia as further sanctions have been placed on individuals and companies directly involved with Mr Putin after he invaded Ukraine last Thursday.
Asked last week if any Russia-linked money should be handed back by the Tories, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told Sky News: “All donations to the Conservative Party are from people on the electoral register in Britain, those donations are properly declared.”
Lubov Chernukhin’s meetings with prime ministers
In 2018, the Conservative Party was criticised for accepting £50,000 from Mrs Chernukhin on the same day then-PM Theresa May said it was “highly likely” Russia was behind the Salisbury spy poisonings.
And in 2014, Mrs Chernukhin paid £160,000 at an auction for the chance to play tennis with then-PM David Cameron and Boris Johnson, who was London mayor at the time.
In 2019, she had dinner with Mrs May and six of her Cabinet ministers after donating £135,000 at a Conservative fundraiser.
Image: Vladimir Chernukhin was Vladimir Putin’s deputy finance minister from 2000 to 2002
Mrs Chernukhin named in Pandora Papers
The Pandora Papers, documents leaked last year revealing owners of offshore companies and secret bank accounts, revealed Mrs Chernukhin’s wealth comes from her ex-husband.
They own a house overlooking London’s Regents Park worth £38m and a mansion in Oxfordshire bought for £10m, the papers found.
Evidence found by the investigation suggested Mr Chernukhin abused his position as the government-appointed head of a state bank to advance his private business interests.
Mrs Chernukhin’s lawyers in 2021 said it was not accepted any of her political donations had been funded by improper means or affected by the influence of anyone else.
In 2018, when Mr Johnson was foreign secretary, he said “all possible checks have been made” on Mrs Chernukhin’s donations “and will continue to be made”.
Labour criticises Chernukhin donations
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner hit out at the Conservatives for accepting donations from Mrs Chernukhin.
“This government’s dangerous links to Putin’s cronies must be rooted out,” she said.
“If this government is serious about taking the toughest measures to eradicate Putin’s influence in Britain, they must first get their own house in order.”
During Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, ahead of the new donation figures being released, Labour MP Bill Esterson asked Mr Johnson if he would instruct the Conservative Party to hand Mrs Chernukhin’s donations to Ukrainian humanitarian causes.
Mr Esterson said: “I know he doesn’t want to tar everyone with Russian links with the same brush and neither do I, but leaked documents… show that Vladimir Chernukhin received eight million US dollars from a Russian member of parliament, an ally of Putin who was later sanctioned by the United States.
“This is an opportunity for the Conservative Party and for the prime minister to end the suspicion of conflict of interests with Putin whilst showing solidarity with the Ukrainian people.”
Mr Johnson replied it was “absolutely vital” to demonstrate “this is not about the Russian people, it is about the Putin regime”.
This column was first published in the Exmouth Journal on Wednesday 2nd March 2022 and in the Sidmouth Herald and Midweek Herald later in the week.
This is undoubtedly one of the darkest periods in modern times.
Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin tore up a peace deal. He sent his forces across the borders of Russia and Belarus into Ukraine. He now stands accused of shattering peace in Europe.
Putin vastly underestimated the steadfast response from the Ukrainian government and people. His military intelligence is as lacking as his own humanity.
The harrowing daily footage we are seeing is a haunting reminder of the fragility of freedom and democracy. The international community must consider the urgent next steps we can take together as the number of casualties rises by the day.
The UK government has introduced tough sanctions designed to hit Russia’s economy where it hurts. We’ve led the calls to remove Russia from the global Swift payment system, and we’ve provided military support including shoulder-launched anti-tank missiles which the Ukrainian forces have already put to good use.
At the time of writing, the PM has announced £40 million of further humanitarian aid to Ukraine to provide vital medical supplies. We are a generous nation.
We’re taking in Ukrainian refugees with family in Britain. But we can do more. We should offer sanctuary and support to the people of Ukraine during their time of crisis, providing a route for Ukrainians fleeing disaster, war, and persecution.
That is why I’ve signed a public letter to the Prime Minister calling on the government to offer a simple and speedy way for Ukrainians to apply for temporary refuge in the UK. Neighbouring countries including Poland and Romania are offering refuge for over 500,000 Ukrainians who have already fled from their homes.
Some are saying we should immediately offer permanent housing, too. However, I believe that we must only offer the hope of a new life if we can deliver it. We face our own housing crisis. NHS resources are stretched, and we don’t have unlimited school places.
Nonetheless, we must do what we can to help the people of Ukraine as they face war on the streets of their country. We share that responsibility with our friends across Europe.
Britain’s biggest housebuilder, Persimmon, has announced profits of nearly £1bn in 2021, but cautioned that the Ukraine invasion could disrupt the the UK economy in the year ahead.
So does it build its full quota of “affordable” homes? – Owl
Jasper Jolly www.theguardian.com
Persimmon’s profits jumped by nearly a quarter to £970m thanks to “positive pricing conditions” in every British region in which it operated, as the house price boom defied the coronavirus pandemic, it said on Wednesday.
Dean Finch, Persimmon’s chief executive, said he was “mindful of the growing risk of an economic impact as a result of the tragic conflict in Ukraine”, but that he expected continued house price rises to “mitigate build cost inflation”, suggesting higher costs for materials and labour would be passed on to buyers.
“The UK housing market remains supportive with demand continuing to exceed supply, favourable interest rates and good levels of mortgage availability,” he said.
Persimmon said it had some built-in protection from increased materials costs, which could be further escalated by the Russian invasion, because it had increased capacity at factories producing timber frames, bricks and tiles.
Vistry, the sixth biggest London-listed housebuilder, also announced bumper results on Wednesday, saying it had more than tripled its annual profits to £320m.
Housebuilders in the UK have benefited from years of strong demand, thanks to a dearth of new homes. Nationwide, the UK’s largest building society, reported on Wednesday that prices of homes on which it offered mortgages increased by 12.6% in the year to February, with the average price crossing the £260,000 mark for the first time.
Many analysts had expected the pandemic to end the extraordinary price increases, but a combination of unprecedented low interest rates and employment support schemes caused prices to defy lockdowns. The UK government indirectly fuelled house price growth by temporarily cutting stamp duty, a subsidy that has now been removed.
Housebuilders have already set aside the costs of removing flammable cladding, found to be a key cause of the Grenfell Tower fire that killed 72 people.
Persimmon built 14,550 new homes in 2021, 1,000 more than 2020 when housebuilding was temporarily disrupted by the first pandemic lockdowns. Its rate of private sales was 22% ahead of 2019, before the pandemic struck. Vistry built 8,600, more than in 2019.
Both companies expected to improve on 2022. Vistry said it predicted a “significant step up in profits and returns in 2022”. Persimmon said it would increase sales volumes by 4-7% in 2022, while keeping similar profit margins. That would suggest a return to above-£1bn profits, a level previously seen only in 2018 and 2019.
Persimmon shares gained 6.4% on Wednesday morning. Shares in Vistry, which was formed in 2020 from the merger of Bovis and Galliford Try, gained 6.6%.
Yet some analysts question whether the housebuilders’ strong run can continue over the next year. Consumer price index inflation has risen to its highest level in 30 years, squeezing household incomes, with more increases to come next month. Economists expect the Bank of England to increase interest rates further this year, which could also dampen demand.
“The backdrop is changing,” said Julie Palmer, a partner at Begbies Traynor, a restructuring consultancy. “House price growth this year is expected to be more muted and we have to question whether Persimmon will be able to absorb ever-increasing costs through higher selling prices.”
Vistry’s chief executive, Greg Fitzgerald, said there had been “strong demand across all areas of the business”. He added that the company had experienced “extended lead times and inflationary pressures on certain products”.
And what have we got in our rivers: serious pollution!
Owl doesn’t have to work too hard to see a connection. Yet more evidence of the effectiveness of “light touch” regulation.
Sandra Laville www.theguardian.com
England’s Environment Agency has downgraded 93% of prosecutions for serious pollution over four years, despite recommendations from frontline staff for the perpetrators to face the highest sanction, a leaked report seen by the Guardian reveals.
Between April 2016 and December 2020, investigators within the agency gathered evidence and prepared case files on 495 serious incidents, involving the worst type of pollution of rivers and coastal waters as well as serious waste crimes, according to the internal document.
They recommended that the agency prosecute in all the cases. But the document shows that after intervention by managers just 35 cases were taken forward to prosecution, the rest being dealt with via a lower sanction such as a warning letter, or dropped all together and marked for no further action.
Officers investigating the highest categories of waste pollution, including those perpetrated by individuals involved in serious organised crime, recommended prosecution in 386 cases. But only 4% of cases were pursued, while the rest were downgraded to a caution, enforcement notice or warning letter, or marked for no further action. The scale of dropped prosecutions was revealed as the government claimed it was engaged in a crackdown on waste criminals.
When it came to investigation of serious pollution incidents in rivers and coastal waters, investigating officers said 109 cases should be prosecuted. These are likely to have involved breaches of permits by water companies leading to illegal discharges of raw sewage, as well as other serious water pollution. Only 21 cases, however, were pursued to a prosecution; just 19%.
The information supports claims from within the EA that it has been cut back to such an extent investigating pollution incidents has been deprioritised and the regulator was no longer a deterrent to polluters.
The report suggests that EA officials will be ignoring serious waste crime involving organised crime group.
Recent instructions to staff, according to a previous Guardian report, are to ignore pollution incidents that are considered lower level; so-called category 3 and 4 incidents.
But the internal report reveals that most waste offences are listed under current guidance category 3 and 4, and therefore, under the new guidance would no longer investigated, “even those that are part of major or serious operations dealing with organised crime”.
The leaked document says the agency “cannot underestimate the significance of large proportions of cat 3” for waste and water quality pollution incidents.
“These include chronic cat 3 impacts associated with priority offenders and long running high risk waste sites that can be deliberate and committed by offenders with enforcement history,” states the document.
“In many instances these are more appropriate for an upper tier [stronger enforcement] response than some cat 1 or 3, depending on circumstance,” it said.
The report suggests that one reason for the wholesale downgrading could be that the agency’s “resources and our ability to evidence offences and pursue cases to prosecution has reduced over recent years”.
Miscategorisation of pollution incidents or permit breaches as low impact when their consequences were actually high impact, is something that concerns the angling community.
Campaign group Fish Legal has details of a pollution incident in which building rubble was dumped into a tributary of the River Tamar. It was initially deemed to be category 2 and was later downgraded to category 3 without any inspection or sampling. The perpetrator was sent a warning letter.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said the regulator does not comment on leaked documents. However, they said it does “consider, record and prioritise all incidents – with all breaches and offences reported to us undergoing a robust initial assessment”.
They added: “We have a wide range of enforcement options, including civil sanctions, enforcement undertakings, and in some circumstances, advice and guidance. Where prosecution is appropriate, we pursue robustly and in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, which sets out that the evidence must provide a realistic prospect of securing a conviction and that a prosecution is in the public interest.”
The spokesperson added: “Over 90% of our prosecutions are successful, and recent outcomes such as the £90m fine of Southern Water Services show a clear and welcome trend towards much bigger fines against offenders in appropriate cases.”
The truth, they say, is the first casualty of war, more so at a time when misinformation spreads so rapidly. But with correspondents on the ground on both sides of the Ukraine-Russia border, in Kyiv, Moscow, Brussels and other European capitals, the Guardian is well placed to provide the honest, factual reporting that readers will need to understand this perilous moment for Europe and the former Soviet Union.
The Guardian has an illustrious history of persistent, independent reporting in the region. We know there is no substitute for being there, and were on the ground at all the critical moments – from the 1917 revolution and the Ukrainian famine of the 1930s, to the collapse of 1991 and the first Russo-Ukrainian conflict in 2014. And we will stay on the ground through this frightening period as well.
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“Second homes are a symptom of a wider problem – a market that treats property, not as a home, but as a way of making a profit.”
The Welsh Government has announced an increase to the limit on council tax premiums for second homes across Wales.
The maximum level at which councils can set council tax premiums on second homes and long-term empty properties will be increased to 300% from April 2023.
The changes are part of a wider package of measures intended to ensure people can find an affordable home in the place they have grown up, as set out in the Co-operation Agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru.
The commitment is to take immediate and radical action using the planning, property and taxation systems, and also includes, new local tax rules for holiday lets.
Rebecca Evans, minister for finance and local government, said: “These changes will give more flexibility to local authorities and provide more support to local communities in addressing the negative impacts that second homes and long-term empty properties can have.
“They are some of the levers we have available to us as we seek to create a fairer system.
“We will continue to make every effort to increase the supply and availability of houses, as shown by the £1 billion of funding to build 20,000 low carbon social homes, contained in the budget I published at the end of last year.”
Plaid Cymru’s Sian Gwenllian said: “It is clear that we as a country are facing a housing crisis. So many people cannot afford to live in their local areas, and the situation has worsened during the pandemic.
“These changes will make a difference, enabling councils to respond to their local circumstances, and start to close the loophole in the current law. It’s a first, but important, step on a journey towards a new housing system that ensures that people have the right to live in their community.
“Through the Co-operation Agreement, we are committed to introducing a package of measures to tackle the injustices in the housing market. Today’s announcement is just one part of that wider package.
“Second homes are a symptom of a wider problem – a market that treats property, not as a home, but as a way of making a profit. By working across the parties in the Senedd, we will introduce more measures, as soon as we can, to make house prices and rents genuinely affordable for people.”
The changes will enable councils to decide the level that is appropriate for their individual local circumstances. Councils will be able to set the premium at any level up to the maximum, and they will be able to apply different premiums to second homes and long-term empty dwellings.
Premiums are currently set at a maximum level of 100% and were paid on more than 23,000 properties in Wales this year.
Local authorities opting to apply premiums have access to additional funding, and the Welsh Government has encouraged councils to use these resources to improve the supply of affordable housing.
Julie James, the Welsh Government’s minister for climate change which includes the housing brief, added: “We want people to be able to live and work in their local communities. But we know rising house prices are putting them out of reach of many people, exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis we are facing.
“There is no easy answer or quick-fix solution. This is a complex problem that requires a wide range of actions.
“We continue to carefully consider further measures that could be introduced, and these changes are the latest steps we are taking to increase the availability of homes and ensure a fair contribution is made.”
Last summer the Welsh Government outlined a three-pronged approach to address the impact of second home ownership faced by Welsh communities.
This seeks to address the affordability and availability of housing, amend the regulatory framework and system, and ensure second homeowners make a fair and effective contribution to the communities in which they buy.
The criteria for self-catering accommodation being liable for business rates instead of council tax will also change from next April.
Currently, properties that are available to let for at least 140 days, and that are actually let for at least 70 days, will pay rates rather than council tax. The change will increase these thresholds to being available to let for at least 252 days and actually let for at least 182 days in any 12-month period.
The change is intended to provide a clearer demonstration that the properties concerned are being let regularly as part of genuine holiday accommodation businesses making a substantial contribution to the local economy.
Both changes follow a consultation process that has included businesses, the tourism industry and local communities.
However, there is not universal support for the proposals within the Senedd, with the Welsh Conservatives in long-standing opposition to a hike on second homes.
Commenting on the news of the council tax rises, the party’s shadow minister for housing, Janet Finch-Saunders, said: “It is deeply concerning that Labour ministers are pandering to their nationalist coalition partners and punishing aspiration and investment in Wales.
“The housing crisis is a direct result of years successive Labour-led governments failing to provide opportunities and build enough houses with housebuilding falling below levels before devolution. What we see is a Labour Government desperately trying to act long after the horse has bolted.
“This Labour Government is failing to tackle the root issues of the housing crisis failing to address the fact that, until recently there have been more empty homes in Wales than there are second homes.
“Labour ministers in Cardiff Bay need to get a grip, address the housing shortage in Wales and provide an environment where hard work can be rewarded.”
East Devon Watch 